Les Médiévales de Provins

Guédelon Castle (living medieval construction site)

Treigny, France

Guédelon is a 13th-century castle being built from scratch in a Burgundy forest quarry using only the tools, materials and techniques of the 1230s, open to visitors from spring to autumn since the first stone was laid in 1997. Around forty masons, carpenters, blacksmiths, tilers, rope-makers and carters work in front of the public, and the site draws roughly 300,000 visitors a season.

Ribeauvillé Medieval Christmas Market

Ribeauvillé, France

On the first two weekends of December the whole Grand'Rue of Ribeauvillé, a walled wine town under three ruined castles of the lords of Ribeaupierre, becomes a medieval Christmas market: costumed beggars, peasants, dancers and jugglers work the street, the Three Kings arrive with camels, wild boar turns on spits and cervoise is poured from barrels. The 2026 market is on 5–6 and 12–13 December, Saturdays 10:00–19:00 and Sundays 10:00–18:00, and entry is free.

Les Médiévales de Bayeux

Bayeux, France

Les Médiévales de Bayeux turns the cathedral quarter of this Normandy town into a free three-day medieval festival on the first weekend of July, opening with a night parade of more than 500 performers and continuing with a market, street theatre, siege engines and concerts. Around 60,000 people attend, making it one of the largest medieval festivals in France.

Munich Medieval Christmas Market at Wittelsbacherplatz

Munich, Germany

The Mittelalterlicher Weihnachtsmarkt am Wittelsbacherplatz, billed by the city as the Münchner Adventsspektakel, has filled the square north of Odeonsplatz with costumed traders, historical crafts, medieval music and staged sword fights every Advent since 2005. The 2026 market runs 20 November – 23 December, daily 11:00–21:00, closed on Totensonntag (22 November); entry is free.

Siegburg Medieval Christmas Market

Siegburg, Germany

The Mittelalterlicher Markt zu Siegburg turns the market square below the Michaelsberg abbey into a medieval town market for the whole of Advent, with costumed traders, working craftspeople, jesters and musicians and a night watchman's call every evening; the 2026 market runs 20 November – 22 December. Held since 1991, it is free to enter, and the organiser has already published the 2027 dates, 19 November – 22 December.

Lübeck Historical Christmas Market on the Marienkirchhof

Lübeck, Germany

The Historischer Weihnachtsmarkt on the Marienkirchhof, the churchyard between St Mary's and the Rathaus in Lübeck's UNESCO-listed old town, is the medieval-styled one of the Hanseatic city's eleven Christmas markets: craftspeople showing forgotten trades, coppersmiths, silversmiths and pewter casters, walk-acts and musicians in historical dress under candles and a canopy of red paper stars. The 2026 market runs 23 November – 23 December and is free to enter.

Planning

What to Wear to a Medieval Festival (and What to Put in the Bag)

No festival on our list makes you dress up, but some gates charge less if you do. Boots, layers, wool over polyester, the £30 costume, and what goes in the bag.

Tom Saxby · 7 min read · 18 Aug 2026

City Guide

Medieval Carcassonne: The Fortress, the Restorer and the Summer Jousts

How much of Carcassonne's Cité is 13th-century and how much is Viollet-le-Duc, what happened in 1209, when the summer jousts run in the lices, and when to go.

Elke Brandt · 8 min read · 4 Aug 2026