Trento Christmas Markets: which ones to visit in 2023

The banks of the Adige River will be the setting for the much-awaited Trento Christmas Markets. Trento Christmas Markets are back with lights that turn on while pedaling. This will kick off the festivities.

For this year's event there is, in fact, a great novelty: the lights will be partly powered by two special exercise bikes installed in Piazza Duomo. These will allow visitors to produce clean energy to power the Trento Christmas Markets lights. In this way citizens and tourists, simply by pedaling, will be able to make their contribution to the environment by producing clean energy. Thanks to the movement of the pedals, the bikes will produce energy and a direct connection to an accumulator will power the lights.

Active from 19 November to 8 January in Piazza Duomo, the two exercise bikes will transform every minute of physical activity into clean energy. This initiative, invaluable for keeping the city's Christmas illuminations lit, has ensured that Trentino's capital city always ranks high in the rankings for the best quality of life.

This sustainable and inclusive initiative was strongly desired by the municipality and aims to send out a message of crucial importance, even more so in this particular year. Continuous increases in electricity prices are causing us to rethink and optimise consumption, and the ecological transition requires everyone's contribution. That of the two exercise bikes will be one of the many initiatives desired by the tourism company and the municipal administration to confirm the Trento Christmas Markets' strong vocation for sustainability. Among the available options to reach these enchanting Christmas markets, you could also take advantage of a convenient car rental service, which allows you to travel with complete autonomy.

The event pays great attention to environmental issues by supporting 'green' proposals. The electricity used for the Trento Christmas Markets is produced from renewable sources. To emphasize sustainability and sensitivity towards the environment, the use of washable or compostable tableware is encouraged and careful separate waste collection is carried out.

There is also talk of sustainable mobility, as the city is easily accessible by train and the railway station is only a five-minute walk from the city center.

But Christmas in the City wants to focus above all on sustainability. 100 per cent clean energy comes from the hydroelectric power stations, which can illuminate the stands and streets of the city. Compared to last year, thanks to a series of technical measures, the municipality will reduce consumption by 20 per cent, not bad these days.

The traditional electric train will be back, confirming itself as one of the city's most popular attractions. It will make stops at Piazza Dante and the church of San Pietro, leaving no one behind. In one of the three carriages, in fact, there is a platform that will guarantee access to disabled persons in wheelchairs.

The stands of the Trento Christmas Markets offer everything from Christmas crib decorations to typical alpine handicrafts and gifts: boiled wool hats, gloves, scarves, slippers, hand warmers, wooden objects, and wellness products made of delightfully scented cherry pits in soft pillows with Swiss pine.

To ensure a high quality of products, the exhibitors have been meticulously selected, putting homemade work and local handicrafts first.

Ample space is dedicated to traditional gastronomic specialties: canederli, speck, polenta, cheese, potato tortel and stuffed pretzels. There is no shortage of typical Trentino desserts, such as sbrisolona cake, zelten, strudel, and drinks such as infusions, hot chocolates, Trentino craft beers and the ever-present mulled wine.

To promote tradition and culture, suggestive plays of light will be projected onto the city's historical buildings. Not only will the buildings be illuminated, but some illuminations will also be positioned on Bondone Mount, in Vason.

The Father Christmas House, located in Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore, with its magic sleigh and the presence of various elves will entertain young visitors with many games. Nearby is a facility where educational workshops are organised.

A farm will also be set up in the Le Albere district, in collaboration with the Consorzio Trento Iniziative.

The Christmas train that accompanies guests, young and old, is available along a route that runs through the delightful streets of the city center and reaches the most charming and hidden corners of the city.

In addition to the Christmas market, the City of Christmas is illuminated and decorated to involve visitors in a unique atmosphere, and the extensive program, includes various musical events.

A visit to the Trento Christmas Markets may be the right opportunity to get to know the elegant center nestled in the heart of the Alps, which preserves a precious underground archaeological area in Piazza Cesare Battisti and the Early Christian Cathedral. The interesting cultural itinerary winds its way from the Buonconsiglio Castle to the Diocesan Museum up to the 16th-century Palazzo delle Albere and the innovative Museum of Science (MUSE), designed, like the entire residential area, by the renowned Genoese architect Renzo Piano.

What makes the Trento Christmas Markets truly unique is the presence of stands from the entire Alpine region, starting with neighbouring South Tyrol.

The exhibitors are divided into two locations, where we can count about 70 typical wooden huts in Piazza Fiera and about 20 in Piazza Battisti, where you can mainly buy handicraft products, excellent local wines and gastronomic specialties, while being able to enjoy everything comfortably seated in the dedicated spaces.

At the Trento Christmas Markets, you can buy cribs, Christmas decorations, candles and, above all, the most original gift ideas made in glass, wood or ceramic to give to loved ones for the upcoming Christmas. Among the gastronomic stands, the flagship is the gourmet corner 'Sapori del Mercatino' (Tastes of the Market), which offers tastings of delicious specialties from Trentino and South Tyrol. Absolutely not to be missed are the “Cevap della Valle dei Mocheni” or the famous potato tortel.

The Trento Christmas Markets opened on 18 November 2023 and will continue until 7th January 2024. It will be dedicated to handicrafts, tradition and environmental sustainability.

The more than 90 wooden huts with typical food and local handicrafts, the majestic Christmas Tree in Piazza Duomo, the many attractions for families in Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore, the illuminations scattered throughout the center and the many events scheduled will transform Trento into the 'City of Christmas'.

Discover the car parks in the vicinity of the Trento Christmas Markets and near the city centre.

- Trento Christmas Markets there will be over seventy-five stands welcoming visitors from all over the world every day in a triumph of lights, colours and scents.

- Trento Christmas Markets: in the name of sustainability and inclusiveness, two special stationary bicycles installed in Piazza del Duomo will allow visitors to produce clean energy to power the lights of the event.

- Green Trento Christmas Markets. To emphasize sustainability and sensitivity towards the environment, the use of washable or compostable tableware will be encouraged and careful separate waste collection will be implemented.

- Trento Christmas Markets. To ensure a high quality of products, the exhibitors have been meticulously selected, putting homemade and local handicrafts first.

- The illuminations: suggestive plays of light will be projected onto the city's historical buildings.

- The Children's Square: Santa's House, the magic sleigh and the presence of various elves will entertain the very young visitors with many games.

- Trento Christmas Markets and beyond may be the right opportunity to get to know the elegant city nestled in the heart of the Alps.

- Trento Christmas Markets exhibitors where you can buy mainly handicraft products, excellent local wines and gastronomic specialties.

- When and where are the Trento Christmas Markets: from 18 November 2023 until 7th January 2024 in Piazza Duomo and Piazza Santa Maria Maggiore.

- Trento Christmas Markets where to park: all places in the vicinity of the markets and the historical center.