Christmas in Alsace: A Guide to the Best Markets including Colmar & Strasbourg
Christmas in Alsace, France is a true treat and the best Christmas markets include Colmar, Strasbourg, and many other Alsace villages which you will learn about in this post! If you’re choosing between Colmar and Strasbourg, my choice is Colmar and I’ll explain why in this post. The Alsace region has to be one of the best winter destinations in Europe with a real festive atmosphere.
This is the beginning of my obsession with Christmas markets & I have since visited Tallin (Named the best Christmas Market in Europe) & Riga for their Christmas market but nothing compares to the Christmas markets in Alsace!
Alsace is a region of France that has a similar look and feel to Germany. It has alternated between France & German control over the centuries hence the resemblance. The small villages in Alsace are incredibly beautiful and some of the best-hidden gems within Europe.
I highly recommend researching and visiting as many unique villages in the Alsace region during Christmas time (I wish I had time to go to more but I will be back again one day!). During my visit, I went to Strasbourg, Colmar, Eguisheim, and Riquewihr. Colmar & Eguisheim were my absolute favorites! I based myself in Strasbourg and took a train into Colmar.
The Alsace region is also known for Alsacian wine which is primarily a white wine. I definitely recommend a wine tour like this one to try a sampling of different wines from the region.
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Before you go:
🏠 Should you base yourself in Colmar or Strasbourg? It depends on your personal preference. I liked Colmar better because it had a smaller feel and was more picturesque and charming. If you want more of a bigger city vibe stay in Strasbourg.
🏨 Top Hotel Choice in Colmar: The Colmar Hotel is situated 1/2 mile from the market and is an affordable option in close proximity to all the attractions.
🛏️ Top Hotel Choice in Strasbourg: Résidence La Canopée is a great option to stay in and is located in the Quartier Européen.
🎄Top 3 favorite markets: My personal favorites were Colmar, Equisheim, and Kaysersberg.
🚗 Driving makes it easier to explore all the amazing small villages of Alsace. You can rent a car through Discover Cars to find the best price across multiple rental companies.
Colmar or Strasbourg Christmas Market: Which should you visit?
If you have limited time and are trying to decide between the Colmar or Strasbourg market, I’d recommend Colmar. In my opinion, it was much more magical and charming. It is so picturesque with all the cute buildings and intimate Christmas Markets. However, Strasbourg is in a bigger city accessible by train so it can be more convenient to get to but not by much!
Read more: Best Christmas Markets in Europe by Train
Colmar Christmas Market
You don’t really need an itinerary to visit these towns. Just wander around with a mulled wine with excitement for all that surrounds you.
In Colmar, I was so in love with all the detail and streets overflowing with Christmas joy. The buildings were adorned with cute teddy bears, stars, and Christmas charm.
The most photographed place in Colmar is the gingerbread house with the white Christmas tree. It gets extremely busy here so for the perfect Instagram photo, go really early!
Christmas Markets to visit in Colmar
🎄Place des Dominicains
🎄Place de la Cathedrale
🎄Place Jeanne d’Arc
🎄Place de l’Ancienne Douane
Colmar Food & Drink Guide
🍽️ Le Petit Bidon: French & Alsatian cuisine
🍽️ L’ArpegeTucked away in a hidden spot with a beautiful garden. Try the roast lamb or rabbit. They also have a vegetarian menu too!
🍽️ Alsako try specialties like schnitzels (fried thin meat) and choucroute (similar to sauerkraut but cooked in wine).
🍽️ Le Fleur de Sel Traditional Alsatian food including tarte flambée, one of the most famous specialties in the region. It is bread covered in cheese!
🍽️ JY’s MICHELIN star featuring a tasting menu
🍽️ L’Epicurien MICHELIN star with a huge wine list
🍽️ Le Comptoir de Georges French spot near Little Venice
🍳 La Bonneterie great brunch spot
🍦Patisserie gilg for macaroons & other sweets
🫖 Le Boudoir Tea Room
Instagrammable Photo spots in Colmar
Colmar is one of the most instagrammable cities in Europe, especially during Christmas time. Grab some cute props like a decorated gingerbread cookie or candy cane and head to these streets to take photos!
- White Christmas Tree & Pink Gingerbread house: This one is my favorite as I mentioned above and also one of the most photographed spots. Location here
- La Petit Venise: This is where you will see the colorful buildings in front of the beautiful canal. Location here
- Boulangerie Pâtisserie Claude Kraetz: This bakery is so adorable on the outside. Do you see the teddy bears, hearts, and stars adorning the building? (Pictured above!) Location here
- Au Vieux Pignon: This is off the main street of Grand Rue. Location here
- Quai de la Poissonnerie: This street is really photo worthy. You will find the pink house with angel wings like the photo on the right below. Location here
- Take pictures at the markets itself! The cute stalls with shops, food, and mulled wine are super instagrammable.
