The Alsace France Christmas Market Guide

alsace, france

Alsace, France and its Christmas Markets

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what to expect from the french christmas markets

The French Christmas Markets vs. The German Christmas Markets

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the best christmas markets to visit in alsace

Strasbourg, Obernai, Eguisheim, Colmar, Riquewihr & Ribeauvillé

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how to get to alsace from paris

Taking the train from Paris to Strasbourg

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LANGUAGE in the alsace region of france

French, German & English

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currency in alsace, France

Euros (you will always want cash on hand especially at the smaller markets)

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Where we stayed in the alsace region

A Scandinavian stay in the mountains, avoiding the crowds of the markets

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TRANSPORTATION in the alsace region

Train, Car or Shuttle

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What to pack for your french christmas market trip

Rainy, Snowy & Cold Weather

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tips & Things to consider

Like avoiding the crowds

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Bonjour

If this is your first time on The Weithouse - welcome! My name is Taylor and I’m the girl behind the screen and camera bringing you resources to help you plan the trip of your dreams.

In January of 2022, my husband and I left our home in Atlanta, packed our bags and moved to Paris! Every day we wake up in disbelief that we get to call this incredible city our home, a city full of rich history, world-renowned food, and beauty hidden around every corner.

This France Travel Guide to the Alsace Christmas Markets will give you all the information you need (from what Christmas markets to visit to avoiding the seasonal crowds) to plan a trip to the magical Christmas Markets in the Alsace region of France.

Alsace, france

Alsace is a region in the West of France, bordering Germany. The region is actually so close to Germany that it has passed between French and German control many times. The city of Strasbourg itself sits just 2 miles (3 km) from the German border.

Today, the Alsace region is part of France, but still has many German influences present, with German characteristics coming through in the food, the architecture and the famous German Christmas market culture.

what to expect from the french christmas markets

Although greatly influenced by the German Christmas markets, the French Christmas markets vary slightly, so here are a few things you can expect from the French Christmas markets.

The biggest difference between the French Christmas markets and the German Christmas markets is the lack of a glühwein mug tradition.

At the French Christmas markets, you won’t find fun mugs to collect. Instead, you’ll receive your vin chaud (mulled wine in French) in a plastic cup. The plastic cup will still likely have some sort of design on it, however, it pales in comparison to the mugs you’ll find at the German Christmas markets.

The second difference between the French Christmas markets and the German Christmas markets is the lack of scrumptious market food available at the French Christmas markets. That’s not to say there isn’t any food at the French Christmas markets, but you won’t find the abundance of food options that you would find at a German Christmas market.

At the Alsace Christmas markets, you’ll find various treats like traditional Alsatian cookies, crepes, pretzels and of course, vin chaud, but might not be able to find any market foods substantial enough to count as a meal.

That being the case, you can discover some of the regional Alsatian food at the restaurants throughout the villages, just be sure to make reservations in advance in the larger towns (Strasbourg and Colmar).

Despite these two major differences, the Alsace Christmas markets are beautiful and offer a unique French Christmas market experience. The Christmas decor at the French markets is absolutely breathtaking and over the top, and although you won’t find the German Christmas pyramids, you will find endless strings of lights and garland against the most charming half-timbered houses.

the best christmas markets in alsace

The Alsace region of France boasts over 70 Christmas markets, and the most famous markets in the region are found in the larger cities of Strasbourg and Colmar.

During our trip we had time to explore six French Christmas markets, and we really enjoyed each of them for various reasons. Here are the six we had time to visit, and I’ll share our thoughts on each below:

• Strasbourg

• Obernai

• Eguisheim

• Colmar

• Riquewihr

• Ribeauvillé

Strasbourg Christmas Market

Every December, Strasbourg hosts one of the most famous Christmas Markets in the Alsace region. Known as the “Capital of Christmas,” Strasbourg has become such a popular Christmas market destination that according to Visitstrasbourg.fr, the city welcomes over 2 million visitors every Christmas market season.

The Strasbourg Christmas market is indeed a sight to behold. The market has 300 chalets spread across 12 markets and proudly displays its 30-meter high live Christmas tree at place Kléber. This magnificent Christmas tree offers a music and light show every day and every hour on the hour between 4pm and 9pm.

