Seoul Christmas Market 2026: Free Entry and Booking

For a Seoul Christmas market in November, head to Lotte Town: November 19, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with free general admission. Lotte ON’s first free-booking date is November 9, and Klook has an English page for reserving an admission slot. Gwanghwamun Market starts December 11, so it won’t fit a November stopover.

Seoul Christmas market 2026: which entry fits your trip?

Choose free general admission for Lotte Town unless you want to pay for priority entry; choose Gwanghwamun if you arrive after January 3.

Lotte ON’s free-booking dates are November 9, November 20 and December 7. Fast Pass sales start at 14:00 KST on those dates; the free-booking opening time is unconfirmed. Gwanghwamun opens 17:30–22:00 Sunday–Thursday and 17:30–22:30 Friday–Saturday. Last year it was free without a reservation.

Lotte World Christmas market (Lotte Town, Jamsil)

It’s held on the World Park lawn at Lotte World Tower (300 Olympic-ro, Songpa-gu). Jamsil Station on Lines 2 and 8 is right there.

Last year it covered 800 pyeong with 51 booths styled like a European market (per a Newsis report). There was a 13 m tree, a two-story carousel and a Ghana Chocolate House, and all 26 food booths sat together in one big tent hall.

Last year there were five artificial-snow showers a day. This year’s scheduled evening attraction is the Christmas Time Show, four times daily between 18:00 and 21:00. Book an entry slot that leaves time to finish admission before watching the lights.

For this year’s free general admission and booking rounds, see Lotte Town Christmas Market 2026.

Jamsil Christmas market tickets and the fast pass

General admission is free in 2026, and the Fast Pass costs 15,000 won. Lotte ON splits booking into three rounds based on your visit date.

Open Lotte ON’s free-booking page on a phone: its reservation page does not work on desktop. The advertised 14:00 sale time belongs to the paid Fast Pass, not a confirmed opening time for free tickets.

For English booking, use Klook’s free general-admission page. Select a date and session, then show the voucher in the Klook app at the entrance information booth; no paper-ticket exchange is needed. Arriving more than 30 minutes late may restrict entry, so don’t put a sit-down meal between your arrival in Jamsil and the booked slot.

In 2025, entry after 16:00 cost 5,000 won and the Fast Pass was 10,000 won with coupons and mulled wine. Those are last year’s prices and perks, not the 2026 package. Start with free entry when budgeting a visit for the stalls and lights.

Can you enter Lotte Town without a reservation?

Yes: the organizer lists an on-site wait as another route to free general admission. Take Line 2 or 8 to Jamsil Station and search your map for Lotte World Tower World Park, the outdoor lawn rather than the indoor Lotte World theme park.

Carousel reservation sessions run 11:30–21:30; those are attraction hours, not confirmed opening and closing times for the whole market. Klook lists a market-spending condition for carousel access, so keep your receipts. The entrance queue and carousel queue are separate parts of the visit.

Gwanghwamun Market

Last year it ran along Gwanghwamun Square from Sejong Center toward Gyeongbokgung Palace. The official site now puts it on the south side of the square, and you still get off at Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5.

This year it runs December 11 to January 10, 2027: 17:30–22:00 Sunday–Thursday and 17:30–22:30 Friday–Saturday. The site covers the south side of Gwanghwamun Square and the Sejongno Park area, with gift and food stalls, photo zones and activities. It still fits January 4–10 trips, after Lotte Town closes.

Last year’s theme was a Santa village. It had a 15 m tree, a new Rudolph carousel and more than 100 small businesses, which rotated their booths in three batches (per The Korea Times). So someone who went in early December and someone who went after Christmas saw different shops.

It gets busy. In 2024, 1.64 million people came over 24 days, and one report says 1.19 million came in the first four days last year (Herald Business). The Seoul Light Gwanghwamun media art show ran on the square at the same time.

Gwanghwamun Market: Weekend Timing & Weather Logistics

Gwanghwamun Market opens at 17:30. Last year entry was free without booking; the 2026 admission fee is unconfirmed.

• Visit order: If you’re combining the market with dinner and Cheonggyecheon, start at the stalls at 17:30. That gives you browsing time before an indoor meal, rather than a rushed shop after dinner close to closing.
• Subway Exits: Use Seoul Subway Line 5 Gwanghwamun Station Exit 9 (connected directly to the square via Haechi Madang) or Exit 2 (street level). If arriving via Line 3, use Gyeongbokgung Station Exit 6 and walk 7 minutes south toward Gwanghwamun.
• What to wear: Bring gloves, a scarf and heat packs for the outdoor stalls. Choosing an indoor restaurant for dinner gives you a warm break between walks.

For weekly closing times, station access and the rotating craft sellers, use the Gwanghwamun Christmas Market 2026 route.

One more market by the Han River in late December

The operator lists the 2026 Romantic Hangang Christmas Market for December 24–27, daily 13:00–21:00, at Ttukseom Hangang Park. Christmas Eve’s lighting ceremony is at 18:00. This year’s entry and workshop booking terms are officially unconfirmed. The Hangang Christmas Market guide separates the new dates from last year’s timetable and explains Jayang Station access and winter clothing.

After Gwanghwamun, continue to the Seoul Lantern Festival along Cheonggyecheon. If you’d rather spend the evening in Myeongdong or Yeouido, pick an area from Seoul Christmas lights instead of crossing the city for another display.