Europe during the winter time can be brutal. But the dreary weather, the fierce winds, and the nail-biting cold is all forgotten during the winter season when European Christmas markets start popping up all over the place and spreading festive joy. As a self-proclaimed lover of all things Christmas (seriously, this is one of my favorite times of the year), I have visited several Christmas markets during my time living in Europe (Vienna, Budapest, Paris, London, Cologne, Prague, the list goes on). By far, my favorite Christmas markets have been Strasbourg and Colmar, so I’m excited to share my guide to the best Christmas markets in the Alsace region.
Related Post: How to Spend Christmas in Budapest
What is the Alsace region
Alsace is the Germanic region of France (the relationship between Alsace and France is complex, as the area spent a long period under German influence). Due to it’s proximity to and border-sharing with Germany and Switzerland, the regional culture is a unique mix of French, Swiss, and German influences. The Alsatian language is heavily influenced by German and French words (sometimes it can even be a combination of the two) and the regional cuisine is heavy on potatoes, meat, cheese, and cream.
It’s a wonderful place to visit anytime of the year. During the winter season, the Alsace is home to France’s largest and most famous Christmas Market. During the summer and fall seasons, tourists flock to the region to road trip along the famous Alsace Wine Route (the regional wine of Alsace is primarily white wine due to it’s cooler climate).
When to visit the Christmas markets in Alsace
Christmas market season typically kicks-off during the last weekend in November, and ends New Year’s Day. Stalls open as early as 9am in the morning and remain open until 9-10pm in the evening. We visited the Alsace Christmas markets during the 2nd weekend of December and it was crazy busy (but offered a festive and fun atmosphere). If you’re looking to avoid crowds as much as possible, I would highly recommend visiting the Christmas markets on a weekday.
How to get to Alsace
There are several ways to get to the Alsace region. We flew from London to Basel Airport (roughly a 2 hour flight) and rented a car for the weekend. You can also fly into the Strasbourg Airport, though we found that flight prices and availability were significantly higher flying into Strasbourg compared to Basel.
TIP: If you’re looking for the ultimate flexibility when visiting various markets in the region, I recommend renting a car. Parking is a bit of a pain, but there are designated parking spots throughout the villages.
Alternatively, you can take a train from Paris (1h 46 min), Luxembourg (1h 35 min), Frankfurt (1h 48 min) if you don’t want to worry about the hassle of driving and parking. As the Alsace region shares borders with Germany and Switzerland, you can also easily drive from major cities including Zurich (1h 30 min), Bern, (1h 30 min), and Frankfurt (2h 15 min).
TIP: If you don’t want to rent a car but still want to explore the different villages, there is a ‘Christmas Shuttle’ that runs from Colmar to the Ribeauville, Riquewihr, and Kayserberg Christmas markets. You can learn more about the ‘Christmas Shuttle’ here.
Related Post: Top 10 Things to do in Zurich, Switzerland
Where to base yourself in Alsace
I would recommend basing yourself either in Strasbourg or Colmar – two of the largest cities in the Alsace region. This ensures that you’re located in the heart of the Christmas festivities (convenience!) and have the option to see the Christmas markets in the morning at at night (the markets exude a different feel depending on the time of day). We chose to stay in Colmar as we were looking for a more intimate ‘village-like’ feel (Strasbourg is a much larger city). If you’re interested, you can check-out our convenient and affordable AirBnB rental here.
TIP: For those who have the luxury of spending more than a few days exploring the Alsace region, I would HIGHLY recommend renting a cottage in one of the smaller, lesser-known villages or in the countryside. It’s the BEST way to immerse yourself and enjoy the quaint storybook charm that the region is so famous for.
Best Christmas markets in Alsace
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is home to France’s oldest and largest Christmas market, and a must-do for any Christmas market itinerary in the Alsace. Every year, the Strasbourg market also features a ‘guest country’ to bring a unique touch. The year we visited, the guest country was ‘Iceland’ and there was an Icelandic Village serving Icelandic food.
TIP: The city is on high security during this time of the year. If you can avoid it, I would try to limit the size of bag you bring to the Christmas markets. Bag and security checks are mandatory!
Start your day in Petite France which is the picturesque historic quarter featuring narrow-winding streets and charming canals. Make your way to the Quartier des Tanneurs, which is one of the best places to snap a photo of Strasbourg’s famous canals and timbered buildings. From there, head towards the towering gothic Cathedrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg (if you climb to the top of the cathedral, you’ll get a wonderful view of the city).
There are 11 markets spread across the city of Strasbourg. The main ones are located at: Place de la Cathedrale, Place Kleber (home to the official Christmas tree), Place Gutenberg, Place Broglie (one of the oldest), Place du Chateau. The six smaller ones are at: Place du Marche aux Poisson, Place du Temple Neuf, Place Saitn Thomas, Place des Meuniers, Place Benjamin-Zix, and Place Grimmeissen. They are all within walking distance of one another, but all offer a different theme and feel.
