A Christmas market is the kind of day out that parking can ruin. Which is why the train here isn't the budget choice. It's the good one.
These five towns share one thing: in all of them you can step off the train and be among the stalls within minutes. In Montreux, the organisers put it at 200 metres from the station. South Tyrol's tourist board says much the same: the stations sit a stone's throw from the markets.
Three of the five are on one line, the Brenner: Trento, Bolzano and, one regional train further, Merano. The other two, Montreux and Colmar, are on the far side of the Alps and make a very different trip together.
I'm based in Turin, and from here you reach either side through the same gateways, Milan or Verona. The dates below come from each market's official site. Train fares move with the calendar, so I'm giving you reference figures and where they come from.
Merano to Colmar, on one map
Tap any town to see what's there, or press Ride the route and watch the train cross the Alps through the Simplon. The line is the real track. Nobody rides all 910 km in one go: the map just shows how it all connects. The dotted line is the way in from Turin.
Each market has its own character
Trento, the early one. It opens on 20 November, almost a week ahead of the rest, spread across Piazza Fiera by the medieval walls and Piazza Mostra in front of the Castello del Buonconsiglio.
Bolzano, the big one. Piazza Walther is the heart of it, packed with stalls and a few minutes' walk from the station. It's also the busiest: Italian press reports close to a million visitors a season.
Merano, the riverside one. You stroll along the Passirio between the Passeggiata and Piazza Terme, with a separate Christmas village in Piazza della Rena.
Montreux, the lakeside one. The chalets follow the shore of Lake Geneva, with a giant wheel and the Art Nouveau market hall on our cover. Two paid extras: the Flying Santa cruise and Santa's house up on Rochers-de-Naye.
Colmar, the storybook one. It isn't one market but six, scattered through an old town of half-timbered houses, plus the gourmet market and the wheel on Place Rapp.
The 2026 dates, side by side
I built this table from the official sites. The one fact that matters: all five overlap from 26 November to 24 December. After Christmas Eve, Montreux is gone. After the 29th, so is Colmar.
| Market | Opens | Closes | Hours | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trento | 20 Nov | 6 Jan | Daily 10:00–20:00 | 24 and 31 Dec, 6 Jan: until 18:00. Christmas Day: 16:00–20:00 |
| Montreux | 20 Nov | 24 Dec | From 11:00 (Sat 10:00) to 21:00 or 22:00 | 24 Dec: until 17:00 |
| Colmar | 23 Nov | 29 Dec | Check each square's hours | The gourmet market runs to 3 Jan |
| Bolzano | 26 Nov, 17:00 | 6 Jan | Stalls 10:00–19:00; food later | Closed 25 Dec. Reduced hours 31 Dec and 1 Jan |
| Merano | 26 Nov, 17:00 | 6 Jan | Mon–Thu and Sun 10:00–19:00; Fri, Sat and holidays 10:00–20:00 | Closed 25 Dec. 24 and 31 Dec until 15:30 |
Where to get off the train
All five are close to the station. Tap “See on the map” to place them on the route.
Two tickets that change the trip
On the Italian side there's a card that nearly always pays off. On the Swiss and French side, you buy leg by leg.
South Tyrol's Mobilcard
For €22 for one day, €32 for three or €52 for seven (2026 adult prices) you get all regional public transport, including regional trains as far as Trento and the Brenner. It isn't valid on long-distance trains. If you stay at a participating property in South Tyrol, you may get the free Guest Pass, which does the same job: ask before you buy a Mobilcard.
The Milan – Montreux direct
A EuroCity links the two in about 3 h 20, no changes, through the Simplon tunnel. There are only a few departures a day, so look up the timetable first and build everything else around it. Montreux Noël also offers a 50% public transport discount with RailAway: check the conditions on its site.
Fondazione FS has announced four special departures from Milano Centrale, also calling at Brescia: 29 November and 13 December to Bressanone, 8 and 20 December to Merano, all day trips with a Bolzano stop every time. Booking is through Italia in Treno.
Reference prices (2026)
| Leg | Time | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Turin → Verona Frecciarossa | ~2 h 40 | ~€25 |
| Verona → Bolzano | from 1 h 28 | from €11.90 |
| Bolzano → Merano Regional, roughly every 30 min | ~37 min | from €7 |
| South Tyrol Mobilcard 1 / 3 / 7 days | — | €22 / 32 / 52 |
| Milan → Montreux Direct EuroCity | ~3 h 20 | from ~$37 |
| Basel → Colmar TER, around 20 a day | ~45 min | €7–17 |
Mobilcard: 2026 fare as published by South Tyrol tourist offices. The rest are figures from comparison sites (Omio, Kombo, Trainline, Rome2Rio), not official fares, and long-distance tickets get pricier as the date nears: always confirm when you buy. From Turin, the fastest connections reach Bolzano in about 4 h 15 with one change.
Two trips, pick yours
All five in one go is possible, but it's a lot of train. Montreux to Colmar alone is 3 h 30 to 5 h with a change in Basel, and getting back to Bolzano from there eats another full day. I'd split it in two.
The Brenner line
- Trento, Bolzano and Merano on one line
- One base, one transport pass
- Ideal for a long weekend
- Still open after Christmas, until 6 January
- Bolzano on Saturdays: crowds
Lake Geneva and Alsace
- Two countries, two worlds: lake and medieval town
- Direct from Milan to Montreux
- Montreux is 200 m from the station
- Switzerland costs more
- Ends earlier: 24 and 29 December
Sleep in Bolzano, and go there and back
If it's your first time and you can only do one, I'd pick the Brenner line. Bolzano sits in the middle: Merano is under 40 minutes one way, Trento is down the same line the other. You sleep in one place, travel light and don't depend on tight connections.
The three-day plan I'd put together: day 1, leave Turin early, stop in Trento for the market and the Buonconsiglio, sleep in Bolzano. Day 2, Merano on the Mobilcard, back to Bolzano for dinner. Day 3, Bolzano's market early, before it fills up, and the train home. Go midweek if you can, and book your room now.
Six things worth knowing
Montreux closes at 17:00 on the 24th and Colmar ends on the 29th. On 25 December Bolzano and Merano stay shut, and Trento opens only 16:00–20:00. I found no announced line closures on the Brenner or Bolzano–Merano for November and December, but Trenitalia posts them at short notice: check “Lavori programmati” before you travel.
Official links
Photo and map credits
Photos via Wikimedia Commons: Montreux market hall — Luca Florio (CC BY-SA 3.0); Montreux wheel — EconAmbiente (CC BY-SA 4.0); Montreux market — Popo le Chien (CC BY-SA 3.0); Bolzano — Skafa (CC BY-SA 2.5); Merano — Kurverwaltung Meran (CC BY-SA 2.0) and Felix König (CC BY 3.0); Trento — MicheleCa3112 and Syrio (CC BY-SA 4.0); Colmar — Gzen92 (CC BY-SA 4.0), HarshLight (CC BY 2.0) and Arnaud 25 (CC BY-SA 4.0); mugs — Kora27 (CC BY-SA 4.0). Track layout: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) via BRouter. Base maps: © OpenStreetMap, © Esri, © OpenTopoMap (CC BY-SA), Esri World Imagery.