7-Day Alsace Christmas Markets itinerary for 2026

Are you looking for an Alsace Christmas market itinerary? You’ve come to the right place! This one-week Alsace Christmas market itinerary includes the very best this magical region of France has to offer!

I work really hard to make my itineraries epic, something you won’t be able to contain yourself from talking about for years to come, an experience that is guaranteed to keep calling you back. This itinerary is exactly that!

Some of the best Christmas markets in Europe can be found in the incredibly adorable Alsace Region of France which sits just over the German border. Christmas time in Alsace is simply magical!

The region has two major cities, Strasbourg and Colmar, and a bunch of small towns that will have you feeling as if you’ve just landed between the pages of a storybook! This area is part of the famous Alsace Wine Route, with its picturesque villages and Alsatian vineyards. If you love wine, you’ll have no trouble finding wine tastings in all of the towns on our Alsace itinerary.

The Christmas season brings a magical atmosphere and the whole place turns into a Christmas wonderland! Christmas lights, Alsatian Christmas markets, and delicious food and drink. It’s one of the best places to be during the holiday season!

Europe’s Christmas Markets are bucket list worthy! and this article covers some of the best Christmas Markets in Alsace! add them to your Europe Winter Bucket list! but before you head out check out these Christmas Market tips and hacks.

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Alsace at Christmas: About Alsace Christmas Markets

Name: Marché de Noël

Markets are traditionally held in the town square of French cities and with them bring a fun festive atmosphere. Wooden chalets selling unique gifts, traditional crafts, and handmade goods are adorned with fresh greenery and twinkling lights. Copious amounts of steaming mugs of mulled wine served up from market stalls put visitors in the holiday spirit!

food and drink at French Christmas Markets

One of the very best things about Alsace Christmas markets is the tasty delights being served up. Food stalls offer up an enormous variety of traditional food during this festive season. Smells like gingerbread, spiced nuts, and roasting meats permeate the winter air.

Specialties to be on the lookout for:

• macaroons (colorful meringue cookies)
• Tarte Flambée (cracker thin “pizza” topped with Crème Fraîche (sour cream) and other savory toppings like lardons and onions)
• Foie Gras (a pate made from goose liver. Not bad! but SUPER rich!)
• Vin Chaud (spiced wine)

History of Traditional European Christmas Markets

The traditional Christmas market, as we know it today, started in Germany. Interestingly, possession of this region of France has been back and forth between France and Germany for centuries. It has now been part of France for decades, but the area has a unique atmosphere which is a wonderful mix of French and German! As adorable as I like to think Germany is, I like to say that Alsace is like Germany on steroids!

When is the best time to visit French Christmas markets?

Most European Christmas markets begin in late November or early December and run at least through December. They are normally closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Some markets in smaller towns are only open on weekends.

DO NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS about opening dates. Before you book your flight or hotels you need to confirm dates. To get the most accurate information on opening dates and opening hours check the official city website, or don’t hesitate to send an email!

How long do I need for the French Christmas Markets in Alsace France?

This itinerary is for 7 days. Have less time? Pick your favorites! More time? Slow down the pace or add some of my recommended additions in this article.

7-day itinerary Alsace Christmas Markets 2026

The markets are the stars of the show, but I’ve included plenty of things to do in this itinerary to escape crowds and warm up for a bit.

Christmas markets of Alsace overview

This itinerary includes 6 of Alsace’s most beautiful cities and villages: (plus one very special market in Germany!)

• Strasbourg
• Colmar
• Ravenna Gorge (Germany)
• Riquewihr
• Kaysersberg
• Turckheim
• Eguisheim

Day 1: arrival in Alsace / Colmar

Since we stayed in Colmar our itinerary starts here.

The incredibly picturesque town of Colmar is known for its well-preserved old town, colorful pastel half-timbered houses and buildings, and swan studded canals. The town is famous for its vibrant flower displays in the warmer months, but this town really turns it up for Christmas with Christmas decorations galore!