The 12 markets in Strasbourg can be found at Place Broglie, Place de la Cathédrale, Place du Château, Place Kléber, Place du Marché-aux-Poissons, Place du Temple Neuf, Place Saint-Thomas, Place Benjamin Zix, Place Grimmeissen, Square Louise Weiss, Terrasse Rohan, and along Rue Gutenberg and Rue des Hallebardes.

The nice thing about Strasbourg is that all of the markets are condensed on the “big island” or in the historic center of Strasbourg, and you can easily wander from market to market by foot. The city closes car traffic during the Christmas market season, and at night you can be guided from market to market under the magical Christmas lights throughout the city.

The sheer number of Christmas markets in Strasbourg makes it a great destination if you only have time to visit one city in the region, especially if you’re coming from Paris.

To maximize your time and experience in Strasbourg, be sure to book at hotel or Airbnb in the heart of the historic center. This way you’ll be able to walk out of your accommodation and step right into a Christmas wonderland! If you’re ready to book your Strasbourg hotel or Airbnb, read our created a curated list of the best places to stay in Strasbourg.

You’ll likely need to fly into Paris if you’re coming to the markets from the United States, and the train from Paris to Strasbourg only takes an hour and a half. This short train ride means you could technically do the markets in a day trip if needed, but I do recommend staying over night in order to see the markets at night.

The Christmas market chalets in Strasbourg are open from 11.30am to 9pm every day.

The dates for the Strasbourg Christmas Markets are from November 24 to December 24, 2024.

obernai Christmas mArket

Located a short 20-minute drive from Strasbourg is the quaint Alsatian village of Obernai. Similar to some of the smaller Alsatian villages below, what Obernai lacks in activity it makes up for in charm.

Obernai’s Christmas market is incredibly small and located in the center of the village, but is bursting with intimacy and charm.

If you’re short on time during your travels through the Alsace region at Christmas, you could probably skip Obernai, but we actually visited when we needed to kill some time before our train back from Strasbourg, and strolling through the streets of Obernai was the perfect way to spend the day. Especially since we were lucky enough to visit on a day when the village was covered in snow.

If you don’t have a car, you can also book a short, roughly 30-minute train from Strasbourg to Obernai for under 10 euros.

The dates for the Obernai Christmas Market are from the end of November and during the whole month of December.

Eguisheim Christmas mArket

Eguisheim is a small Alsatian wine village, hugged on all sides by rolling vineyards, sitting roughly 40-minutes driving south of Strasbourg and 18-minutes driving south of Colmar.

Both Strasbourg and Colmar are larger cities, whereas Eguisheim is a petite village, having only 1,721 inhabitants (according to the 2019 census). Due to its small size, the village can easily be seen in a day or half-day, depending on your speed of travel.

We drove from Strasbourg to Eguisheim and spent around five hours in the village, which gave us time to see the Christmas markets, walk the perimeter of the village to take in the beautiful half-timbered houses, and grab a bite to eat at a local restaurant.

Eguisheim is one of the villages that the village from Disney movie Beauty and the Beast is said to modeled after, and I felt like Belle from the moment I arrived. There are a few fountains in the center of the village that you’ll recognize as similar to the one seen in the opening scene of the movie, and I found myself strolling the streets of Eguisheim singing the opening song and imagining the locals throwing open their shutters and singing, “Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour, Bonjour, Bonjour!”

The Christmas market in Eguisheim is substantially smaller than the markets in Strasbourg or Colmar, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in charm. There were two small Christmas markets in the center of the village, with the usual handmade crafts to shop and vin chaud to drink (in a plastic cup, of course).

Eguisheim was my favorite Alsatian village we visited, simply based on its charm. We greatly enjoyed just wandering through the narrow half-timber house lined streets and popping into the local boutiques.

If you are a wine-lover, the village is literally lined with wine shops, selling the famous Alsatian wines grown in the hills all around the village. If you grab lunch or dinner in Eguisheim, you will find really affordable (some as cheap as 3 euros) glasses of wine on the menu at the local restaurants, which will come in the traditional, green-stemmed Alsatian wine glasses of the region.

