Alsace

Alsace

48°18′ N 7°27′ EFrance21 markets10 towns2 events19 stays

Strasbourg spreads its markets over eight sites around the cathedral, and first-timers head for the Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie. Colmar packs six smaller markets into its old town, and shuttles and buses run from there to the wine villages. Both cities fill up at weekends, so walk the squares early in the week and keep Kaysersberg for an Advent weekend, because its juried craft market opens only then.

Photo Tristan Schmurr from Luxembourg, Luxembourg · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery

21 in Alsace

Christmas markets

All markets

Visitors stroll past a carousel and the lit Maison du Pèlerin beside the Ancienne Douane market in Colmar at dusk.

Crowds fill Place de l'Ancienne Douane in Colmar in front of the Koïfhus and its row of lit chalets at night.

Seasonal

Colmar Ancienne Douane Christmas Market

Colmar · Old town

Colmarfrom Nov 23

The Ferris wheel spins in purple light above the gourmet market chalets in Colmar on a December evening.

Coloured lights trace the spokes of the Ferris wheel at Colmar's gourmet market on rue de la Montagne Verte.

Seasonal

Colmar Gourmet Christmas Market

Colmar · Old town

Colmarfrom Nov 23

Lights trace the gallery and tiled roof of the Koïfhus in Colmar as crowds move past the market stalls at night.

White chalets line up below the glazed tile roof and wooden gallery of the Koïfhus in Colmar.

Seasonal

Colmar Koifhus Indoor Craft Market

Colmar · Old town

Colmarfrom Nov 23

Purple and gold lights fill Place des Six Montagnes Noires in Petite Venise as families walk through at night.

Chalet roofs and a lit tree crowd Place des Six Montagnes Noires in Colmar's Petite Venise after dark.

Seasonal

Colmar Petite Venise Children's Christmas Market

Colmar · Old town

Colmarfrom Nov 23

Shoppers walk between the lit chalets on Place des Dominicains in Colmar under strings of stars at night.

Chalets with pointed roofs stand in front of the lit Dominican church on Place des Dominicains in Colmar.

Seasonal

Colmar Place des Dominicains Christmas Market

Colmar · Old town

Colmarfrom Nov 23

Lit trees and chalets glow under a violet evening sky on Place Jeanne d'Arc in Colmar as crowds gather.

Visitors queue at the bright chalets of the Place Jeanne d'Arc market in Colmar under trees wrapped in lights.

Seasonal

Colmar Place Jeanne d'Arc Christmas Market

Colmar · Old town

Colmarfrom Nov 23

Lit trees and glowing half-timbered houses frame the Christmas market in Eguisheim at night.

Paper stars and greenery hang on the old houses of a cobbled lane in Eguisheim during Advent.

Seasonal

Eguisheim Christmas Market

Eguisheim · Old village

Eguisheimfrom Nov 27

Visitors walk up the Grand'Rue of Kaysersberg toward a turreted half-timbered house during the Christmas market.

Painted candles and glass baubles fill a lace-trimmed chalet at the Kaysersberg Christmas market.

Seasonal

Kaysersberg Christmas Market

Kaysersberg · Historic centre

Kaysersbergfrom Nov 27

10 in Alsace

Towns and neighbourhoods

All towns

Half-timbered houses and lit terraces line the Lauch canal in Colmar's Petite Venise on a December afternoon.

Crowds blur through the old town of Colmar at dusk under half-timbered houses strung with Christmas lights.

Colmar

Haut-Rhin

TownPop. 66,970Alsace

Half-timbered houses curve along the rue du Rempart in Eguisheim under a clear sky.

Geraniums spill from the windows of a long half-timbered house beside an arched gateway in Eguisheim.

Eguisheim

Haut-Rhin

VillagePop. 1,729Alsace

Garlands and lit windows decorate the Grand'Rue of Kaysersberg on a grey December afternoon.