- Wonder off the tourist path and walk through the less busy streets. You will find lots of pretty houses with medieval vibes.
Eguisheim Christmas Market
Eguisheim truly lived up to be a fairytale with its narrowed cobblestone streets and old charming buildings. It is a picturesque medieval town in which the movie Beauty & the Beast was modeled after and I can clearly see why.
I cannot explain how beautiful the Christmas Market was in this town. It was a sight not to be missed.
Read my full guide on visiting Eguisheim.
Strasbourg Christmas Market
Strasbourg was a good base for the trip as it was where I took my train through Paris and finally to London. It had the most markets spread throughout the town in various squares.
The Christmas markets start around 22 November each year and end on 24 December.
Strasbourg Christmas market opening times
Every day from 11:00 AM to 08:00 PM
Saturdays and Sundays – 11:00 AM to 09:00-10:00 PM
24th December – from 11:00 AM to 06:00 PM
25th December – closed
Christmas Markets to visit in Strasbourg
🎄Place Grimeissen
🎄Place Gutenberg
🎄Place Saint-Thomas
🎄Place du Temple Neuf
🎄Place d’Austerlitz
🎄Place du Corbeau
🎄Place Broglie
🎄Place des Meuniers
🎄Place Kleber
🎄Place Benjamin Zix
The 30 meters high Christmas tree in Place Kléber is one of the tallest Christmas trees I’ve ever seen meticulously decorated with ornaments lighting up the town.
One of Strasbourg’s most famous squares, Place Gutenberg is where you can find the Instagram famous carousel.
Don’t forget to have plenty of vin chaud (mulled wine) as you stroll the streets to keep warm! They also had a hot chocolate version which was absolutely amazing.
Must see places/streets in Strasbourg
⛪ Strasbourg Cathedral
⛪ Temple Neuf
🏠 La Petit France
🏠 Rue des Orfèvres
🏠 Rue du Maroquin
🏠 Rue des Juif
Strasbourg Food & Drink Guide
There are plenty of great places to eat and drink in Strasbourg and these were the best places I have researched.
🍽️ Au Petit Bois Vert
🍽️ Brasserie Les Haras
🍽️ Le Festin De Lucullus
🍽️ Bistrot Coco
🍽️ A l’Ancienne Douane
🍽️ Au Pont Corbeau
🍽️ VertuOse
🍽️ Pierre-Bois et Feu
🍽️ La Binchstub Gayot
🍽️ Chez Yvonne
🍽️ Le Clou
🍽️ Le Festin De Lucullus
🍽️ La Binchstub Brogile
🍽️ Bistrot et Chocolat
🍽️ Le Diable Bleu (Soul Meat)
🍽️ Le Troquet des Kneckes
🍽️ Academie de la Biere
🍽️ Place du Marche Gayot
☕ Oh My Goodness Cafe
☕ Cafe Bretelles
☕ Cafe Brant
How to get to the Alsace Villages
You might want to plan your journey starting with Strasbourg which is the easiest village to get to. You can take the train to Strasbourg from many European countries. However, if you’re further away, you can fly into Strasbourg Airport.
From Strasbourg, it is much easier to reach the other towns in the Alsace region. Colmar, for example, is only a 30-minute train ride from Strasbourg. The other nearest airport to Colmar is Basel, which is 1 hour away.
To get to the smaller villages of Eguisheim and Riquewihr, it was necessary to take Ubers, but you can take a tour like this on,e which will take you to the smaller towns straight from Strasbourg.
Also, if you have a car, then that’s more ideal as you can cover more ground and go to even more places. You can rent a car through Discover Cars to find the best price across multiple rental companies.
Where to stay in Alsace, France
Where to stay in Strasbourg
Strasbourg is a great place to base yourself as it will be the easiest location if you want to visit nearby cities and also be In the nearest city that has an airport or train hub.
Résidence La Canopée is a great option to stay and is located in the Quartier Européen. It has very clean rooms and has a small kitchen where you can prepare meals.
Where to stay in Colmar
Colmar was my favorite town so if I went back, I would love to stay here! These are the best places I found in the area.
The Colmar Hotel is situated 1/2 mile to the market and is an affordable option in close proximity to all the attractions.
Grand Hôtel Bristol is also centrally located and offers views of the main square. The rooms are also nice and have a boutique-style look.
For more reading, you may also like these:
🎄Best Christmas Markets in Europe by Train
🎄10 Best Christmas Spots in London
🎄Cologne Christmas Market Guide
🐻 Best Christmas Displays in Paris
🦢Visiting Hallstatt, a great Fall destination
💎Best Hidden Gems in Europe
📸 Most Beautiful Cities in Europe
🇨🇿 Best Christmas Markets in Prague
♥ Jackie
Can I ask where you bought your boots?
They are from sezane. Eugenie boot 🙂