One thing to note, if you are driving to Eguisheim, the parking is much more challenging than in the larger cities of Strasbourg or Colmar, so either try to arrive early, or just come with a pocket full of patience and wait out your spot!

The dates for the Eguisheim Christmas Market are from November 24 to December 23, 2023 and from December 27 to December 30, 2023.

Colmar Christmas market

If you only had time for one Christmas Market destination in the Alsace region, I would recommend visiting the Colmar Christmas market, simply based on its overall charm, the large volume of Christmas markets and its ease of access from Paris (only 2.5 hours by train).

Colmar is a mid-sized Alsatian city, smaller than Strasbourg, yet larger than Eguisheim, with a population of 70,284 (according to the 2015 census).

Regardless of its size, Colmar was bursting with Christmas charm. Although half the number of Strasbourg, Colmar boasts six Christmas markets located in the old town, there were substantially more half-timbered houses here than in Strasbourg, the Christmas decorations were top notch, the Christmas markets were brimming with merchants, and even the plastic vin chaud mugs were much cuter than the ones in Strasbourg.

In Colmar, the Christmas markets sort of connect to each other, so as you’re walking through the city, you feel like you’re strolling through one big Christmas market extravaganza. We spent around five hours strolling through the various Christmas markets and hopping into a few boutiques. We only stayed for the day, however, I would recommend staying longer in order to see everything lit up in the evening when all the lights turn on.

One thing to be cautious of in Colmar is the weekends. When we revisited the market in 2023, we went on a Saturday evening and we were packed like sardines in the city, making it a much less enjoyable experience.

To avoid this, visit the Colmar Christmas market during the week and during the day if you want the least amount of crowds. The high volume of crowds (and the smaller scale of the town), might make this a less desirable base for your travels, especially if you’re envisioning romantic strolls in the evening.

Colmar is, however, closer to all of the smaller markets in the region if you’re looking to explore by car. If you do drive, Colmar had more than adequate parking, with parking garages scattered throughout the village. We arrived around 11AM on Friday and easily found a spot nearby.

The dates for the Colmar Christmas Markets are from November 24th 2023 to December 30th 2023 (closed on Christmas Day).

Riquewihr Christmas market

Riquewihr is a medieval Alsatian wine village located 23-minutes northwest driving from Colmar. Similar to Eguisheim, the village is nestled amongst what seems like thousands of rolling vineyards that almost roll right into the village itself.

I didn’t really know what to expect from Riquewihr, other than that it had an worth-visiting Christmas market, and that parking was a challenge. We lucked out in that we arrived around 5PM as some people were leaving for the day, and we snagged spot on the side of a vineyard at the edge of town.

I’m so thankful that parking didn’t prevent us from seeing the Riquewihr Christmas market, as it was easily one of our favorites. The village is similar in size to Eguisheim, with a population of 1,109 (according to the 2015 census), but unlike Eguisheim, Riquewihr had a much more robust Christmas market offering, with one large market and one small market within the village.

In order to see the Riquewihr Christmas markets, you essentially walk up the main street of the village to the medeival tower, and then walk back to the bottom. The large market sits at the bottom of the village and the smaller market is in the middle.

The main street in Riquewihr is lined with lights, and local vendors are set up along the main street offering drink and food options. I was bubbling with excitement when I noticed people holding a few different mugs, and made it my goal to find them seeing as we had really lacked the mug experience so far. We first opted for a delicious hot chocolate that came in a tall, frosted glass mug and then later grabbed a vin chaud in a standard clear mug, both with Riquewihr Christmas Market designs on them.

The dates for the Riquewihr Christmas Markets are from 25 November to 20 December 2023.

Ribeauvillé Medieval christmas market

Last, but certainly not least on our Alsace Christmas market tour was the medieval village of Ribeauvillé, which is slighlty larger in size than compared to its neighboring villages of Riquewihr and Eguisheim, with a population of 4,746 (according to the 2015 census).

We actually really lucked out with our Ribeauvillé visit, as the Christmas market only happens two weekends in December, and we just happened to be there one of those weekends.

