Bit of confusion this year: there are two big Christmas markets, about 800 meters apart, both calling themselves Christkindlmarkt. Here's the breakdown:
1) Christkindlmarkt on the Bund 2025
Already in its second week -- this is the one flooding your WeChat Moments. Looks like someone (David and his team, actually -- check out our Shanghai Famous with him here) picked up a European Christmas market and dropped it on the Bund. The Rockbund backdrop gives it just the right amount of sparkle and old-school charm. Very photogenic. If you haven't been, it's worth a lap.
Tickets:
Weekend slots, especially afternoons, tend to sell out. Book ahead and stick to your time slot — they're strict about entry windows for crowd control.
Tickets ONLY available through SmartShanghai.
Door Tickets?
Sometimes available, sometimes not. If it gets too busy, they pause on-the-door sales — sometimes for 30 minutes, sometimes longer. Best to book ahead.
2) 2025 Paulaner Christkindlmarkt at the North Bund
Opening tomorrow, this one is by Paulaner, who've been doing Christmas markets in Shanghai longer than anyone remembers. They've settled in at the North Bund this year again, with fewer crowds, less chaos, and that Pudong skyline as your holiday backdrop.
Smaller in scale, a bit more low-key -- but still a proper German-style market, with mulled wine, bratwurst, and all the usual suspects.
Tickets:
Also available via SmartShanghai. That's right -- we're your Christmas market ticketing platform now. Book by time slots, same as the other one, and yes: door tickets are hit-or-miss depending on the crowds.
And then pretty much every shopping mall around town has one, or some sort of Christmas theme. We've listed a few more markets here.
