Last updated: November 2026
A Christmas weekend in Chicago fits into two days if you split it by geography: one day on foot in the Loop for Christkindlmarket, Macy’s and Millennium Park, and one day north on Michigan Avenue and in Lincoln Park, ending at ZooLights. This plan uses 2026 dates and tells you what to book before you leave home.
For everything two days can’t hold, open Merry Chicago, my free holiday app. I built it for myself and my friends first, because we love the holidays here. Filter by today, this week or month, switch between city and suburbs, save events to your own list and add them to your calendar.
I wrote this for a first or second holiday visit, with or without kids, and without a car. Most holiday roundups hand you 25 ideas and no order to do them in. Order is what matters in December, because the market closes earlier than you’d expect, the conservatory isn’t open every day, and ZooLights goes dark on a handful of nights.
Macy’s on State Street’s 7th Floor.
How I’d Split a Christmas Weekend in Chicago
Put the Loop on Saturday and Lincoln Park on Sunday. Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza stays open until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and closes at 8 p.m. the rest of the week, so Saturday buys you an extra hour downtown after dark.
Sunday goes north. The Lincoln Park Conservatory is open Wednesday through Sunday only, and ZooLights next door starts at 4:30 p.m., which makes a natural end to the trip. If your weekend is really a Sunday and Monday, flip the days and read the ZooLights section first, because Monday changes the ticket math.
What to Book Before You Go
Five things on this plan take a reservation or a ticket, and two of them are free. Book in this order, because the first one is the hardest to get.
- The Walnut Room. Tables are booked through OpenTable from the Marshall Field’s Walnut Room page. If your time is full, set an OpenTable alert and keep checking, since same-day openings do appear.
- A holiday show. Saturday night seats at the Goodman and the Joffrey go first.
- ZooLights. Advance tickets are $7 to $12 depending on the night. The same ticket is $20 if you buy it the day you go, so a family of four pays $32 to $52 more for waiting.
- The ice rink. Skating in Millennium Park is free, but you need a timed reservation from the city’s McCormick Tribune Ice Rink page.
- The Lincoln Park Conservatory. Admission is free and a reservation is required. Reserve a time through the Lincoln Park Conservancy.
In a Nutshell
- Christkindlmarket Chicago: Daley Plaza, November 20 to December 24, 2026. Free to enter.
- City of Chicago Christmas Tree: Millennium Park, November 20, 2026 to January 10, 2027.
- The Great Tree at the Walnut Room: Lit November 7, 2026 to January 17, 2027. You need a reservation to dine under it.
- ZooLights: November 20, 2026 to January 3, 2027, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Closed November 26 and December 1, 8, 15, 24 and 25.
- Ice skating: The McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park opens November 20. Skating is free with an online reservation, and skate rental costs extra.
- Holiday shows: A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre runs November 13 to December 31. The Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker runs December 4 to 27.
- Getting around: CTA trains and buses. A train ride is $2.75 with a Ventra card, and a 1-Day Pass is $6.
Getting Around Without a Car
You don’t need a car for this weekend, and I’d leave it at the hotel or at home. Day one is entirely walkable, and day two takes one train and one bus. Buy a $6 CTA 1-Day Pass on Sunday; at $2.75 a train ride, it pays for itself on your third trip. My CTA guide for visitors covers Ventra cards and airport trains.
One thing will trip you up if you’ve been here before. The State/Lake elevated station is closed for reconstruction into 2029. Use Clark/Lake or Washington/Wabash for the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines. The Red Line’s Lake station, in the subway below State Street, is open.
If you’d like to ride with Santa, CTA posts the Holiday Train and Holiday Bus schedule in mid-November on its Holiday Fleet page. Regular fares apply, and I’ve put the routes and tips in my Chicago holiday trains post.
Day 1: The Loop on Foot
Saturday covers the market, Macy’s, Millennium Park and a show, all within a few blocks of each other in the Loop. Dress for standing outside. You’ll be in the cold for most of the afternoon.
11 a.m.: Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza
This is the stop for anyone who wants the German-market version of Christmas: wooden stalls, pretzels, and mulled wine in the year’s souvenir mug. It’s the market’s 30th season at Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602, and it’s free to walk in.
The mistake is saving it for Saturday night, when the plaza is at its most packed. Go at 11 a.m., when it opens. You’ll browse the stalls with room to move, eat an early lunch standing up, and still have the whole afternoon. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; confirm holiday hours on the Christkindlmarket site before you go.
