4 Days in Colmar: Christmas Markets & Alsace Villages
Four days of Christmas in Colmar: lit market squares, Petite Venise at night, and the village markets of Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim.
Four days of Christmas in Colmar: lit market squares, Petite Venise at night, and the village markets of Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim.
Colmar's station connects directly to Strasbourg, and onward to Basel-Mulhouse airport or Paris with a single change, with the market squares only a fifteen-minute walk from the platform. Old-town hotels fill early in market season, so book first and ask whether they can hold your bags until check-in.
🚶 ~15 min walk from Gare de Colmar to the old town 💵 ~€10-15 taxi if you're carrying luggage 🕐 Plan around your train or transfer's arrival timeThe Koïfhus, Colmar's 15th-century customs house, anchors this market. About 50 small huts around the Schwendi fountain on Place de l'Ancienne Douane sell Christmas decorations and crafts, about 20 craft stalls fill the hall inside, and the Renaissance façade and staircase are lit in the evening. In 2026 the markets run from 23 November to 29 December (check current), with vin chaud and roasted chestnuts on the surrounding squares.
🚶 Steps from Place de l'Ancienne Douane 💵 Free to browse, ~€4-6 per vin chaud 🕐 2026 hours: 11 AM-7 PM Mon-Thu, 10 AM-8 PM Fri-Sun (check current)The canal quarter along the Lauch is dressed in Christmas lights, and the children's market on Place des Six-Montagnes-Noires adds a carousel and a giant letterbox for letters to Père Noël. After dark the reflections on the water make a quieter, more atmospheric scene than the crowded central squares.
🚶 ~10 min walk from the Koifhus 💵 ~€4 for a cup of mulled wine (plus a refundable mug deposit) 🕐 After dusk, around 5 PM in DecemberBuilt in 1537 for a wealthy hatmaker, Maison Pfister's painted medallions, carved wooden gallery, and octagonal corner turret make it one of the most photographed buildings in Colmar. In December the streets around it are dressed for Christmas, and early mornings are quiet before the market stalls open at 10 or 11 AM.
🚶 On Rue des Marchands, ~5 min from the Koifhus 💵 Free to view from outside 🕐 Before 10 AM, ahead of the crowdsThese two streets string together most of Colmar's finest half-timbered facades, small ateliers, and bakeries, and in December many houses are outlined in lights or hung with garlands. Look for bredele, the small Alsatian Christmas biscuits, and pain d'épices in the bakery windows, an easy midday walk between the morning's sights and the afternoon's markets.
🚶 Connected on foot, ~15 min end to end 💵 Free to stroll 🕐 Late morning into lunchPlace Jeanne-d'Arc is the market for Alsatian produce, with charcuterie, foie gras, wine, gingerbread and bredele. Place des Dominicains has the largest market, about 60 chalets around the Dominican church, whose 14th-century stained glass is lit at dusk. The 19th-century covered market nearby is the stop for lunch or for foie gras and kougelhopf to take home, but check its current opening days.
🚶 ~10 min walk from Rue des Marchands 💵 ~€12-18 lunch at the covered market 🕐 Markets close at 7 PM Mon-Thu and 8 PM Fri-Sun (2026 hours, check current)Riquewihr's Christmas market, about 12 km from Colmar, sets more than 40 chalets among the half-timbered houses of the walled village, around a large Christmas tree. Expect Alsatian crafts, bredele, kougelhopf, gingerbread and mulled wine. In 2026 it runs from 27 November to 20 December, so it is over by late December (check current).
🚗 ~20 min drive from Colmar, or a weekend Christmas shuttle (check current) 💵 Free to browse, ~€15 per wine tasting flight (varies by cellar) 🕐 Opens 10 AM, so go early before the weekend crowdsKaysersberg's market sets up in the Cour de l'Arsenal and behind the Sainte-Croix church, below the ruins of the imperial castle. It opens Friday to Sunday only, from 27 November to 20 December in 2026 (check current), so a weekday visit finds the village without its market. The village was voted France's favorite village in 2017.
🚗 ~15-20 min drive from Riquewihr 💵 Free to browse, ~€5-8 for lunch from a stall 🕐 10 AM-8 PM Fri-Sun in 2026 listings (check current)Back in Colmar by early evening, take a second pass through the lit old town, including Place des Dominicains, where the church's stained glass is lit at dusk, then book a winstub dinner ahead, since tables fill up in market season.
🚗 ~20 min drive back to Colmar 💵 ~€20-25 dinner at a winstub 🕐 Early evening, before dinner reservationsEguisheim's medieval streets curl in concentric rings around the Château Saint-Léon, and the village is officially named one of France's most beautiful villages. About 30 chalets surround Place du Château Saint-Léon, with more stalls in the lanes, and a giant Advent calendar opens its windows on the square each evening. The 2026 market is listed from 27 November to 30 December, and in 2025 it was closed 24 to 26 December (check current).
🚗 ~15 min drive or bus from Colmar 💵 Free to browse 🕐 Walk the rings in the morning; in 2025 stalls opened at 10 AM Fri-Sun and noon Mon-Thu until mid-DecemberBack in Colmar, the squares and the covered market are the easiest stops for last gifts: pain d'épices (Alsatian spiced gingerbread), bredele biscuits sold by weight at dedicated stalls, and bottles of Gewürztraminer packed for travel. The Colmar markets run to 29 December in 2026 (check current).
🚗 ~15 min drive back from Eguisheim, then on foot 💵 Varies by what you pack home 🕐 Late morning into early afternoonRegional trains connect Colmar back to Strasbourg, on to Basel-Mulhouse airport, or onward to Paris with a change. Budget extra time if market crowds are thick between your hotel and the station, and check train timetables if you leave on 24 to 26 December, when holiday services can differ.
🚆 Regional train to Strasbourg, Basel-Mulhouse, or Paris 💵 Varies by route 🕐 Leave at least 2 hrs before an international flightA single day's rental divided among a group costs a fraction of separate taxis or tours to Riquewihr and Kaysersberg, and weekend Christmas shuttles are the alternative if nobody drives (check current).
Wine cellars along the route will pour a small flight of three or four wines for a modest fee, cheaper than committing to a bottle at every village stop.
A plate from one of the Marché Couvert's stalls costs a fraction of a winstub lunch and tastes just as regional, and the Marché Gourmand food market, open to 3 January in 2026 listings, is another place to eat (check current).
Colmar's Christmas markets and the village markets on this route are free to enter, so budget for mulled wine, bredele and gifts rather than tickets.
The canal quarter's lights and reflections are best appreciated once the day-trip buses have already left for the evening.
Riquewihr's market opens at 10 AM, so arrive then and move on to Kaysersberg, whose market runs Friday to Sunday only, before the afternoon crowds build (check current).
Early-season weekday visits in late November are far calmer than the packed weekends once December arrives, but put Day 3 on a Friday to Sunday so Kaysersberg is open.
Its giant Advent calendar opens a window on the castle square each evening, so if you can swap Day 4's order, a dusk visit shows the village at its most festive (check current).
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