After dark is magic when everything is illuminated! If you’ve been traveling all day, you may not be able to fit much in today so on the first evening why not hit the Christmas market? It’s why you came!

Other things to do in Colmar

• Explore Colmar’s narrow streets and the cute neighborhoods of Colmar’s Old Town like La Petite Venice (Little Venice), Vieille Ville, Grand Rue De Colmar, and the Fishmonger District.
• Take a romantic Canal cruise / boat ride through Little Venice
• Unterlinden Museum (Roman, Medieval, Monet, Renoir)
• Ice Skating: Colmar has an outdoor popup Christmas ice rink, in the evening ephemeral ice rink is adorned with a thousand and one lights!
• Churches: the 1365 Gothic Collegiale Saint-Martin and Eglise St-Martin

Day 2: Raveena Gorge

It’s not in Alsace, or even France, but a day trip to Ravenna Gorge Christmas Market in the Black Forest region of Germany is a “can’t miss” experience.” It’s one of my all-time favorite Christmas Markets.

This magical market is located under a railroad duct that’s lit by projected lights that oscillate from one beautiful color to the next! It’s the perfect location for an enchanting market experience! The day we visited the area was blanketed in heavy snow and it was breathtaking!

Tickets for this market go on sale in October and are limited so plan to purchase tickets in advance. Sign up at the HochSchwarzwald website to get access to the presale.

Planning tip: This market is only open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Switch up your itinerary as needed.

I have a complete guide on Ravenna Gorge, it’s everything you need to know! (including 2026 dates!)

Getting to Ravenna Gorge

Avoid driving on potentially snowy roads by taking a shuttle bus from one of the following locations:

• Hinterzarten train station
• Himmelreich train station
• Titisee Kurhaus car park
• Freiburg Train Station. (We made a road trip to Freiburg im Breisgau and then took the shuttle. 1 hour drive from Colmar. Taking the train or bus is a great option too.)

Day 3: Day trip to the small villages of Alsace

Let’s take a “full day” day trip to some of the most beautiful villages in France. This area is surrounded by vineyards and renowned for its wine production.

What these quaint villages have in common are cobblestone streets and narrow winding lanes, colorful half-timbered houses and well-preserved medieval architecture, and a whole bunch of traditional Alsatian charm!

You’ll feel as if you’ve landed in the Middle Ages! Stop back by your favorite towns to see them romantically lit after dark.

travel time for the day: 50 km / 1 hr 20 minutes (round trip from Colmar)

Christmas Market Shuttle: Alsace without a car

I love the freedom of having a car but there is a handy Alsace Christmas Market Shuttle that leaves from Colmar. See the Navette de Noel website for routes and timetables, Tickets can sell out so purchase tickets in advance.

Towns on the Alsace Noel 2026 shuttle route:

• Colmar
• Kaysersberg
• Riquewihr
• Ribeauvillé
• Eguisheim
• Turckheim
• Munster
• Neuf-Brisach

Take a tour:

Rather have a tour guide?

Enchanting Christmas Experience From Colmar: You’ll be able to explore these historical villages at your own pace: (No need to worry about parking! Let the driver take care of that!) Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, and Eguisheim. This tour includes a wine tasting in Ribeauvillé, where you can enjoy white wine (like gewürztraminer), red wines (such as pinot noir), and crémant (white and rose). Book it now on Get Your Guide!

Statue of Liberty

As you head out of town, stop and see the life-size Statue of Liberty. Why is there a statue of liberty in Colmar France? Bartholdi, who sculpted Lady Liberty, was from Colmar.

Driving Distance to Riquewihr: 15 km

Riquewihr

is often considered one of the most beautiful villages in the country. It’s quite popular during market season and is renowned for its wine production, particularly its Alsatian Riesling. I’d suggest arriving as early as possible because parking can be scarce when market goers descend.