The Blue Line’s Washington stop lets you out at the plaza. From the Red Line, get off at Lake and walk about three minutes. What to eat and buy is in my Christkindlmarket guide.
Pro tip: There’s a second city market at Gallagher Way next to Wrigley Field, open through December 31, a week longer than Daley Plaza. Of the two, it’s the less crowded. Take the Red Line to Addison.
Early Afternoon: Macy’s on State Street and the Walnut Room
Macy’s is for the people in your group who care about tradition more than shopping. The former Marshall Field’s at 111 N. State St., Chicago, IL 60602 has the animated holiday windows along State Street and, on the seventh floor, the Great Tree in the Walnut Room. It’s a short walk east of Daley Plaza.
Here’s the part most guides leave out. Only guests with a reservation can enter the restaurant, but there’s a selfie spot outside it with a view of the tree. So if you couldn’t get a table, you can still see the tree; you just won’t eat under it. Take the express elevators near Randolph and State, in the first-floor handbag department.
With a reservation, plan on 90 minutes, which is the dining limit. Without one, ask the host about walk-in high-top seats at the Wine Bar, which serves the full menu but can’t take strollers or highchairs. Macy’s also runs a Great Tree Breakfast Buffet on select mornings, including Saturdays December 5, 12 and 19, at $34.95 for adults and $24.95 for kids 12 and under. Dates and rules are on Macy’s holiday dining FAQ, and my Walnut Room post has the history and what to order.
Late Afternoon: Millennium Park, the Tree and the Rink
Millennium Park is where kids, and adults who’ve been indoors too long, get to move. I use the lakefront parks as the place to unwind and let kids burn off energy, and in December this one comes with the city’s official Christmas tree, the Bean and a skating rink in the same few hundred feet.
Time it for dusk. The tree is lit through January 10, 2027, and the rink along Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison Streets looks its best once the skyline lights come on. Skating sessions are free with the reservation you booked; you pay only if you rent skates. More on the park is in my Millennium Park guide, and the tree gets its own post.
From here, the closest train with an elevator is Washington/Wabash, one block west, serving the Brown, Green, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines. If you have energy left, walk a few blocks south on Michigan Avenue to the Art Institute of Chicago, where the bronze lions get their wreaths on November 27.
Saturday Night: One Holiday Show
Pick one show and book it early. For families and first-timers I’d choose A Christmas Carol at Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, IL 60601. It’s the Goodman’s 49th annual production, it runs November 13 through December 31, and the theater is a block from Daley Plaza. Tickets are on the Goodman’s Christmas Carol page.
If your weekend falls on or after December 4, the other choice is the Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive, on the west edge of the Loop. This version is set in Chicago on Christmas Eve 1892, as the city gets ready for the World’s Columbian Exposition, which is a good reason to see it here instead of at home.
Day 2: Michigan Avenue and Lincoln Park
Sunday moves north: a morning on the Magnificent Mile, then a bus to Lincoln Park for flowers, lunch, the zoo and ZooLights. Lincoln Park here means the neighborhood and the park along the lake, about three miles north of the Loop.
Morning: The Magnificent Mile
This walk is for kids and for anyone seeing Chicago for the first time. The Magnificent Mile is the stretch of Michigan Avenue north of the Chicago River, in the Near North Side, and kids like walking it as much as any single stop. Taking in the size of the city is part of the experience.
Give them one destination. Mine is the Harry Potter Shop Chicago at 676 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, which opens at 10 a.m. It’s a lot of fun, kids can sit and put on the Sorting Hat, and adults enjoy it as much as they do. Check hours on the shop’s Chicago page. From the Loop, take the Red Line north to Chicago and walk east to Michigan Avenue.
Midday: Lincoln Park Conservatory Winter Flower Show
The conservatory is the warm stop of the weekend, and it’s the one I’d keep if someone in your group runs cold. The glass house at 2391 N. Stockton Drive, Chicago, IL 60614 fills its Show House with poinsettias for the Winter Flower Show, November 25, 2026 through January 3, 2027.
It’s free, with the timed reservation from your booking list. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with last entry at 4:30 p.m. It’s closed Monday and Tuesday, which is why this day belongs on Sunday. Catch the #151 Sheridan bus north on Michigan Avenue and get off at Stockton and Webster, the zoo’s West Gate; the conservatory is a short walk north along Stockton Drive.
Lunch: R.J. Grunts
For lunch with kids near the zoo, go to R.J. Grunts at 2056 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago, IL 60614. It was my kids’ favorite when they were younger. Burgers, a salad bar and milkshakes, a few steps from the zoo’s west side, and it takes reservations.
