Colmar Christmas Market Tour With a Local

Included

The listing includes the walking tour itself, a knowledgeable local guide, the small-group experience capped at 8 travelers, one hot beverage and one local snack. The host also hands over tips on bars, cafes and restaurants, and the route adapts to the group's interests and walking pace. The tour is hosted in English or French.

Personal expenses and entry tickets are excluded, even though the GetYourGuide Includes block prints them next to the included items. The table below shows the correct reading. Confirm on the booking page before paying.

• Walking tour
• Knowledgeable local guide
• Small group experience, up to 8 travelers
• 1 hot beverage
• 1 local snack

Not Included and Paid on Top

Personal expenses are not covered. Neither are entry tickets to any attractions, nor tickets for public transportation, museums and monuments. There is no hotel pickup, so you make your own way to 31 Rue des Têtes.

Food and drinks at the market stalls beyond the one hot beverage and one snack are on you, so bring cash, which the listing names in its what-to-bring list. Tips are not mentioned in the listing at all.

Dates and Hours That Matter

The Colmar Christmas markets run 23 November to 29 December. Hours are Mon-Thu 11:00-19:00 and Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00, with exceptions on 24 December, 11:00-17:00, and 25 and 26 December, 10:00-20:00. Markets close exactly at the scheduled time for security reasons, so check your exact start time on the booking page.

• Season: 23 November to 29 December
• Mon-Thu 11:00-19:00, Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00
• 24 Dec 11:00-17:00, 25 and 26 Dec 10:00-20:00

Money

The tour price is $110 per person. The euro is the local currency, at an ECB reference rate of 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD, so the official weekend park and ride day rate works out at $5.57 (€5) and the EUR 10 adult ferris wheel ticket at $11.13 (€10). Bring cash, as the listing requires.

Extra stall food, transport tickets and museum entries are your own cost.

Getting There and Rules

If you drive, the old town is closed to all vehicles during market hours, so use the covered Rapp or Gare/Bleylé car parks, both open 24/7, or the weekend park and ride at the Parc des Expositions for $5.57 (€5) per day with a free return bus. The listing sets no minimum age but rules the walk not suitable for people with mobility impairments. Bring comfortable shoes, weather-appropriate clothing, a charged smartphone and cash.

Meeting and the Walk

You meet at 31 Rue des Têtes, 68000 Colmar, a central Colmar address. The host is an independent local. After introductions the group sets off on foot through lanes decorated with holiday lights, past seasonal sweets and the stalls of local craftsmen. The host weaves in behind-the-scenes stories and the history and traditions behind the markets, and helps you hunt for handcrafted gifts if that is what you want.

Because the itinerary adapts to the group and stops may vary with the weather, the exact squares you cross are not fixed in advance. Treat the route as a frame, not a script. The host also gives recommendations for bars, cafes and restaurants.

• Meet at 31 Rue des Têtes
• Walk the Colmar Christmas Markets with festive lights and seasonal sweets
• Stories on local traditions and introductions to local craftsmen
• Tips on bars, cafes and restaurants

Timing at a Glance

The listing gives one stated duration, the 1-hour walk, and no clock times for the start or the finish. Starting times appear only on the booking page, and no return time is published. Do not plan a connection off the back of a guessed end time, and remember the markets themselves close exactly on schedule.

The Old-town Squares

Place des Dominicains is the postcard market, with about 60 chalets against the church. Place de l'Ancienne Douane lines both banks of the Lauch up to the Koifhus porch, with about 50 chalets, and it is the square along the Lauch. Place Jeanne d'Arc is the foodies' stop, selling regional products such as foie gras, charcuterie, wine, schnapps and bredala, the Alsatian Christmas biscuits.

• Place des Dominicains, about 60 chalets
• Place de l'Ancienne Douane, about 50 chalets along the Lauch
• Place Jeanne d'Arc, regional products

Indoor and Family Options

The Koifhus, the old customs house, holds an indoor craft market with about 20 local craftspeople, which makes it the natural fallback if rain cuts the walk short. Its hours are not published separately. In Petite Venise, the children's market on Place des Six Montagnes Noires has animals, a mechanical nativity, mulled apple juice, a horse ride and Santa's giant letterbox.

