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The charming Alsace region of France is a dream Christmas Market trip. Home to magnificent Strasbourg, France’s capitol of Christmas, picturesque Colmar, a town staight out of a fairytale, and a series of nearby small towns that are impossibly charming. December is a great time to explore this popular French region, as each town goes all out for Christmas and the markets add tons of charm to each place.
If you’re in this region and have extra time, you’re also really close to Basel, Switzerland which has a super charming Christmas Market and is on the same trainline that runs through Alsace!
Alsace Christmas Markets Overview:
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Alsace Christmas Market Map
Towns of Alsace + Christmas Market Dates & Hours
Strasbourg
Stunning Strasbourg is the capiitol city of the Alsace region and home to some of the best Christmas Markets in the region. The entire Old Town area of the city comes alive at Christmas and you’ll find 7 different Christmas Markets spread across the different neighborhoods of Old Town. See my full guide to Strasbourg’s Christmas Markets here.
Highlights
- the stunning Cathedral and the market in front of it, it really is breathtaking
- the picturesque carousel with the cathdral backdrop
- the entire Petite France neighborhood (stunning at any time of year, but especially at Christmas)
- the food – it’s both warm and savory, but lighter than typical Christmas Market fare at the same time! (Tarte Flambée, bredele, vin chaud)
- the main tree at the market at Place Kléber
Strasbourg Christmas Market 2025 Dates & Times
2025 Dates
Nov 26, 2025 – Dec 24, 2025
Times
Open Daily 11:30AM – 9PM
How Long to Spend in Strasbourg
1-2 days
You need at least one full day to explore all of Strasbourg’s markets, but I’d definitely recommend 2 to give you a more leisurely pace. It’s also a great home base for exploring Obernai and Colmar, so you could stay here for your whole trip or spend part of it here and then a few days using Colmar as a base!
Colmar
Storybook Colmar is considered the most beautiful town in Alsace & it does not disappoint. It really feels like a movie set and Christmas 10xs the magic. If you’re only making one stop other than Strasbourg make it Colmar! If you can try to visit on a weekday, the weekends get absolutely crazy in this small town! Colmar’s entire Old Town turns into Christmas markets with stalls and decor on every corner. You can see my ful guide to Colmar’s Christmas Markets here.
Highlights:
- the market and views around the Little Venice area of Colmar – especially at sunset!
- the charming streets around Place de l’Ancienne Douane Market
- spending a night in Colmar so you can explore after the crowds leave and in the morning before they arrive!
- the gingerbread-like house at Koïfhus, 25A Grand Rue
Colmar Christmas Market 2025 Dates & Times
Dates:
Nov 25, 2025- Dec 29, 2025
Times:
for all markets except the gourmet market
Mon-Thurs: 11AM-7PM
Fri – Sun: 10AM-8PM
Special times:
- Dec 24: 11AM-5PM
- Dec 25: 11AM-7PM
- Dec 26: 11AM-8PM
the groumet market stays open later and is open daily from 11am-10PM, it also stays open a few days longer until the beginning of January.
How Long to Spend in Colmar
1 day
Colmar is small, but it really is so charming and I wanted to explore every street. I’d give yourself a full day there, especially to account for the crowds. If necessary you could see a lot of it in a half day, but it may feel rushed!
Obernai
Obernai was one of my favorite of the many smaller towns around Strasbourg and Colmar. There are two main squares in Obernai that each had small Christmas Markets that were super picturesque and charming. The whole town had a friendly, lively atmosphere. I ended up spending more time here than I originally expected!
Highlights
- the stunning antique carousel in each square, there was so much detail and the colors were so stunning
- the tree in the main square, it was one of my favorites in Alsace
- the Christmas train ride for kids and the letter box for Santa!
- the overall vibe – tons of locals, super lively early in the morning on a Friday. It had such a fun feel vs touristy
Obernai Christmas Market 2025 Dates & Times
Dates:
Nov 28, 2025- Dec 31, 2025
Times
Mon-Thu: 10AM-7PM
Fri-Sun: 10AM-8PM
How Lond to Spend in Obernai
1/2 – 1 Day
Obernai is the largest of the smaller towns around Colmar and Strasbourg and I think having a full day there would have been nice, but half day was also enough to explore!
Riquewihr
This tiny town near Colmar was absolutely stunning! It really did feel fake with the colorful houses and the backdrop of the Alsace vineyards. I loved this spot and it’s worth a quick trip! It’s basically two main streets and doesn’t take long to explore.
