The questions internationals ask every year, answered once, with dates for 2026. Sinterklaas vs Christmas, what is open, how to get around, what to eat.
The timeline
Mid-November
Sinterklaas arrives (intocht). Shops fill with pepernoten. Valkenburg (13 Nov) and the German markets open.
22 November
Totensonntag: German markets closed or evening-only. Not a day for Aachen or Cologne.
5 December
Pakjesavond: the Sinterklaas gift evening. Offices empty early; many Dutch markets avoid this weekend.
6–20 December
Peak Dutch market season: Haarlem, Deventer, Leiden, Heusden, Drunen and most village markets happen on these weekends.
23 December
Most German and many Dutch markets end.
24 December
Normal working day; shops close ~17:00.
25–26 December
Eerste and Tweede Kerstdag. Sunday train timetable. Gourmetten at home. Maastricht and Amsterdam markets open.
31 Dec – 1 Jan
Oliebollen. Public transport stops ~20:00 on the 31st. F1 fireworks only in 2026.
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Oliebollen: the doughnut that is technically not for Christmas
Transcript
That ball of fried dough dusted with icing sugar is an oliebol, an oil ball, and the Dutch will tell you it is strictly a New Year's Eve food. They will tell you this while eating one in November at a Christmas market. Order it warm, ask for extra sugar, and if it has raisins in it that is the classic version. One oliebol is a snack. Three is a meal. Five is a decision you will discuss with your doctor.
Glühwein, bisschopswijn, and why the Dutch one is cheaper
Transcript
Hot red wine with cinnamon, cloves and orange. In Germany it is Glühwein and comes in a mug you pay a deposit on. In the Netherlands the old name is bisschopswijn, bishop's wine, because it was drunk on Saint Nicholas' feast, and it is usually poured into a paper cup for a euro or two less than across the border. Same drink. Less ceremony. If the stall offers a shot of rum or amaretto in it, that is a Schuss, and it is how the Germans survive December.
No. Sinterklaas is a separate tradition: he "arrives" by boat in mid-November, children put out a shoe, and the main gift evening is pakjesavond on 5 December. Christmas (Kerst) on 25–26 December is about family dinner, not presents, for most Dutch families. If a Dutch colleague asks about your "Sinterklaas plans", they mean 5 December.
What is Tweede Kerstdag?
Second Christmas Day, 26 December, is a public holiday like 25 December. Expect family visits, shopping-centre "Christmas shows", and many attractions open. In 2026 Christmas falls on Friday and Saturday.
Is a public holiday a day off?
Not automatically. Dutch law lists official holidays but whether you get them off depends on your contract or CAO. Check with HR; it surprises many newcomers.
What is open on 25 and 26 December?
Christmas Eve is a normal working day; most shops close at 17:00–18:00. On 25 December most shops are closed but about half of supermarkets open (Albert Heijn, Jumbo, Dirk, Vomar, DekaMarkt often; Aldi and Lidl mostly not) and most museums and attractions open. On 26 December roughly 90% of supermarkets and most shops open. Nine municipalities allow no Sunday/holiday opening at all.
Do the trains run?
Yes, on a Sunday timetable on 25 and 26 December, and on a reduced holiday timetable from 22 December to 2 January. On New Year's Eve most public transport stops around 20:00 and NS runs no night trains. Check the NS app the day before.
Which Christmas markets are open on Christmas Day itself?
Very few. Magisch Maastricht and the Amsterdam Christmas Village on Museumplein are the known ones. Valkenburg's caves are closed on 25 December; most German markets have already finished on 23 December. See the list below.
Why do Dutch markets only last a weekend?
Because most are run by shopkeepers' associations, churches and volunteers, not by the city. Only Maastricht, Valkenburg, The Hague, Dordrecht and Amsterdam run for weeks. That is why Kerstradar has an "open now" radar: the small ones are easy to miss.
What should I eat and drink at a Dutch market?
Glühwein (mulled wine, €3.50–5 in NL versus €4–6 in Germany), warme chocolademelk, erwtensoep or snert (thick pea soup), poffertjes (tiny pancakes with butter and icing sugar), oliebollen (deep-fried dough balls, strictly a New Year thing but sold from November), kibbeling (fried cod bites), speculaas and kruidnoten (spiced biscuits), and gourmetten is what Dutch families do at home on Christmas Day: everyone cooks tiny portions on a tabletop grill.
Are fireworks allowed this year?
From 1 August 2026 consumer fireworks are restricted to category F1 (sparklers and the like). Professional displays and municipal exemptions continue, so expect organised shows rather than street fireworks on New Year's Eve.
What are the lit globes on flagpoles?
Kerstverlichting on the flagpole is a Dutch suburban thing: a lit ball or star instead of a flag from early December to early January. Not religious, just gezellig.
Is it worth going to Germany instead?
For the full Christmas-market experience, yes: Aachen, Cologne and Düsseldorf are 1.5–2.5 hours from most of the country. For a cosy afternoon, the Dutch ones are fine. We say which is which on every market page; see also our Germany & Belgium page.