The Christmas market in Ribeauvillé is unique when compared to the others in the region in that it is a medieval-themed Christmas market. I honestly had no idea what to expect from the market, but it was beyond anything we could have ever imagined. It felt like we had just gone back in time or stepped foot into a medieval movie, as the market was packed full of all things medieval, from stilt walkers to an entire viking village.

Similar to Riquewihr, you walk straight to the top of the village and then walk back down. However, the village is much longer than Riquewihr, and the entire span was covered in markets branching off on every side street and square. We saw a medieval apple press making fresh apple juice for purchase, live sheep and camels, an entire wild hog rotating over an open fire, soup cooking in a cast iron pot over a log fire, iron workers, open logged fires for warming hands and even live performances like plays and music.

With the Ribeauvillé Christmas market only open two weekends in December, it was incredibly crowded with streets packed full of people. But the market was so extensive and so well done that it made the experience worth it entirely. Just be sure to try to arrive early to grab a parking spot somewhere amongst the rolling hills surrounding the village.

The dates for the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market are the 2, 3, 9 and 10 December 2023.

Although it’s almost impossible to rank the Alsace Christmas markets, as they all offer something unique, we ranked the villages based on our overall experience and Christmas market magic:

1. Ribeauvillé Christmas Market: The Ribeauvillé medieval Christmas market was honestly just so fun and so well done. We would have spent all day here if we had the time.

2. Eguisheim Christmas Market: Even though it was the smallest Alsatian Christmas market, the village itself was really enjoyable to explore and the markets were so intimate and charming.

3. Riquewihr Christmas Market: The market vibes were really pleasant and finding the mugs was an added charm.

4. Colmar Christmas Market: The decorations in Colmar were beautiful and the large number of markets, plus the overall charm of the village gave off wonderful Christmas magic.

5. Strasbourg Christmas Market: Extensive markets and beautiful Christmas lights, but lacked some of the charm of the smaller towns.

We obviously preferred the smaller villages over the larger ones, so I think the moral of the story is to be sure to make time to visit at least one of the smaller Alsatian villages on the list.

Paris to strasbourg

From Paris, Strasbourg is a short 1h 40min direct train, meaning you could easily visit the Strasbourg Christmas markets as a day trip from Paris. If you do plan to do it in a day, just be sure to book your tickets a few months in advance of your trip, as the train prices will increase the closer to your travel date.

If you want to head straight to Colmar, you can also take the train from Paris to Colmar, with the majority of the routes making a stop in Strasbourg. There are however a few direct trains a day to Colmar from Paris. This route takes roughly 2.5 hours.

The trains from Paris leave from Paris Gare de l’Est and you can book your tickets using trainline.

CURRENCY

Euros is the currency and most of France is card-friendly, with tap to pay from your phone being a common option throughout the country. However, with the crowds of the markets, there were many places that only took cash, so be sure to have some on hand when going from market to market.

Where we stayed

Our France Christmas market trip through Alsace was 4 days total (arriving on a Wednesday before noon and leaving Saturday evening), and we decided to book one night in Strasbourg and the other three nights elsewhere. I initially wanted to spend some nights in Colmar as well, but unfortunately the hotels were already booked or quite expensive in Colmar, so I opted for a hotel in between the two destinations.

If Hotel Tandem isn’t a fit for your travels, we’ve curated a list of the best places to stay in Strasbourg in this post.

hotel tandem

In Strasbourg, we stayed at Hotel Tandem. The hotel is literally steps from the train station, and in most other cities I would never recommend booking a hotel near the train station as the area surrounding train stations can be very unpleasant. However, Hotel Tandem had such stellar reviews that I decided to take the risk and it ended up being perfect for our trip.

The train station in Strasbourg is really modern and clean, and Hotel Tandem is a short 3-minute walk from the station. We had a great overall experience and I highly recommend booking Hotel Tandem for convenience, especially if you plan to take the train from Strasbourg to Colmar, or if you do an overnight trip from Paris. We could easily walk from the hotel to all the markets in Strasbourg.

After leaving Strasbourg, we stayed at the beautifully designed Hotel 48° Nord, located 40-minutes from Strasbourg and 40-minutes from Colmar. Hotel 48° Nord is nestled in the Alsatian village of Breitenbach, and is made up of a handful of Scandinavian designed cabins perched on the hilltop.