TIP: For the best picture spots, check out the following streets: Maorquin, Chaudron, and Orfevres. The buildings are lavishly decorated with ornaments, stuffed animals, and ribbons.
End the day at Le Clou, a ‘winstub’ that offers typical Alsatian comfort cuisine and local wines. Winstubs (which are really another name for ‘wine tavern’) are a quintessential and distinct part of Alsatian culture. Checkered tablecloths, rustic tables, small spaces…winstubs are a great place to seek refuge from the cold and enjoy good wine and hearty comfort food.
Colmar
Colmar was my favorite Christmas market in the Alsace region. The old quarter of Colmar is absolutely magical during this time of the year, and it’s hard not to swoon over the charming wooden homes and colorful paint. Unlike a lot of other cities in the area, Colmar avoided damage during WWI and WWII and remains an authentic and protected example of old Alsace.
For breakfast or coffee, check-out Au Croissant Dore. This gem of a cafe is cute, comforting, and offers wonderful buttery baked goods. Un croissant et un cappuccino s’il vous plait!
A great lunch spot in Colmar is La Soi. La Soi is famous for Flammekueche, which is an Alsatian-style tarte flambee that is topped with cream, cheese, lard, and onions. It might not be the best food item for your waistline, but it’s certainly good for the heart and soul!
There are 6 Christmas markets to visit in Colmar featuring over 180 stalls: Gourmet market – Place de la Cathedrale, Place des Dominicains, Place de l’Ancienne Douane, Place Jeanne d’Arc, Children’s Christmas market – Petite Venise, and Indoor Craft Market at The Koifhus. My favorite one was the the Gourmet market at Place de la Cathedrale – featuring famous chefs from around the region, it’s a dedicated foodie hot spot where you can feast on a variety of famous Alsatian-style dishes.
Little Venice is a must-see site in Colmar. The half-timbered buildings were painted to signify the owner’s occupation (for example, yellow paint was used to represent the baker).
Lastly, I have to recommend a fast food spot called Le Palace Colmar. This dinky hole-in-the-wall is easy to miss, and offers a huge menu of tacos (yes, you read that right). These aren’t your typical tacos – they’re more of a hybrid between a kebab, hamburger, burrito, and taco in one. But trust me when I say that they are delicious! We discovered this place by chance – it was midnight when we arrived in Colmar. I was STARVING (read: hangry) and Le Palace Colmar was the ONLY place that was still open. At first, I was turned off by the white-tiled floors and fluorescent lighting, but my hunger won out….and I’m so glad we decided to sit down and enjoy a taco. Not what you’d expect from a visit to Alsace…
Riquehwhir
Riquehwhir might just be the most picturesque village in Alsace (in fact, it was titled ‘Most Beautiful Village in France’ at one point). The Christmas market is on a much smaller scale compared to that of Colmar and Strasbourg, but is just as magical. If you can, make a pit stop here and enjoy the illuminated facades and enchanted scenery for an hour or two!
Ribeauville
Ribeauville aka “Town of the Fiddlers’ is one of the most unique Christmas markets I’ve ever visited. During this time of the year, Ribeauville takes visitors back to the Middle Ages and offers a medieval-themed Christmas market. I’m talking about jugglers, minstrels, bandits, knights, stilt-walkers – all of the stall owners are completely decked in medieval costume! You can also order barley wine and feast on skewered boar! The Christmas stalls can be found along the main street of the village (Grand’Rue). It’s a really good option for travelers with children (but trust me when I say, adults will enjoy it too!).
Have questions or need help planning a trip to Alsace? Leave me a comment below!
Sharing is caring. Check-out these Pinterest-friendly images below!
Hey! Roughly how long did It take you going between the different cities and markets? Planning out a trip for post-covid! 😊
Hey Gabby! That’s exciting – so nice to think about future travel in this crazy time (I’m doing a fair bit of planning myself!).
Getting between markets within the cities is really easy – all within walking distance of one another. For getting between the different cities, I’d recommend a car for flexibility – it took us around 30-45 minutes to drive from Colmar to Strasbourg, and to the other ones were similar distances. Parking was fairly easy and well-marked as well (you just have to park a little outside of the city center, but there are lots of signs and all within 5-10 minutes). All pretty manageable if you wanted to split between ~2 days! Hope that helps!
Very informative, Jessie! Been wanting to visit the Alsace region and it’s up on my list. I might be able to persuade my family to visit this place next Christmastime. Thanks for all the helpful info.
Thanks for the note! It’s definitely one of the most festive places I’ve been – let me know if you decide to go and if you need any additional info for planning!!!