By train to the Christmas market

1. Tampere Christmas Market 29 November–22 December 2025

Tampere is known not only for its magnificent Christmas lights but also for the Christmas atmosphere that can be felt in the entire city centre. The traditional Tampere Christmas Market will be open for most of December, including Independence Day. At the Christmas Market, you can visit the warming Glogg Restaurant and Doughnut Café, where you can get into the warm Christmas spirit in the frosty weather with the help of glogg and doughnuts!

Tampere Christmas Market, Opens in a new tab will have vendors from Finland as well as Germany, the home country of Christmas markets. In addition to the artisans’ stalls, the market offers a diverse programme every day. After spending time at the market, you can continue to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in Tampere by walking around the Market Hall in the city centre and visiting the Finlayson Area, where you can find, among other things, the Stable Yards and their shops and events. , Opens in a new tabThe Christmas Market is located in Central Square, which is within a 10-minute walk from Tampere railway station, Opens in a new tab when you walk along Hämeenkatu. You can also travel conveniently on local transport in Tampere. You can buy a Nysse ticket when buying a train ticket in the VR Matkalla app.

2. Helsinki Christmas Market in Helsinki 28 November–22 December 2025

Senate Square in Helsinki is full of stalls and Christmas entertainment from the end of November to the days before Christmas. If you’re still looking for your Christmas spirit and haven't yet bought Christmas presents, visiting the Helsinki Christmas Market , Opens in a new tabis a great choice. The stalls fill up Senate Square, and you may overhear conversations in Finnish as well as many other languages. The high-quality restaurant offering at the market, with its porridge and other delicacies, has become famous on social media. The Helsinki Christmas Market offers a diverse programme, high-quality artisan products, delicacies for the Christmas table and a free carousel for children.

Named after Thomas the Apostle, the market is located next to Helsinki Cathedral , Opens in a new tabwhich means you can visit this international tourist attraction while also visiting the market. You can also find highlights from the past near Senate Square. It was here that German-born architect Carl Ludwig Engel began designing the central buildings of the city centre in 1816.

From the Christmas Market, you can walk towards the Market Square along narrow cobblestone streets. There are small boutiques that suit every taste along the way. Next to the Market Square, you can find Allas Sea Pool with its saunas and swimming pools, the SkyWheel observation wheel and a breathtaking sea view. You can also take a ferry to Suomenlinna. You can buy an HSL ticket for the ferry in the VR Matkalla app when buying a train ticket.

You can easily get to Helsinki by train. If you want to take a taxi around the city, we offer a discount for the users of Lähitaksi and Menevä.You can get to Senate Square, where the Christmas atmosphere awaits, from the, Opens in a new tab railway station, Opens in a new tab by walking for a few minutes along Aleksanterinkatu, which has been decorated with Christmas lights. Did you know that Aleksanterinkatu has been the official Christmas street of Finland since 1949?

3. Kuopio Christmas Market 12–23 December 2025

Kuopio advertises its Christmas Market as the most beautiful in Finland, and it's no wonder why. This provincial centre of North Savo and vendace paradise invests in the Christmas Market with impressive area lighting and light art, enhanced with the enthusiasm and jovial spirit typical of Savo. At the market, you can find local products from the charmingly decorated Christmas stalls, sample local delicacies and get the youngest family members into the Christmas spirit – Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus will be present, and the horse carousel will be open to children under school-age every day. The Christmas Market also offers a wide variety of entertainment on weekends.

You can easily get to the Kuopio Christmas Market , Opens in a new tabby train. The market is located in the city centre, about a 400-metre walk from the railway station. In addition to visiting the Christmas Market, it's a good idea to also enjoy the restaurants, cafés and shopping opportunities in the city centre. , Opens in a new tabIf you wish to move around even more during your visit to Kuopio, you can buy Vilkku tickets for local transport in the VR Matkalla app, rent a discounted rental car or continue your journey from the station on a discounted taxi.

Read more about the discounted services on Kuopio railway station's website, Opens in a new tab

4. Old Great Square's Christmas Market in Turku 22 November–14 December 2025

Turku has become famous for the declaration of Christmas peace. However, many Christmas events take place in Turku before that. You can easily walk from the railway station to the riverside, close to Turku Cathedral, where the Old Great Square's Christmas Market offers a warm Christmas atmosphere. The Old Great Square's Christmas is part of the Christmas preparations of many Turku residents, and it’s worth visiting even from further away. The event has long traditions, as it has been held annually at the Old Great Square since 1990 - a couple of vendors have been involved every year since the beginning, 36 years in total!

The Old Great Square's Christmas , Opens in a new tabwill be held on four weekends before Christmas, in November−December on four weekends before Christmas 22-23 Nov, 29-30 Nov, 6-7 Dec and 13-14 Dec at 11 a.m.-5 p.m. At the market, you can find local products, buy delicacies for the Christmas table and enjoy the atmosphere with a warm mug of glögg. In addition to Christmas products, the market offers music, theatre and circus performances, and you get to greet Santa Claus at Santa’s Workshop. This kind of Christmas atmosphere, with a touch of history, can only be found in Turku!

A wide variety of other Christmas events will also be held in Turku before and during Christmas. Read more about Christmas events in Turku, Opens in a new tab.

The Old Great Square's Christmas Market is within a 20-minute walk from Turku railway station. You can also take a discounted Menevä taxi from the station., Opens in a new tab

Learn more about Turku railway station and VR’s discounted services, Opens in a new tab

5. Oulu's Tiernatori 6–21 December 2025

Oulu's Tiernatori , Opens in a new tabis built in the heart of the city at the Kauppurienaukio square and around the Valkea Shopping Centre. Tiernatori is Oulu’s own Christmas Market, where you can make many high-quality purchases for Christmas. The market is organised in cooperation with Kädentaitajien lahjapaja, where craftsmen sell their work, designs, art and Christmas delicacies, also this year. You can find Kädentaitajat indoors, which means that browsing the treasures also serves as an opportunity to warm up.

In addition to the market, a fairytale-like Christmas forest is built in Rotuaari, delighting visitors from the beginning of December until the 28th.

Tiernatori is a great place to visit with the whole family and also discover the diverse offering of Oulu's city centre. Please also remember one of Oulu's tourist activities: taking a selfie with the Market Square Policeman statue! You can read more about events in Oulu and the Oulu region on Visit Oulu's website, Opens in a new tab.

Christmas Fair, Opens in a new tab, a popular free event for Christmas lovers, is also organised in Oulu on 29-30 November 2025. The Christmas Fair weekend takes place at Pohjankartano School. The fair is full of true Christmas market atmosphere: there, you can find local crafts, Christmas delicacies and individual present ideas. Take the train to Oulu’s Christmas!

You can buy tickets for local transport in the VR Matkalla app when buying a train ticket. If you want to continue your trip to the Oulu region or forward, we offer a discount on, for example, rental cars from Hertz.

Learn more about Oulu railway station, benefits and connections, Opens in a new tab

You can find additional tips for Christmas trips here, Opens in a new tab

See you at the Christmas Market!