The cabin we booked was split into three levels, with the bathroom on the bottom level, the bed on the middle level and a small living space on the top level that featured a huge glass window overlooking the rolling hills below.

Although our cabin did not, many of the cabins at Hotel 48° Nord come with a private hot tub or sauna, and all guests are allowed to book the private sauna on site. The hotel also has an amazing restaurant that we unfortunately did not have a chance to try, but we were able to enjoy the delicious breakfast each morning.

The only thing I was concerned about with the hotel was driving to it in the dark (since the sun sets around 4:30PM in December and we knew we would be at some Christmas markets at night). However, the roads were perfectly safe and we had no issues driving in to the hotel after dark.

I highly recommend booking a stay at Hotel 48° Nord, especially if you love Scandinavian architecture, or just need a dose of nature. The rooms were pretty affordable, especially when compared to the costs of the hotels in Colmar and Strasbourg and it would be a great one-night option if you plan to road trip through the Alsace region.

getting around

You can easily travel around the Alsace region with three modes of transportation: car, train or Christmas shuttle.

We rented a car in Strasbourg and drove to all of the Christmas markets in the region. Having a rental car for the French Christmas markets gives you the freedom to drive to any of the markets at your own leisure, and to book a hotel outside of the main villages. The only downside of having the car is finding parking, but as we visited outside of the weekend, we didn’t have too much trouble parking.

If you opt for sticking with the train, you can easily get between Strasbourg and Colmar, but can’t access the smaller villages.

The third option is the Christmas shuttle, which will get you access to Eguisheim from Monday to Thursday, and Riquewihr and Ribeauville on weekends only. So, if you plan to visit the region during the week (which I highly recommend), the Christmas shuttle option might not be the best fit for your travel needs.

What to pack

When we visited the Alsace Christmas markets in the second weekend of December, it was relatively cold with highs in the mid 30s (Fahrenheit) and lows in the mid 20s. We brought our heavy coats, gloves, beanies, thermals, wool socks and heavy boots and wore everything most days. You will be walking around outdoors the majority of the time, meaning you’ll want to bundle up. It even snowed the final day we were in the region, so be sure to bring shoes that can handle the slick sidewalks.

Christmas market tips & Things to consider

To end this guide, I want to reinforce a few things to ensure you have the Alsatian Christmas market tour of your dreams!

My number 1 tip for visiting the Christmas markets in France is to visit the markets during the week, or early on in the season (just not opening weekend). The markets are popular with Alsatian locals, with the bordering countries of Germany and Switzerland, and with the French. That means they spend their December weekends hopping on a train and visiting the markets. To avoid the crowds, opt for weekdays if possible. We booked Wednesday-Saturday and didn’t have too many issues with crowds.

My second tip for visiting the Alsace Christmas markets is to book all of your travel accommodations well in advance. Hotels in both Strasbourg and Colmar literally sell out, and the closer you get to Christmas market season, the higher the prices will become. I would recommend booking a hotel 3-4 months in advance. And the same with the trains. Train tickets get more expensive the closer to the date of travel, so it’s always best to book tickets 2-3 months in advance, but I would do 3-4 just to get the best overall price.

My third tip for visiting the French Christmas markets is to arrive at the markets early, especially if you’re driving a car. The parking areas do fill up quickly later in the day, so arriving early ensures get a spot. The markets normally open around 11AM, so plan to arrive around or before then.

My fourth tip for your Alsace Christmas market road trip is to visit the smaller Alsatian villages and their Christmas markets if possible. The smaller French towns truly offer so much more charm than the larger villages and were worth having the rental car for.

QUESTIONS

Have questions? Ask away! There is a comment box at the bottom of this page to ask any and all questions you might have about anything in this post or anything I didn’t cover.

STICK AROUND FOR A WHILE

Need help planning the rest of your trip?

If you’re interested in more Christmas market content, or plan to head to the German Christmas markets from France, be sure to read our guides to the Cologne and Munich Christmas Markets. And if you’re visiting Alsace from Paris, you can find all of our Paris guides here.

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