This traditional Christmas market is surrounded by colorful half-timbered storybook buildings.

Other activities in Riquewihr:

• Explore the historic town: Walk the medieval ramparts with its 13th century Dolder Tower / defensive gate)
• Museums: 14th-century former prison Musée de la Tour des Voleurs (Museum of thieves with torture instruments.) The 1291 Dolder Tower houses the Musée du Dolder, featuring centuries-old weapons.
• Shop at the Käthe Wohlfahrt store

Driving Distance to Kayserserg: 10 km

Kaysersberg

sits in the shadow of the ruins of an old castle and is famous for its wine production, particularly its Alsatian Gewürztraminer.

Other activities in Kaysersberg:

• Churches: Eglise Sainte-Croix church, Chapelle Saint-Michel de Kaysersberg, Notre-Dame du Scapulaire
• Explore the town with its beautiful historic buildings and charming bridges that span the river Weiss which flows through town.

Driving Distance to Turckheim: 9 km

Turckheim

This tiny commune is delightfully historic! There was a Roman presence in Turckheim from 27 A.D. It later became an Imperial city from the year 1312. Specialty wines include Gewürztraminer and Riesling.

For me this was the most interesting and unique market of the day. The market area has fun Christmas themed wooden cutouts like nativity scenes, St. Nicholas, elves and more.

There is also a petting zoo at the market with sheep and rabbits. There’s an indoor market/coffee shop located in the town hall for warming up.

Other activities in Turckheim:

• Look for the stork’s nest on the Porte de France gate which dates to 1330
• St. Ann’s church, 12th century
• Nightwatchman Tour, by a local guide, from December 1st to the 31th December at midnight. (check the website for current times)

Driving Distance to Eguisheim: 8 km

Eguisheim

Eguisheim (ay-gush-i’m) in my opinion is the cutest of them all! ridiculously adorable! The medieval city center (Vieille ville d’Eguisheim) is enclosed by a historic defensive wall. Eguisheim’s charming central square, adorned with a beautiful fountain and surrounded by historic buildings, is simply captivating.

Other activities in Eguisheim:

• the draw here is the town itself. Stroll the narrow lanes and ramparts of this fantastic little town

Day 4: Colmar

Spend an entire day exploring Colmar. Choose from the activities listed on Day 1.

Day 5: Strasbourg

The city of Strasbourg is known as the Capital of Christmas (Capitale de Noël) because the town really turns it up around Noel! Strasbourg is famous for its rich history and beautiful canals. Comparatively, this is a much bigger city (277,000), but the historic core is where we are headed.

Strasbourg Christmas Market

Strasbourg Christkindelsmärik with over 300 wooden chalets, spread around different squares in the city, is the largest Christmas market in France. Place Broglie Market (Christkindelsmärik at the Place Broglie) is not only France’s oldest Christmas market but also one of the oldest in Europe, dating to 1570.

The big Christmas tree (tallest decorated tree in Europe) is located at Place Kléber. It comes to life with a musical light show on the hour from 4-9 each evening. Other markets include Place des Meuniers Market and Rue Gutenberg market at Place Gutenberg.

Other activities in Strasbourg

• La Petite France, the charming medieval quarter of half-timbered houses overlooking the Ill River.
• The 11th century Strasbourg Cathedral (place de la Cathédrale) Notre Dame de Strasbourg, is one of the world’s tallest.
• Museums: From ancient religious artifacts to world class art to lavish apartments of the prince bishop’s and cardinals, and more, Strasbourg’s museums are worth exploring.
• Boat ride on the river. BATORAMA, boat tours operate year-round, covered and heated.

You may be interested in: Strasbourg day trip planning guide

Day 6: Strasbourg

Strasbourg day 2! Choose from the activities listed on Day 1.

Day 7: Relax and revisit your favorite spot!

Tired? Take a rest! Missed something? Go back!