It follows the general market hours. A one-hour walk cannot cover all of this, so plan extra time before or after.

• Koifhus indoor craft market, about 20 craftspeople
• Petite Venise children's market at Place des Six Montagnes Noires

What to Add Before or After

If one hour leaves you wanting more on foot, the Secrets of the Colmar Christmas Markets walk runs 2 hours for $23, or the Colmar Walk and Wine Tasting adds three Alsatian wine samples for $50. For the villages, the Enchanting Christmas Villages Tour covers Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim in 8 hours for $145. The page on Christmas markets in Colmar breaks down the full season.

One Line per Market

Place des Dominicains is the big traditional market with about 60 chalets. Place de l'Ancienne Douane follows the Lauch with about 50 chalets and suits photographers. Place Jeanne d'Arc is for regional produce and gifts to take home.

The Koifhus craft market shelters about 20 craftspeople indoors. The Petite Venise children's market is the family stop. The Gourmet Market, on rue de la Montagne Verte on the Plateau sportif de la Montagne Verte, is the food destination.

The Weather Fallback and the Evening Add-on

The Koifhus is the indoor fallback when stops vary with the weather, since it sits indoors a short step from the Ancienne Douane square. Its hours are not published separately. For the evening, head out of the old town core to Place Rapp and the Gourmet Market, which keep going until 22:00 daily and run to 3 January.

The Gourmet Market pairs 9 chef cabins with a standing bar and a cooking show, and Place Rapp adds an illuminated ice rink, for which no dates or hours are published.

Weekdays and Daytime Are Calmer

The official Alsace tourism guidance is blunt: weekends are very busy, and weekdays and daytime give a calmer visit. For this walk that means a Mon-Thu slot is the comfortable choice, and a daytime slot leaves the evening free for the Gourmet Market, which runs to 22:00 daily. Weekends are very busy.

The listing does not publish fixed departure times, so check availability and book the quiet slot early.

Work Inside the Official Hours

Markets open Mon-Thu 11:00-19:00 and Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00, from 23 November to 29 December. On 24 December they close early at 17:00, and on 25 and 26 December they run 10:00-20:00. Critically, markets close exactly at the scheduled time for security reasons.

Choose a start time that leaves you inside the opening hours, because the markets close exactly on time.

Arriving on Foot or by Car

From Colmar station, the walk to the old town is 10-15 minutes. During market hours, 23 November to 29 December, the historic centre is closed to all vehicles, so a car gets you no closer than the car parks. The covered Rapp and Gare/Bleylé car parks stay open 24/7, and the Rapp car park is one of the central options.

On designated weekends the park and ride at the Parc des Expositions costs $5.57 (€5) per day and includes a free return bus. No hotel pickup exists on this tour, so build the walk in.

Village Markets Afterwards by Shuttle

If the hour leaves you hungry for more, Christmas shuttles leave from Colmar station to the village markets, running 27 November to 20 December. Tickets are online only, on sale from Thu 12 November 2026 at 12:00 CET, with extra tickets released 3 days before travel. Lines 1 and 2 serve Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr on Fri-Sun at $18.92 (€17).

Line 3 to Eguisheim costs $8.90 (€8) Mon-Thu and $18.92 (€17) Fri-Sun. Children under 12 travel free but need a ticket.

Staying in Town After the Walk

For dinner after an evening slot, the Gourmet Market on rue de la Montagne Verte runs 11:00-22:00 daily to 3 January, with 9 chef cabins, a standing bar and a cooking show. The ferris wheel beside it runs the same hours, and adults pay $11.13 (€10) while children under 1.20 m pay $8.90 (€8). Alternatively, the Once Upon a Night at Unterlinden light show fits neatly after a late afternoon walk.