Lit Christmas trees stand by the old stone bridge over the Weiss in Kaysersberg as dusk falls.

Kaysersberg

Haut-Rhin

TownAlsace

Coloured lights play over the facades of Place de la Réunion in Mulhouse as a carousel turns beside the stalls.

The spire of the Temple Saint-Étienne in Mulhouse rises over lit Christmas trees under a deep blue evening sky.

Mulhouse

Haut-Rhin

CityPop. 104,978Alsace

Café umbrellas line a street of tall half-timbered houses in the centre of Obernai.

Lanterns hang across a busy shopping street of red and ochre half-timbered houses in Obernai.

Obernai

Bas-Rhin

TownPop. 12,587Alsace

Snow covers the roofs and church spires of Ribeauvillé seen from the slope above the town.

A half-timbered house stands on a cobbled street in Ribeauvillé below the wooded slopes of the Vosges.

Ribeauville

Haut-Rhin

TownPop. 4,685Alsace

Crowds fill the main street of Riquewihr between half-timbered houses hung with Christmas decorations.

Colourful half-timbered houses line a cobbled street in the old town of Riquewihr.

Riquewihr

Haut-Rhin

VillagePop. 999Alsace

A large half-timbered house with a steep tiled roof stands on a street corner in old Sélestat.

A street of half-timbered houses in Sélestat leads toward the Tour de l'Horloge.

Selestat

Bas-Rhin

TownPop. 19,589Alsace

2 in Alsace

Events and seasons

Blue lights wrap the plane trees on Place Broglie in Strasbourg in front of the lit town hall.

Photo of Strasbourg

Dates projected

Midnight Mass at Strasbourg Cathedral

Strasbourg · Grande Île

Church serviceDec 24, 2026

An old stone arch in Turckheim frames a cobbled square lined with painted half-timbered houses.

Photo of Turckheim

Seasonal

Turckheim Night Watchman's Round

Turckheim · Old town

Folk customDec 1, 2026

19 in Alsace

Places to stay

All stays

Visitors stroll past a carousel and the lit Maison du Pèlerin beside the Ancienne Douane market in Colmar at dusk.

Photo of Colmar

Cit'Hotel Primo Colmar

Colmar · North of the old town, rue des Ancêtres

Hotel

Crowds fill Place de l'Ancienne Douane in Colmar in front of the Koïfhus and its row of lit chalets at night.

Photo of Colmar

Hotel Saint-Martin Colmar

Colmar · Old town, Grand'Rue

Hotel€€

Lights hang in the trees over the Lauch as shoppers walk past the Ancienne Douane chalets in Colmar at night.

Photo of Colmar

Hotel Le Marechal Colmar

Colmar · La Petite Venise

Hotel€€€

Chalets with pointed roofs stand in front of the lit Dominican church on Place des Dominicains in Colmar.

Photo of Colmar

La Maison des Tetes Colmar

Colmar · Old town, near the Unterlinden Museum

Hotel€€€€

Shoppers walk between the lit chalets on Place des Dominicains in Colmar under strings of stars at night.

Photo of Colmar

Hotel Maison Turenne Colmar

Colmar · Edge of La Petite Venise, route de Bâle

Hotel€€€

Geraniums spill from the windows of a long half-timbered house beside an arched gateway in Eguisheim.

Photo of Eguisheim

L'Auberge Alsacienne Eguisheim

Eguisheim · Eguisheim, Grand'Rue

Hotel€€80

Paper stars and greenery hang on the old houses of a cobbled lane in Eguisheim during Advent.

Photo of Eguisheim

Hostellerie du Pape Eguisheim

Eguisheim · Eguisheim, Grand'Rue

Hotel

Garlands and lit windows decorate the Grand'Rue of Kaysersberg on a grey December afternoon.

Photo of Kaysersberg

Hotel KLE Kaysersberg

Kaysersberg · Kaysersberg village centre

Hotel€€€

In the journal and guides

Read more about Alsace

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.
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.
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.
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.