Riquewihr Christmas Market 2025 Dates & Times
Dates:
Nov 28, 2025- Dec 21, 2025
Times
Mon-Thu: 10AM-6:30 PM
Fri-Sun: 10AM-7PM
How Lond to Spend in Riquewihr
1/2 Day
Riquewihr is tiny and can easily be explored in a few hours. It’s the perfect spot to combine with nearby Ribeauvillé (see below!)
Ribeauvillé
Ribeauvillé Christmas Market 2025 Dates & Times
While you’re in the area of Riquewihr I recommend stopping by Ribeauvillé for a quick visit! It’s another tiny but stunning town! The small Medieval market is only open 2 weekends in December, but it’s worth a stop even if the market is not open.
Dates:
Dec 6-7; Dec 13-14
Times
Sat: 10AM-8PM
Sun: 10AM-7PM
Eguisheim
Another tiny town close to Colmar is Eguisheim. This small circular town is worth exploring even if you don’t visit the Christmas market. It’s filled wth colorful houses & charming streets.
Eguisheim Christmas Market 2025 Dates & Times
Dates:
Nov 28, 2025- Dec 23, 2025
Times
2025 times are not available yet. Their official website is here
Mulhouse
I opted to skip Mulhouse on my itinerary after doing a bunch of research where people mentioned it was their least favorite of the markets! I was hoping to spend half a day there, but I was short on time and opted to head to Basel , Switzerland instead (I was flying out of Zurich, so I had to head back that way anyways) Here’s their official Chritmas Market guide for details!
Where to Stay in Alsace at Christmas
The best two towns to base yourself in in this area are Strasbourg and Colmar. If you have 4 or more nights you could split your time evenly between the two. Strasbourg has more accomodation options as it’s bigger. It’s closer to Obernai. Colmar is smaller, and with less accomodations can be pricy, but it’s more convenient for visiting Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé & Eguisheim!
I spent 2 nights in Colmar and 3 in Strasbourg on my trip!
Colmar
I opted to stay in Old Town Colmar, which I loved and highly recommend if you can swing it and don’t mind some crowds!
Le Colombier Colmar France
I loved my stay right in the heart of Colmar at Le Colombier. They have the main hotel and across the street they have the Le Colombier Suites. Staying at either gives you full access to the hotel amenities (breakfast, outdoor patio, bar, etc) It’s right in Little Venice and it was the perfect place to stay!
I recommend staying in Old Town Strasbourg for sure on your Christmas Market trip – this is where all the highlights are! And the Old Town itself is fairly large, so there’s tons of options! My favorite neighborhood of Old Town is Petite France, so I’d stay there again if given the chance!
Pavillon REGENT PETITE France
A stunning spot right in the heart of Petite France along the canals, this hotel is my top recommendation in Strasbourg if you can snag a room!
Hôtel Gutenberg
Another great area in Old Town to stay is closer to the Cathedral, this hotel is in a great location near the Cathedral and the stunning streets around the Cathedral. It can be a bit cheaper than staying directly in Petite France.
How long to Spend in Alsace
3-7 Days
I’d spend a minimum of 3 days in Alsace, this gives you enough time to explore Strasbourg and Colmar. To have time to add in a few more towns, like Obernai & Riquewihr 5 days should be enough! 7 Days allows you to explore all the Alsace towns and spend a night in Basel if you want to stop in Switzerland too!
Getting Around Alsace
Public Transport
I had no issues using trains/Uber to get around Alsace, and was happy to not have a car in crowded places, like Strasbourg & Colmar. The main train line that runs from Strasbourg to Basel stops in Colmar & Mulhouse. You can also reach Obernai via train from Strasbourg. For the smaller towns near Colmar I opted for Ubers because they were fastest and easily available! It was roughly $30 from Colmar to Eguisheim or Riquewhir!
By Car
You could rent a car to have a bit more flexibility for visiting the smaller towns of this region. Planning parking in Strasbourg and Colmar would be the biggest hurdles here, as there are no cars in the Old Towna areas, and you’d need to find a place to park overnight or stay somewhere outside of the Old Town. I was happy to not have a car for this trip!
Alsace Christmas Itinerary (3, 5 & 7 Days)
3 Days
stay in Strasbourg whole trip
- Day 1: Strasbourg
- Day 2: Strasbourg
- Day 3: Colmar
5 Days
3 nights in Strasbourg; 2 in Colmar
- Day 1: Strasbourg
- Day 2: Strasbourg
- Day 3: day trip Obernai
- Day 4: Colmar
- Day 5: half day trip Riquewihr & Ribeauvillé
7 Days
- Day 1: Strasbourg
- Day 2: Strasbourg
- Day 3: day trip Obernai
- Day 4: Colmar
- Day 5: half day trip Riquewihr & Ribeauvillé
- Day: 6 Eguisheim
- Day 7: Muhouse or Basel
