Is Colmar Christmas Market Worth It?

Why the answer is yes

Six markets run for six weeks across Old Colmar with around 180 stalls in total. The exhibitors, mostly from Alsace, are selected on the quality and originality of their products, so the stalls feel curated rather than mass produced. Entry is free. The medieval heart of the town has an especially welcoming vibe at Christmas, with stalls for food, drink and crafts packed into streets that already look like a film set.

Because all six markets sit in the compact Old Town, you can see the lot in a single day on foot. That makes the cost of the visit almost entirely your transport and food, so the money side of the question is easy to answer.

Why the answer is sometimes no

Colmar gets crowded fast. The aisles are smaller than in bigger cities, and one visitor described a mid-December Saturday as hard to enjoy. If your only free day is a peak Saturday, the crush can swallow the charm.

The fix is simple: go on a weekday in early December and start when the stalls open.

Craft and gift shoppers

The Indoor Craft Market in the Koifhus hosts about twenty local artisans, including ceramicists, potters, glass-makers and wood sculptors. If you want a gift with a maker behind it rather than an import, this is the square to linger in.

Food and wine lovers

Place Jeanne d'Arc is dedicated to local products such as foie gras, cold meats, wine, schnapps and bredalas biscuits. The Gourmet market on Rue de la montagne verte goes further, with 9 cabins and 9 chefs, where master restaurateurs cook dishes to eat on site or take away.

Families with children

The Petite Venise market becomes a kids' paradise, with animals, a mechanical nativity, mulled apple juice, horse rides and Santa's Giant Letter Box. It is the one square built for children, so a family visit works best if you plan the day around it and end there.

Anyone chasing atmosphere

Place des Dominicains has about sixty wooden chalets below the Eglise des Dominicains with 14th century stained glass. Place de l'Ancienne Douane has around fifty chalets around the Schwendi fountain along the Lauch river. At night, 1,150 computer-driven light sources on fibre optic, across four themes of water, air, earth and fire, are lit at nightfall on Fridays and Saturdays and every night during Christmas in Colmar.

Weekend-only travellers at peak

A mid-December Saturday in Colmar meant heavy crowds that made the markets hard to enjoy for one visitor, and the aisles are narrower than in larger cities. If a peak weekend is your only window, consider Strasbourg instead, because its ten markets spread over a larger area and are easier to move around despite the crowds.

Drivers

Parking in both Colmar and Strasbourg is very difficult during the Christmas markets, and one forum poster would not drive to either in the season. The old town of Colmar is closed to vehicles during market hours. A free weekend park and ride with a shuttle runs from Parc des Expositions, so use that rather than hunting for a central space.

Travellers who want variety beyond Colmar

Take a day out from the town itself. Christmas shuttles from Colmar station to Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg run Fridays to Sundays, online tickets only, at $18.92 (€17) a day per the official Noël Colmar shuttle page. Or book a guided day instead: the Enchanting Christmas Experience covers several villages in 8 hours, and Christmas Markets Across 3 Borders takes in three countries in 9 hours.

Scale versus atmosphere

Strasbourg has 10 Christmas markets spread over a larger area and is easier to move around despite the crowds. One blogger counted 5 main markets in Colmar, smaller and harder to maneuver because the aisles are narrower. On the Rick Steves travel forum, several posters prefer Colmar's atmosphere even though Strasbourg's market is bigger, and the consensus is that you cannot go wrong with either.

Practical differences

Strasbourg's market closes on Christmas Day, while the Gourmet Market, the Ferris wheel and Place Rapp in Colmar stay open into early January, so Colmar stretches later into the season. The two cities are only about a half hour train ride apart, so the right answer for most people is to visit both rather than choose. Base yourself in Strasbourg for the size, then spend a weekday in Colmar for the setting.

Dates and hours

The six markets run from 23 November to 29 December. Hours are 11 am to 7 pm Monday to Thursday and 10 am to 8 pm Friday to Sunday. On December 24th they close at 5 pm, and on December 25th and 26th they keep the 10 am to 8 pm hours.

The Gourmet Market, the Ferris wheel and the Christmas Fair on Place Rapp, with its illuminated ice rink, stay open into early January.

A simple timing plan

The best time is weekdays in early December, avoiding weekends. Arrive when the stalls open and do the busiest squares first. The craft market in the Koifhus and the food stalls at Place Jeanne d'Arc are calmer early. Save Place de l'Ancienne Douane along the Lauch for dusk, when the lights come on. The illuminations are lit at nightfall on Fridays and Saturdays and every night during the Christmas season.

If you do end up there on a Saturday, escape the crush indoors. The Koifhus holds about twenty artisans in a covered hall, a calmer place to shop than the open squares.

By train

Colmar is 30 minutes by train from Strasbourg, which means you can base yourself in the bigger city and still get the full Colmar evening. Coming from Strasbourg, the dedicated day tour between the two cities handles the timing for you, and there is also a broader Alsace Christmas markets tour from Strasbourg.

By car

Think twice. Parking in Colmar is very difficult during the markets, and the old town is closed to vehicles during market hours. A free weekend park and ride with a shuttle runs from Parc des Expositions, which is the sane option if you must drive.

Out to the villages

Christmas shuttles from Colmar station run on five lines through the shuttle season, online tickets only. The official Noël Colmar shuttle page lists $8.90 (€8) Monday to Thursday on the Eguisheim line and $18.92 (€17) Fridays to Sundays on the Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr lines.

The basic spend

Entry to all six markets is free, and you can walk the whole Old Town route without paying for transport. The floor for a visit is whatever you eat and drink at the stalls. Driving adds parking: the old town closes to cars during market hours.

Guided options

If you want structure, the Secrets and Magic of the Christmas Markets walk costs $23 per person for 2 hours, and the Christmas Market Magic walking tour with a local costs $110 per person for 1 hour. For the villages, the Enchanting Christmas Experience is $145 per person for 8 hours and Christmas Markets Across 3 Borders is $153.36 per person for 9 hours.

Money against time

The trade-off is simple. The free route costs a day of walking and some planning. A guided walk buys local stories and a set route through the squares.

A village tour buys the shuttle-free version of the wine villages.

A package stay

The Colmar tourist office sells a Christmas city break from $244.86 (€220) per person for 3 days and 2 nights, arriving on a Sunday or Tuesday. It includes museum admission valid from 16:00 to 18:00, with the sound and light show in the cloister.

Where to sleep

Hotels often recommended for the season include Relais & Châteaux La Maison Des Têtes, L'Esquisse Hotel and Spa, The Colmar Hotel, Hotel Le Marechal and Le Colombier.

A one-day plan

Start when the stalls open on a weekday at Place Jeanne d'Arc for local products such as foie gras, cold meats, wine and bredalas biscuits. Move to the Koifhus craft market while it is quiet, then Place des Dominicains with its sixty chalets under the 14th century stained glass. Break for lunch at the Gourmet market, where 9 chefs cook dishes to eat on site.

Cross to Place de l'Ancienne Douane by the Lauch as the light fades, and finish at Petite Venise, where the animals, mechanical nativity and horse rides are at their best after dark. If you want a guide to hold it together, the walking tour with a local fits the plan.

Add depth beyond the stalls

If you have a second day, the unusual walking tour with a local guide ($39, 2 hours, rated 4.9 from 314 reviews) shows the town behind the stalls, and the food tour covers a full Alsatian meal. Wine lovers can look at the walking tour with wine tasting or the Christmas wine cellar show in Mittelwihr. Evening options include the Unterlinden museum light show.