Three things in Bilbao get called the Christmas market, and they are not the same. Doña Casilda Park has the huts, Gabonart on the Arenal quay sells crafts, and Santo Tomás lasts one day, December 21. Pick wrong and you may find a craft fair when you wanted ornaments, or nothing at all if you go looking at Ripa quay, the market’s old home until 2025.
What is the Christmas market in Bilbao? Bilbao has three: the Doña Casilda hut market, with 35 huts from 5 December to 5 January in 2025; Gabonart, a craft fair on the Arenal quay; and the one-day Santo Tomás fair on 21 December. They are 1.5 km apart at most, so you can do them on one walk.
The Bilbao Christmas market season is part of a city programme called Bilbao Gabonak. Dates marked 2025 show last season’s shape. This year’s location and dates will be confirmed when the programme comes out, so check it before you build a trip around one site.
Which market fits a short trip
On a short break, go to Doña Casilda for the atmosphere and Gabonart if you want a gift to carry home. Time your trip for December 21 and you can add Santo Tomás, which is the most Basque of the three and the only one where the farmers themselves are selling.
A weekend from December 5 gets you the huts, and a midweek trip after December 21 still catches both remaining markets. Avoid landing just for December 25 or January 1. For everything else on those days, see Christmas in Bilbao, what is on and what shuts.
Opening hours
A morning visit only works at Gabonart until the holidays start, and everything breaks for lunch. These are the 2025 hours. Exact 2026 hours appear with the Bilbao Gabonak programme, so check it the week you travel.
| Day in 2025 | Doña Casilda huts | Gabonart |
|---|---|---|
| Weekdays before the holidays | 17:00-22:00 | 11:00-14:30, 17:00-20:30 |
| Weekends before the holidays | 11:30-14:30, 17:00-22:00 | 11:00-14:30, 17:00-20:30 |
| Every day in the holidays | 11:30-14:30, 17:00-22:00 | 11:00-14:30, 17:00-20:30 |
| Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve | 11:30-14:30, 17:00-19:00 | 11:00-14:30 |
| Eve of Three Kings | 11:30-14:30, 17:00-19:00 | 11:00-14:30, 17:00-20:30 |
The holiday pattern started on December 22.
The Santo Tomás fair runs through the day. If you want cheese or honey, go early; if you are mainly there to eat, any time will do.
Is Bilbao as big as a German market
No: a Bilbao Christmas market is smaller and sells different things. Doña Casilda had 35 wooden huts in 2025, around a park, with food trucks and free shows, including a short play and student concerts in 2025. Do not expect a big square of mulled-wine stalls. What you get instead is makers at Gabonart, run by the craft association Arbaso, and farmers at Santo Tomás.
Prices are set hut by hut, so carry a little cash alongside a card. For a proper food shop nearby, La Ribera market sits across the river from El Arenal, and if the txakoli at Santo Tomás wins you over, the txakoli guide covers where it comes from.
What is open on Christmas Day
On December 25 and January 1 both Doña Casilda and Gabonart were shut in 2025, so plan neither day around them. December 24 and 31 are morning days for crafts, since Gabonart does not reopen after lunch. The lights stay on after dark and they are free.
Which metro stop for each market
Metro Bilbao’s Casco Viejo station serves both Arenal markets; Indautxu is the closest metro to Doña Casilda. Casco Viejo is 158 m from El Arenal park, where Santo Tomás sets up, and 232 m from the quay used by Gabonart. Abando is also close, at 295 m, if you arrive by train.
| Market | Nearest metro | Nearest tram |
|---|---|---|
| Doña Casilda Park | Indautxu, 505 m | Euskalduna, 197 m |
| Gabonart, Arenal quay | Casco Viejo, 232 m | Abando, 238 m |
| Santo Tomás, El Arenal | Casco Viejo, 158 m | Abando, 239 m |
If you will ride more than once, the Barik card guide explains when a card beats single tickets, and the metro and tram guide shows the lines.
How far apart the three markets are
Doña Casilda Park and El Arenal are 1.5 km apart, about 20 minutes on foot through the centre, with Plaza Moyúa roughly halfway. Gabonart and Santo Tomás share the Arenal, so on December 21 they are one stop. An evening walk from the huts to the quay also takes in the Gran Vía lights without a ticket.
Frequently asked questions about Bilbao Christmas markets
When is the Bilbao Christmas market?
The Bilbao Christmas market ran from 5 December 2025 to 5 January 2026 in Doña Casilda Park, closing on 25 December and 1 January. The 2026 dates come with the city’s Bilbao Gabonak programme. Santo Tomás is fixed on 21 December every year.
Is the Bilbao Christmas market like a German market?
Not really. The Bilbao Christmas market had 35 huts in 2025, a park-sized event rather than a town-square spectacle. Doña Casilda leans on gifts, sweets and free shows, Gabonart on handmade crafts. One food truck sold mulled wine in 2025, but do not plan a trip around it.
Is the Bilbao Christmas market open on Christmas Day?
No. Doña Casilda and Gabonart both shut on 25 December and 1 January in the 2025 edition. On 24 and 31 December the huts closed at 19:00 and Gabonart at 14:30. Bilbao’s lights stay on at night and are free, so Christmas evening still works for a walk.
What is Santo Tomás in Bilbao?
Santo Tomás is a one-day fair on 21 December in Bilbao, marking the start of Christmas in the Basque Country. Producers sell cheese, honey, txakoli and fruit, and the food to try is talo with chorizo and cider. In 2026 the date is a Monday.
What is the nearest metro to the Bilbao Christmas markets?
Casco Viejo metro is 158 m from El Arenal park and 232 m from the Arenal quay, serving Santo Tomás and Gabonart. For Doña Casilda Park, Indautxu metro is 505 m away and the Euskalduna tram stop is 197 m away.
Bilbao’s Christmas markets work as a walk across town, not as one big destination.