Durham Christmas Festival runs from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 December 2026, with three markets across the city centre and festive entertainment spread between them.
Christmas market weekends are a lovely time to be in Durham, and a little planning goes a long way. The city centre is medieval, compact and fairly hilly, with the markets right at its heart, so parking close to Palace Green gets busy when everyone’s heading in at once. Leaving the car behind and coming in by bus, train or on foot tends to make for a much more relaxed start to the day.
The good news is you don’t have to. Here are three ways to get there from out here without your car ending up in the middle of it.
Three ways in
| How | Works well for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Bus from the A167 | Leaving the car with us entirely | Regular services into Durham from the stop near us |
| Train | Anyone arriving into the region by rail | Durham station is a short taxi or bus ride from here |
| Sniperley Park and Ride | Driving part way, then parking free | Last bus back leaves the city in the early evening |
Leave the car here and take the bus
This is the simplest option and the one we’d suggest first.
There’s a bus stop a short walk from us on the A167 with regular services into Durham. You leave your car in our car park, where it’s free and nobody is going to move it, and you arrive in the city without having circled a car park for half an hour.
Do check the current timetable with the operator before you set off, particularly for the journey back. December Sunday services often differ from the weekday pattern, and the markets close at different times on different days.
If the last bus doesn’t suit, several taxi firms operate locally and the numbers are in the information pack in your accommodation. Plenty of guests bus in and taxi back, which works well when you’re carrying more bags than you left with.
Arriving by train
If you’re coming into the region by rail rather than by car, Durham station is on the East Coast Main Line and sits a few miles from us. Chester-le-Street station is closer still.
Guests without a car do stay here, and it works, though you’ll want to plan around taxi or bus connections rather than assume you can walk everywhere. Ring us before you book and we’ll talk it through honestly, because it depends a good deal on which property you end up in and how much you’re planning to do.
Park and Ride at Sniperley
If you’d rather drive part of the way, Sniperley Park and Ride is the one to use coming from this direction. It sits just off the A167 north of the city, so it’s on your way rather than a detour.
Parking is free provided you use the park and ride bus, and buses run every fifteen minutes. The service leaves Sniperley at six, twenty-one, thirty-six and fifty-one minutes past the hour.
The important caveat, and the one that catches people out at Christmas: the last bus back from the city leaves in the early evening and the site closes at 7pm, with no overnight parking. If you’re planning to stay in Durham for dinner or an evening carol service, park and ride is not the option. Use the bus from here instead, or arrange a taxi.
Ticket machines at the site take coins and cards but not notes, and you can pay contactless on the buses. Full current details are on Durham County Council’s Sniperley page.
Timing the day
All three markets open at 9am each day, and closing times vary by market and by day, so it’s worth checking before you plan an afternoon.
Going early is the single best thing you can do. The first couple of hours on any of the three days are noticeably calmer than the middle of the day, and if you’re using buses you’ll find the journey in easier too.
The Festive Outdoor Market in Durham Market Place and Durham Market Hall are both free to enter. The Craft and Producers’ Marquee on Palace Green charges an entry fee. There’s a children’s lantern parade on the Sunday, with a charge for the lanterns themselves, and Carols for All services take place in the Cathedral over the weekend.
Programme details and current opening hours are published on the festival’s own website, and it’s worth a look shortly before you travel, since the entertainment schedule can change at short notice or shift with the weather.
Coming back afterwards
December in Durham is cold, and a day at an outdoor market in the cold is a proper day out.
Coming back to a cottage or apartment with a sitting room, central heating and your own kitchen is a different proposition from coming back to a hotel room. You can put the shopping down, get warm, and cook something rather than going straight back out to find dinner somewhere fully booked.
If you’d rather not shop on arrival, arrange a grocery delivery to land shortly after you get here and it’s one less thing.
Booking with us
The festival weekend is one of our busier ones, so if you’re planning to come, ring us early rather than closer to the time.
Tell us how you’re planning to travel when you book. If you’re going car-free we can talk you through the bus and taxi side properly, and if you’re driving in we’ll make sure you know where to leave the car.
Have a look at our cottages and apartments or our frequently asked questions, then get in touch or ring us on 0191 371 0251.
