Coach Hire for the Christmas Markets
Vienna, Prague and Munich run their Christmas markets from November. Each city has strict coach rules in its old centre, so plan the set-down before you plan the stalls.
Three markets, three sets of dates
Vienna's Wiener Christkindlmarkt on Rathausplatz is open from 13 November until 26 December 2026. Prague's Old Town Square market begins on 28 November 2026 and carries on to 6 January 2027. The Munich Christkindlmarkt on Marienplatz runs from 20 November to 24 December 2026.
If you want all three, late November to 24 December is the window when all are open.
Dates and venue
- 13 November - 26 December 2026 (Vienna Rathausplatz)
- Rathausplatz, Vienna (Wiener Christkindlmarkt)
Vienna: the Innere Stadt ban and Advent Saturdays
Driving in the Innere Stadt has been off limits to coaches since 1 May 2014. For set-down they use card-free points, for example Votivkirche, Friedrich-Schmidt-Platz, Burgring, Schwedenplatz and Börseplatz. Most of them open daily, 08:00-20:00. Bus parking spaces generally cannot be reserved.
Vienna's Advent coach plan, which governs the Saturdays before Christmas, comes out each year in late October. If your trip includes a Saturday, the operator checks the plan when it appears.
Prague and Munich: short stops outside the old town
In Prague, the historic centre is closed to coaches unless the city grants an exception. The coaches work from paid stands around the heritage zone. A K+R set-down stand gives 15 minutes, a long-stay stand 4 hours. The Old Town is served from nábřeží Edvarda Beneše.
In Munich, no coach may park inside the Altstadtring. Coaches set down in marked drop-off zones such as Blumenstrasse or Maximiliansplatz, for 20 minutes at most.
Linking the markets in one tour
A multi-city market tour must fit the driver's legal limits: 9 hours at the wheel per day, or 10 on up to two days a week, and a 45-minute break when 4.5 hours of driving have been logged. Rest between shifts must be at least 11 hours, cut to 9 no more than three times a week, so an evening at one market followed by an early start for the next city needs checking.
Munich's market runs until 24 December and Vienna's until 26 December. Prague's stays open to 6 January, so a tour after Christmas is Prague only.
Questions
When do all three markets overlap?
From 28 November to 24 December 2026.
Can the coach park by the Vienna Rathausplatz?
No. Driving in the Innere Stadt is not allowed for coaches, which use set-down points instead.
How long can a coach stop in Prague's Old Town?
At K+R stands, 15 minutes.
Cities
Airports
Plan a Christmas market coach tour
Send your dates, cities and group size. A partner operator prices the whole tour and you choose whether to book.
Request a quote or call ++442046529800