Alsace Christmas Villages Tour From Colmar: The Enchanting Christmas Experience

Included and Not Included

Wine tasting is the only entry item included. That means the guided cellar visit and tastings of gewürztraminer, pinot noir and crémant at Ribeauvillé. Transport is the minivan with hotel pickup.

Everything you eat or drink at the markets is extra, and tips for the driver guide are extra. Bring cash or a card for mulled wine and snacks at the stalls.

Dates, Money and Eating

Book a Friday, Saturday or Sunday departure so the Kaysersberg market is open, since it runs Fri-Sun only in the windows listed above. The tour costs $145 per person. Bring cash or a card for market food, because food and tips are excluded and reviews mention no snack is provided.

Euro prices you may meet in Colmar, converted at the ECB rate of 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD, include the ferris wheel at $11.13 (€10) for adults and guided light tours at $7.79 (€7). The Colmar markets close exactly at the scheduled time for security, so if you plan an evening visit after the tour, arrive before closing.

• Departure 10:00am, 8 hours total, food and tips extra
• Kaysersberg market Fri-Sun only: 27-29 November, 4-6, 11-13, 18-20 December, 10:00-20:00
• Unaccompanied minors not allowed, no minimum age stated

Getting to Colmar

Colmar sits on the A35 and is reachable by train from Paris in 2h 20 and from Lyon in 3h 30. Strasbourg Airport and EuroAirport are each about 45 minutes away. If you drive into Colmar for the departure, the covered Rapp and Gare/Bleylé car parks are open 24/7, and the old town is closed to all vehicles during market hours, Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00-20:00.

• Paris by train 2h 20, Lyon 3h 30
• 45 minutes from Strasbourg Airport and from EuroAirport
• Parking Rapp and Gare/Bleylé open 24/7

Stop by Stop

You depart Colmar at 10:00am and pass through the vineyards with a first wine taste on the way. Kaysersberg comes first or early, with free time to explore its market at your own pace. Riquewihr follows, again unguided, then the van moves to Ribeauvillé for the guided wine cellar tour and the tastings.

The last stop is Eguisheim, free time again, before the drive back. The driver helps you find your way and learn about the towns. How long each stop lasts is not stated.

What the Free Time Covers

Bontraveler says Eguisheim needs only 1 to 2 hours, with a market of about 30 stalls in a small square, and puts the village 15 minutes from Colmar by car. The operator best-of-alsace says three or four market stops in one day is the maximum before the day becomes a rush. This tour respects that cap with three villages and one cellar.

• Eguisheim: 1-2 hours, about 30 stalls, 15-minute drive from Colmar (Bontraveler)
• Riquewihr and Kaysersberg: free time on this tour, length not published
• Three or four market stops per day is the maximum (best-of-alsace)

If You Want More or Less

If three villages plus a tasting feels long, a shorter option exists in town: the Colmar Unusual Walking Tour lasts 2 hours at $39. If you want a fourth village instead, Christmas in 4 Alsatian Villages runs 7.5 hours at $145 and covers Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim, but has no tasting and no reviews yet.

The Three Village Markets

Kaysersberg's authentic market runs Friday to Sunday only, on 27-29 November, 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20 December, from 10:00 to 20:00, in the Cour de l'Arsenal and behind Sainte-Croix church. Riquewihr's market runs 27 November to 20 December, and its hours are not published by the tourist office. Eguisheim's market runs 27 November to 30 December, closed 24-26 December, with Friday to Sunday hours of 10:00-19:00.

Book a Friday to Sunday departure before 21 December and all three markets run that day.

Add Colmar Before or After

The tour is 8 hours from 10:00am and no return time is stated, so check the town market hours before you plan an evening there. The Colmar Christmas market runs 23 November to 29 December, Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00-20:00, across six markets with about 180 stalls. A cheap add-on is the Secrets of the Colmar Christmas Markets walk at $23, or the Once Upon a Night at Unterlinden museum ticket and cloister light show at $9.

Weekend-only Markets

Kaysersberg is the strict one: Friday to Sunday only, 27-29 November, 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20 December, 10:00-20:00. Ribeauvillé's medieval Christmas market runs on just two weekends, 5-6 and 12-13 December, Saturday 10:00-19:00 and Sunday 10:00-18:00. Rouffach holds a local market on 5, 6, 12 and 13 December, Saturday 11:00-20:00 and Sunday 11:00-19:00.

If seeing the Kaysersberg market matters to you, book a Friday to Sunday departure of this tour.

• Kaysersberg: Fri-Sun only, 27-29 November, 4-6, 11-13, 18-20 December, 10:00-20:00
• Ribeauvillé medieval market: 5-6 and 12-13 December, Sat 10:00-19:00, Sun 10:00-18:00
• Rouffach: 5, 6, 12, 13 December, Sat 11:00-20:00, Sun 11:00-19:00

Daily Markets

Eguisheim runs its authentic market every day from 27 November to 30 December except 24, 25 and 26 December. Friday to Sunday hours are 10:00-19:00, Monday to Thursday it opens 12:00-19:00 from 27 November to 10 December and 10:00-19:00 from 14 December on. Riquewihr's market runs 27 November to 20 December and its hours are not published.

The practical rule: any day of this tour finds Eguisheim and Riquewihr open in their windows, and only Friday to Sunday finds Kaysersberg open.

The Official Christmas Shuttles

Christmas shuttles run from Colmar station from 27 November to 20 December, and tickets are sold online only, going on sale at 12:00 CET on the Thursday 12 November, with extra tickets released 3 days before travel. Fares work out at $18.92 (€17) Friday to Sunday on lines 1, 2, 4 and 5, and line 3 to Eguisheim costs $8.90 (€8) Monday to Thursday and $18.92 (€17) Friday to Sunday. Children under 12 travel free but need a ticket.

Line 1 and 2 cover Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr, Friday to Sunday only.

• Lines 1 and 2 (Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr): Fri-Sun, $18.92 (€17)
• Line 3 (Eguisheim): $8.90 (€8) Mon-Thu, $18.92 (€17) Fri-Sun
• Online tickets only, sale opens 12:00 CET on the Thursday 12 November

Why the Van Wins on a One-day Plan

Doing Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim by shuttle in one day means separate lines, timetable-watching and a paid ticket for each leg. This tour does the same villages door to door in one minivan with a driver, with pickup included, for $145 per person including the Ribeauvillé tasting. If you have several days in Colmar and like travelling independently, the shuttles are the cheaper way to one village at a time.

If you have one day, the van is simpler.