Selestat Christmas Market
Marché de Noël de Sélestat48°16′ N 7°27′ ESelestatfrom Nov 20Seasonal
Sélestat's Christmas market suits travellers curious about where the Christmas tree comes from, and the reason to stop is the hanging trees in Saint-Georges church and the 1521 record in the Humanist Library. It sits halfway between Strasbourg and Colmar on the main line. The tourism office announces 20 November to 27 December 2026 for the chalets.
Photo Gzen92 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Sélestat claims the Christmas tree. Its Humanist Library holds a town account book from 1521 that mentions forest guards keeping watch over the trees cut for the feast, and the document is on show from 21 November to 31 December 2026. In Saint-Georges church ten trees hang from the nave arches, each dressed the way trees were in its century, from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
The chalets stand on three squares at the foot of the Humanist Library: Place d'Armes, Place du Docteur Maurice Kubler and Place de la Victoire. Across town the Romanesque church of Sainte-Foy hangs Tel un lustre, a chandelier of 173 coloured Meisenthal glass baubles. The Maison du Pain d'Alsace sells 25 kinds of bredele from 24 November to 31 December 2026 and has a tea room upstairs.
Worth knowing
- Sélestat sits on the main line between Strasbourg and Colmar, so stop off between the two.
Quick answers about Selestat Christmas Market
When is the Sélestat Christmas market 2026?
The tourism office announces the Sélestat Christmas market for 20 November to 27 December 2026 (announced). The tree exhibition in Saint-Georges church runs from 21 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
Is Sélestat the birthplace of the Christmas tree?
Sélestat holds a town account book from 1521 that mentions trees cut for Christmas, which the local tourism office presents as the oldest written record of the Christmas tree. The document is shown at the Humanist Library during Advent.
When does Selestat Christmas Market open in 2026?
Selestat Christmas Market opens on November 20, 2026 and closes on December 27, 2026. Those dates are announced by a tourism board.
In the journal and guides
Read more about Selestat Christmas Market
Guide · 12 min read
What's open in Europe on Christmas Eve?
Seventy-nine markets open on 24 December 2026, and most of them close by 18:30, so do your last shopping before dark.
Guide · 23 min read
When do Europe's Christmas markets open and close in 2026?
Vienna and Copenhagen open first, on 6 November 2026, and Cologne's Heumarkt keeps its stalls up until 10 January 2027. Every row below names who published the date.
Guide · 8 min read
When is the Strasbourg Christmas market in 2026?
The city has confirmed Friday 27 November for the opening. The last day is still unpublished, and past seasons ended on Christmas Eve.
Guide · 12 min read
Which Christmas markets are open after Christmas?
Prague, Salzburg, Dresden and Cologne keep their markets going through the week after Christmas, and Colmar runs to 29 December.