Nearby destinations to add to your itinerary

Have more time? Consider these options:

• Mulhouse Christmas Market (Mulhouse Christmas Market 2026 dates: From 20 November 2026 until 23 December 2026
• Ribeauvillé has a medieval-themed Christmas market (acrobats, jugglers and even fire eaters, all in costume from the Middle Ages, and the aroma of roasting wild boar, wow!) 2026 dates: 5 & 6 and 12 & 13 December 2026
• Obernai Christmas Market
• Basel Switzerland Christmas Market (add Switzerland to your itinerary!)
• Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany (I hear it has a good market! Consider stopping by before heading to Ravenna Gorge)

Arriving in France

You have a lot of options for getting to Alsace (we flew into and out of Frankfurt)

Closest airports to Strasbourg/ Colmar France:

• Strasbourg Airport (SXB) 9.7 km
• Stuttgart Airport (STR) 107 km
• Basel Airport (BSL) 110.6 km
• Zurich Airport (ZRH) 39.9 km

High speed trains can deliver you in as little as a 2 hour train ride from:

• Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)
• Paris -Charles de Gaulle (CDG) (direct trains vailable from Gare de l’Est station)

Searching routes and booking tickets:

I find that the Deutsche Bahn App/website is easy to use and shows options for France. I also find Rome2Rio to be very user friendly.

getting money in France

This is one trip where you are going to want to have cash on hand. Many of the market vendors only accept cash so stop at the ATM for some Euros before you leave the airport. It’s the fastest, easiest, often least expensive way to get Euros.

Use your debit card and not your credit card, cash advance fees are astronomical. Refuse the Dynamic Currency Conversion (you want the transaction in Euros, not your home currency. They will charge you to convert it.)

Where to stay

Dealers Choice! Strasbourg has a bigger city vibe. For me Colmar is more atmospheric and more manageable. We opted to stay in Colmar and make day trips to Strasbourg.

If you have a car, you could easily stay in one of the smaller villages. Drive times between places on this itinerary are minimal. The great thing about this trip is you can stay in one place the entire trip if you please!

Where we stayed:
Grand Hôtel Bristol: Nice hotel just across the street from the train station in Colmar. Good if you are using the train a lot (we did) but quite a distance from all the main attractions in Colmar, so expect to do a lot of walking. Book it here on Booking.com!

tip: book rooms early, check back and re-book if price goes down but it isn’t likely to during this busy time of year.

getting around

driving/public transportation combo:

This was the option we chose. You really don’t need a car while in Strasbourg and Colmar. Driving is a pain and parking is expensive. Consider renting a car just for the days when visiting the small villages and possibly Ravenna Gorge and discretionary day.

• Do yourself a big favor and secure yourself some sort of GPS navigation. It makes life a whole lot easier!
• Rental Car: Search at Booking.com or Expedia to find the best rates, then navigate to the official site for the company with the best rates and book directly.
• Add the tire chains or socks option and make sure they are in the car when you pick it up. If you get closer to the mountains there are areas where these are compulsory.
• I couldn’t find anywhere to rent a car in Colmar on the weekend so we had to take the train to Strasbourg to pick one up. FYI!

public transport:

Buses are a good option for getting around. (check Rome2Rio) Alsace is easily accessible by TGV, and once you are there it is easy to get around using the local TER trains. Frequent trains run between Colmar and Strasbourg, just a short train ride apart.

Strasbourg > Colmar: 30 min

THE ALSA+ TICKET

Save money on travel in Alsace! The Alsa+ pass gives you unlimited access to the entire public transport system, including trains, trams, and buses. Sold at train station ticket booths and from regional ticket machines. Not valid on high-speed trains (TGV).

You are likely aware that there are frequent train strikes in France so be sure to have a backup plan.

