Christmas market in Røros

5th - 8th of December.

If you are looking for an authentic Christmas, then look no further. Come to us. The snow falls deeply in December, settling over plains, forests and houses like a delicate white blanket. The streets are aglow with Christmas lights, and a multitude of homemade ice lanterns glimmer and glitter on the doorsteps.

Authentic Christmas 

Røros is not decorated for Christmas – Røros is Christmas! In this thriving community, people carry on as normal – but they also look forward to giving visitors a warm welcome that will leave them with rosy cheeks and memories to cherish.

Røros Christmas Market is a traditional and family-friendly event. Stalls nestle between colourful wooden houses, clean white snow is piled against the walls and everything takes on a bluish tint in the magical “blue hour” just before dawn or just after sundown. Stroll through the streets and feel a sense of Christmas joy or have fun trying one of our winter activities – horse drawn slegde, kick-sledding or tobogganing. All in the town centre.

The world heritage site of Røros is just the place to come to lower your pulse rate and experience that childlike Cristmassy feeling that something magical is about to happen. Wander past charming wooden houses in the characteristic shopping streets, where living nostalgia creates the perfect setting for an outdoor Christmas market. The vendors spice up the whole adventure with Christmas wares and tastes. Stop every so often and warm your fingers at one of the many cosy fire cauldrons.     

 
Welcoming the Christmas Market

Røros’s natural, genuine Christmas feel will be enhanced this year by filling the whole town centre with the Christmas market. Clusters of stalls Christmas trees, hanging lights and open fire cauldrons will create a bustling but warm and authentic Norwegian atmosphere. Breathe in the delicious scent of fresh home bakes and cup your hands around a warm mug of Christmas ‘gløgg’ (mulled wine).

The market will be centred around the lower part of Bergmannsgata and Kjerkgata and the little corner park there. Here, you will find sales of locally produced food, clothes and other items.

 

Travel and accommodation

Neither reindeer nor horses can pick you up from where you live, but they will be ready and waiting for you when you get here. Fortunately, there are many other means of transport which will bring you to Røros for Christmas. There are two flights daily between Oslo and Røros, with a journey time of only 50 minutes. If you prefer the train, there are several daily departures from Oslo and Trondheim – or you can drive 5 hours from Oslo or 2 hours from Trondheim by car. Read more about travelling to Røros here.

In and around Røros, many different types of accommodation are available.

Horsedrawn sledge 

If you have never sat in a horse-drawn sledge before, then you have a treat in store. Darkness falls over World Heritage Røros and another winter night begins, as smoke rises thin and white from the chimney tops. The wood-burning stoves here are fuelled with dried mountain birch, and it gives off a unique scent – the mountain’s natural incense. Behind the crochet curtains of the town’s many small windows, you can imagine the light and warmth of the fire.

But you are already warmly wrapped in sheepskin blankets, on a sledge behind a strong, safe horse. There are few things more romantic than a sledge ride in Røros. The glow of the sled torch flame illuminates the scene. You snuggle beneath the sheepskins holding a cup of steaming hot cocoa in your hands while the horse pulls the sledge through narrow snow-covered streets. Along the way, you see picturesque houses, shops, galleries and eating places – perhaps note somewhere to return to later in the evening.

Kicksled 

Perhaps you recall the kicksled from Netflix’s popular Christmas series, Home for Christmas, which was recorded on location in Røros? Try one for yourself as a unique and fun way of getting to see the colourful wooden buildings that characterize Røros. Here, kick sleds are as common a sight in winter as are bicycles in the summer. You will see them parked outside cafés and shops, and they are an equally popular means of transport for the old as for the young, and for families. You can hire a kicksled at the Tourist Office.

Tobogganing 

On the subject of winter activities, we highly recommend good old-fashioned sledging. Few winter activities offer as much childlike pleasure. Clore to Røros town centre is a slalom slope. Horses watch from a nearby paddock as you or perhaps the whole family sledge, snowboard or ski down the slope at Åsgjerdet. A more accessible, low threshold and fun-filled activity would be hard to find.