Alsace Christmas Market Villages Tour: Christmas in 4 Alsatian Villages

Included and Paid on Top

Included: transportation to the sights, pick-up and drop-off at your Colmar accommodation, and the guided tour of the four Alsatian villages. Not included: meals, the optional guide gratuity and souvenirs bought on site. No tastings are stated, and no entry fees are stated, so budget separately for anything you eat or drink at the stalls during the free time between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

The table below sorts what is in the price from what you pay on top.

Dates, the Euro and Getting Around

The season backdrop matters here. The Christmas markets in Colmar run 23 November to 29 December, and the village markets span late November to late December with the exceptions listed above. Stall prices are in euros. The European Central Bank reference rate stands at 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD. Bring a small amount of cash, since village stall payment arrangements are not published.

You do not need a car for this tour, which is its main practical advantage. Pick-up is at your Colmar accommodation around 8:30 a.m., arranged within 48 hours of booking, so keep your phone reachable. If you drive to Colmar yourself for a longer stay, the covered Rapp and Gare/Bleylé car parks stay open 24/7, and the old town closes to all vehicles during market hours.

Before or After the Tour

The tour returns to Colmar around 5:00 p.m., which leaves the evening free. The Colmar Christmas market stalls stay open to 19:00 Monday to Thursday and 20:00 Friday to Sunday, so check the closing time before you plan an evening walk. The Gourmet Market and the ferris wheel on the Montagne Verte plateau run daily 11:00-22:00.

Book the Colmar part of your stay around the tour rather than the reverse. The old town closes to vehicles during market hours, and weekend park and ride at the Parc des Expositions costs $5.57 (€5) per day with a free return bus, so a hotel within walking distance of the centre simplifies both ends of the day.

Step by Step

The van collects you at your Colmar accommodation around 8:30 a.m. The first transfer takes about 30 minutes to Ribeauvillé, where the guide leads a 1.5-hour visit. A roughly 20-minute drive follows to Riquewihr for another 1.5-hour guided walk, then about 20 minutes to Kaysersberg-Vignoble, then about 20 minutes to Eguisheim, each with a 1.5-hour guided visit. The final transfer back to Colmar takes about 30 minutes, with drop-off at your accommodation around 5:00 p.m.

Between 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. the guide steps back and you get free time for lunch, the market stalls or shopping. The listing does not state which village hosts that lunch break, since the order changes with conditions. It also does not state clock times for each village. Durations are what the itinerary gives. Do not add them up into a timetable yourself, because the operator reserves the right to shift things on the day.

1.5 Hours per Village

The listing budgets 1.5 hours of guided visiting in each of Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg-Vignoble and Eguisheim, with some flexibility to adapt to the group's pace and the day's conditions. That is enough for a walk through the old lanes, the main sights and a first look at the stalls, but not for a long sit-down meal outside the 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. free-time window.

The Order Is Not Fixed

There is no predefined sequence of visits. The guide adjusts the route according to crowd levels, traffic and events happening in the villages that day. The operator states the route adapts to the day's conditions.

For scale, Bon Traveler puts Eguisheim at an hour or two of visiting on its own and about a 15-minute drive from Colmar. Doing all four villages in one day means trading depth for coverage. If you would rather spend longer in fewer places, the 4 Wonders of Alsace Day Tour takes a different route over 8 hours.

Market Dates for the Four Villages

Kaysersberg holds its authentic market in the Cour de l'Arsenal and behind Sainte-Croix church, Friday to Sunday only, on 27-29 November and 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20 December, from 10:00 to 20:00. If your tour lands on a weekday, Kaysersberg's stalls will be closed even though the village itself is worth the stop. Riquewihr runs 27 November to 20 December, but the tourist office page publishes no hours for it. Ribeauvillé's medieval market, the most distinctive of the four, runs only on 5-6 and 12-13 December, Saturday 10:00-19:00 and Sunday 10:00-18:00. Eguisheim is the safest bet, open 27 November to 30 December and closed only 24-26 December, with Friday to Sunday hours of 10:00-19:00.

The tour runs through the Christmas season but the listing states no exact dates, so match your booking to the market calendars above. For the markets in town before or after your trip, the Colmar Christmas market guide lists six markets with about 180 stalls, running 23 November to 29 December, Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00-20:00.

Dates and Hours, Village by Village

Eguisheim is the most reliable, open every day of the season apart from 24, 25 and 26 December, with Friday to Sunday hours of 10:00-19:00. Earlier in the season, Monday to Thursday openings start at 12:00 p.m. until 10 December, then move to 10:00 a.m. from 14 December. Kaysersberg is the tightest, weekends only, 10:00-20:00, across four blocks of dates. Riquewihr covers 27 November to 20 December, with no hours published on the official page. Ribeauvillé is a special case: its medieval market with costumed traders runs on two weekends only, 5-6 and 12-13 December.

If the medieval market is your reason for going, the only guaranteed way to see it is a tour date on one of those two weekends, and this listing publishes no running dates, so confirm directly on the booking page. Neighbouring markets also exist if you are in the region longer. Rouffach runs 5, 6, 12 and 13 December, and Turckheim runs 27 November to 30 December.

Weekend-only Markets

Two of the four villages on this tour only open their stalls at weekends. Kaysersberg runs Friday to Sunday, and Ribeauvillé's medieval market sits on just two December weekends. On a weekday tour you still visit both villages and hear the guide's stories, but the market experience depends on Eguisheim and Riquewihr, and Riquewihr publishes no hours to plan against.

If seeing all four markets in full swing is the point of the trip, book a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, and aim for 5-6 or 12-13 December if the medieval market matters to you.

The Christmas Shuttles

The Colmar tourist offices run Christmas shuttles from Colmar station from 27 November to 20 December, online tickets only. Lines 1 and 2 serve Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr on Friday to Sunday at $18.92 (€17). Line 3 to Eguisheim runs Monday to Thursday and Friday to Sunday, at $8.90 (€8) midweek and $18.92 (€17) at weekends.

Children under 12 travel free but need a ticket. The catch is the coverage: no shuttle serves Riquewihr or Kaysersberg on weekdays, so a car-free DIY day across all four villages is effectively a weekend project, with the medieval market weekends of 5-6 and 12-13 December as the prize dates.

Parking in the Villages

Bon Traveler reports no parking inside the Riquewihr walls and limited parking in Kaysersberg. Eguisheim has village car parks that charge for the day. On a self-drive day you park and walk in four times.

This tour sidesteps all of it with accommodation pick-up in Colmar and drop-off around 5:00 p.m. If you would rather keep the car and only hand over the wheel for a day trip, compare the Christmas Markets Across 3 Borders, a 9-hour small-group day covering Freiburg, Basel and Eguisheim for $153.36 per person.