New to public transportation? Public Transportation Basics

Christmas Market travel tips

first-time visitor? You may find these Europe travel tips helpful:

make reservations

Make dinner reservations, especially during this time of year. The markets are a great place to eat, for both lunch and dinner, but for sit-down meals you better have a reservation. We missed out on several restaurants because we didn’t have reservations.

crowd control

Ok this is where I’m going to be brutally honest. This area is insanely crowded during the market season. I wasn’t mentally prepared. If you simply can’t face the crowds, we found the wonderful medieval markets in Germany to be somewhat less crowded.

In Alsace, you’ll find fewer crowds: the earlier the better. I’d like to say that you’ll have the same luck very late in the day but not so. Evenings are very crowded.

You are going to want to see everything lit up at night but maybe do your shopping first thing and then just come back at night to see the lights, people watch, and revel in the merriment! If you can, plan to be in the smaller towns on the weekends and save the more popular markets for weekdays.

Alsace Christmas markets cruise

There are several operators that offer cruises that stop in Strasbourg and Colmar. Just google “Christmas Market Cruise Alsace” to explore your options.

Packing tips

Pack light, stay warm tips for winter season travel

• Layering is the key to keeping warm without the bulk. Layers can seamlessly take you from indoors to outdoors and back again. The warmest layers are fleece, wool, and down. I like fleece base layers like CuddlDuds.
• Fleece lined jeans, big thumbs up!
• Lightweight insulated boots or shoes (bonus if they are waterproof too!)
• Fleece neck gaiters, wear it as a scarf or pull it up over your face to keep it warm!
• PACKABLE down, layer them over a light fleece jacket to stay toasty warm without the bulk.
• Waterproof pants (comfortable and warm) less bulky than snow pants.
• Wool socks and wool glove liners (double the heat insulation!) and something to keep your head warm. I’m a big fan of hand warmers too.
• Waterproof outer layers like rain ponchos or an umbrella in case of rain, you don’t want to get wet on cold days!

Need to do Laundry? You could of course find a laundromat, but I don’t relish spending my time doing laundry when I’m on vacation. I always try to find a wash/dry/fold laundry service. Can’t find it? Instead, I wash my clothes out in the sink at night. Towel warmers and radiators help dry clothes faster.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Do the Alsace Christmas Markets accept credit cards?

Many do not. It’s best to have cash on hand.

Which Christmas Market is better: Colmar or Strasbourg?

This is, of course, personal preference. Each has the traditional Christmas market feel that you’re in search of. I think the real difference is the town. Colmar has a smaller and more intimate feel, while Strasbourg is bigger and grander. If you are looking for that storybook feel Colmar should be your pick.

What is the most Christmassy town in France?

It’s hard to say which town would win this award but you can’t go wrong with an Alsatian Christmas market. The towns are loaded down with all manner of Christmas goodness. I like to say it’s like Christmas exploded…but in a good way!

When is Christmas in France?

Christmas in France is on the same day as it is in the rest of the world, December 25th, yearly.

when do christmas markets start in france?

Each market sets their own dates so to determine when your chosen market will start you’ll need to navigate to their official website. Markets start as early as mid November. You’ll find a few open as late as early January. You’ll find the Alsace Christmas markets 2026 schedule here.

France Travel Expenses: How much does it cost?

Here’s an estimate of the cost of a 7-day trip to medieval markets in France

(December 2025 prices)

Hotel	$1,500 (based on double occupancy)
rental car	$220 (we had the car for 2 days)
train tickets	around $400 includes transport to Alsace (I tend to by the flex ticket which costs a little more, and make seat reservations)
tours and admission	$150 (you may spend more/less)
estimated total for two people	$2,270

Don’t forget to add the cost of airfare (we fly free, learn how here!) and don’t forget to purchase “CANCEL FOR ANY REASON” trip insurance, I shop at Travel Insurance.com!

Medieval Christmas Markets in Germany

This trip was part of a France/Germany Christmas Market trip. We hit the very best Medieval Christmas markets in Germany! oh what a trip!

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