Afternoon Into Evening: Lincoln Park Zoo and ZooLights
Lincoln Park Zoo, 2400 N. Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614, is free every day of the year, and it’s the stop I’d build the day around with children. What makes it special is how close you get to the animals. It’s the city zoo experience, with the skyline behind it.
ZooLights is the ticketed evening event on the same grounds: more than 3 million lights, a light tunnel, a Ferris wheel and fire pits for s’mores. It runs 4:30 to 9 p.m. with last entry at 8 p.m. Santa is in the Pepper Family Wildlife Center nightly through December 23, and ice carvers work on Friday and Saturday nights.
Fixed-date tickets can’t be refunded or moved to another night, and ZooLights runs in rain or snow. That matters in a Chicago December. If the forecast worries you, the $20 Flexible Admission ticket is good on any open night. If you’re staying through Monday, admission is free with a reserved ticket on November 23 and 30 and December 7 and 14; those tickets are released one week ahead at 11 a.m. Central. Everything is on the zoo’s ZooLights page.
Getting back is simple. The #151 and #156 buses run along the zoo’s western edge toward downtown. The Fullerton station on the Red Line and the Armitage station on the Brown and Purple Lines are each about a mile west. The zoo warns that its paid lot on Cannon Drive fills and closes on busy nights, so I wouldn’t drive.
Pro tip: ZooLights doesn’t allow outside food or drinks, so eat before you go in. That’s one more reason to do lunch at R.J. Grunts and ZooLights last.
If You Have a Third Day
Spend it in Hyde Park, on the South Side, at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, 5700 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60637. Its Christmas Around the World exhibit surrounds a four-story Grand Tree with more than 50 trees decorated by Chicago’s communities, and it opened for the season on November 7. Details are on the museum’s Christmas Around the World page, and my Hyde Park neighborhood guide covers the rest of the day.
If you’d prefer the year-round sights, my three-day Chicago itinerary picks up where this one stops. School’s-out ideas for the last week of December are in things to do over Christmas break.
Dogs and Accessibility on This Route
Dogs can come to one stop and not the other. Christkindlmarket allows pets in its outdoor areas but not inside the walk-in cabins or tents. ZooLights doesn’t allow pets; service animals are welcome.
For step-free travel, choose your stations before you go, because not every L stop has an elevator. On this route, CTA lists Lake on the Red Line, Clark/Lake, Washington/Wabash, Chicago on the Red Line, Fullerton, Armitage and Addison on the Red Line as accessible. Elevators do go out of service, so check CTA’s accessible services page the morning you travel.
ZooLights holds a Sensory-Friendly Night on Tuesday, November 24, with blinking lights held static or slowed and the music turned down. The zoo’s accessibility information lists what’s available on the grounds. At Macy’s, the express elevators run from the first floor to the Walnut Room on seven.
The Chicago Weekly
Holiday Chicago doesn’t hold still. Pop-ups open, shows sell out, and the Holiday Train schedule lands a week before the train does. I email what’s new and what’s worth your time, so you’re not rebuilding your weekend from scratch on the drive in. Come along.
Christmas Weekend in Chicago FAQs
Which December weekend is best?
The weekends of December 5 and 6 or December 12 and 13 have everything on this plan running at once, including The Nutcracker, which doesn’t open until December 4. Come the weekend before Thanksgiving instead and you can add the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival on Saturday, November 21.
What’s open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?
Less than you’d hope. December 24 is the last day of Christkindlmarket at Daley Plaza, and ZooLights is closed on both December 24 and 25. The city’s tree in Millennium Park stays lit through January 10, and the Goodman’s A Christmas Carol keeps running through December 31, so check its calendar for those dates.
Where should I stay for a Christmas weekend?
Stay where you can walk to day one. A hotel in the Loop puts you minutes from the market, Macy’s and Millennium Park; one on the Magnificent Mile puts you on Sunday’s route and a short train ride from Saturday’s. I compare both in my downtown hotel picks and my list of hotels on the Magnificent Mile.
How much of this is free?
More than half. Christkindlmarket, the Macy’s windows, the city tree, the Bean, skating with your own skates, the conservatory and daytime at Lincoln Park Zoo cost nothing to enter. You’ll pay for food, skate rental, a show, ZooLights and the Walnut Room.
Two days gets you the Chicago Christmas people travel for, and it leaves out plenty: hotel teas, neighborhood markets, concerts, the suburbs. Those are all in the Merry Chicago app, sorted by date. And if you’re staying into the next week, my guide to New Year’s Eve in Chicago is the one to read next.