Want to dive into a traditional fairy decor this winter? Here are the 10 most beautiful Christmas markets in Alsace!
In Alsace, the historical region of eastern France, Christmas is not just a religious celebration of December 24 and 25: it is a whole month of traditional festivities, taking place during the Advent, the four weeks before Christmas. The Christmas market often begins between the last Sunday of November and the first Sunday of December, to mark the beginning of the liturgical year. There are small cottages where to buy Christmas decoration items, gastronomy products, traditional biscuits, handicrafts, small gifts and mignardises (hot wine, cinnamon, cakes), toys, books, etc. Great cultural event throughout Europe and especially in Germany , in Austria and in Alsace, several million people come to visit Alsace in this special period. The markets are also accompanied by illuminations, a Christmas Crèche, street shows and various attractions: this is the unmistakable rendezvous of winter if you come to visit the Alsace in December.
All right, but what Christmas market do in Alsace: Strasbourg , Colmar, Mulhouse, Kayersberg, Riquewihr, Sélestat, Munster, Neuf-Brisach, Ottmarsheim, Andlau, Artolsheim, Bouxwiller, Eguisheim, Guebwiller, Molsheim, Obernai, Ribeauville? There are almost as many Christmas markets as there are villages... Here is a selection of the 10 most beautiful Christmas markets in Alsace to do your Christmas shopping 2019!
1. Bouxwiller
Photo credit: Wikipedia – Jeje.fl
From 6 to 8 December
In Bouxwiller, a small town of 4,037 inhabitants, the Christmas market is a real festival. This market is more than 200 exhibitors, to do Christmas shopping – foie gras, snails, wines, Christmas decorations, pottery, jewelry – in a traditional atmosphere. As one of the most authentic Christmas markets in Alsace, more than 20,000 people visit Bouxwiller each year. We can visit Bouxwiller and its old town, beautiful half-timbered houses and many historic buildings embellished by the illuminations. Christmas shows, concerts and street tales are organized throughout the weekend.
2. Colmar
Photo credit: Flickr – Christophe meyer
22 November to 29 December
Colmar’s Christmas market is one of the most famous in Alsace. In Colmar, there are six Christmas markets: Place des Dominicains (Christmas decorations), Place Jeanne d’Arc (products from the terroir: foie gras, charcuterie, wines, eau-de-vie, bredalas de Noël, breads d’épices), Place de l’Ancienne Douane (about fifty houses of houses around the Schwendi fountain, on the one hand and on the channel), Marché intérieur du Take advantage of two purchases to visit Colmar and its historic places.
3. Eguisheim
Photo credit: Flickr – shogunangel
29 November to 30 December
Eguisheim, a small town south of Colmar, has an important historical and cultural heritage in Alsace, and houses a must-see Christmas market: it is a picturesque event to discover the Alsace customs and traditions. Come and taste and discover the products of some thirty craftsmen and creators who will be delighted to fill your basket of Christmas gifts! From December 27th to December 30th, a market dedicated to Epiphany is held: the market of the Magi Kings, a traditional exchange place with local artists and artisans.
4. Guebwiller
Photo credit: Noel Sud Alsace
29 November to 24 December
The arts of the show, the visual arts, the valorization of heritage, the sports of slips, and many animations will be on the Christmas celebrations program. Next to the Christmas market, a large 200 m2 ecological ice rink will be installed for the pleasure of the smaller ones. Coming to Guebwiller, the gastronomy, the art and the magic of Christmas will seduce you!
5. Haguenau
Photo credit: tourism-alsace.com
23 November to 30 December
This year the market will be held in various places: Place de la République, Place d’Armes, Place Joseph Thierry, Grand’Rue and Cours de la Décapole. The opening will take place on the Decapole Course on November 22. A market that claims "homemade authenticity".
6. Kaysersberg
Photo credit: Flickr – shogunangel
From 29 November (only weekends), 23 December
Kaysersberg is a high place of Alsatian tourism, an immanquable. If you come to Alsace, visit Kaysersberg. It is a medieval village – meaning “mountain of the Emperor” – known for its Christmas market, its historic centre, its imperial castle and its half-timbered houses: very charming!
Want some magic? For this, go to the Kaysersberg Christmas market! It takes place every weekend from November 29 (only from Friday to Sunday, from 10am to 8pm), as well as Monday, December 23, 2019. In addition to the market, Kaysersberg hosts a Christmas exhibition, to be discovered every afternoon from 2pm to 6pm.
7. Molsheim
Photo credit: tourism-alsace.com
6-22 December
The Christmas market in Molsheim will take place during the three weekends of December before Christmas. On Sunday, December 15th, the major attraction of these festivities will be organized: the Christmas market of the past, where visitors will be able to rediscover a medieval life during a day, with lords, knights, bourgeois and beautiful ladies walking around the streets of Molsheim.
8. Mulhouse
Photo credit: Flickr – Antoine 49
22 November to 29 December
With 286,730 inhabitants in the urban area, Mulhouse is the second city of Alsace, and obviously owns its own Christmas Market. Visiting Mulhouse at Christmas is a traditional Alsatian institution in the heart of the historic centre. You will certainly not miss the emblem of the city: the Christmas fabric, a sewn fabric every year to decorate the facades and pedestrian streets of the city, which gives a very festive side to the Christmas market.
9. Riquewihr
Photo credit: Flickr – shogunangel
From 30 November to 22 December
Riquewihr is one of the most touristic Alsatian villages. Renowned and very visited for its architectural heritage, Riquewihr is a picturesque medieval city that was spared by the destruction of the two World Wars. Coming to visit Riquewihr, don't miss seeing its traditional Christmas market, which is also very famous: luminescent and flamboyant decors, illuminated historical facades, lively Christmas market echoes, a popular and friendly atmosphere plunging small and large in a magical setting and in the "Christmas magic".
10. Strasbourg
Photo credit: Facebook – Strasbourg Christmas Market
22 November to 30 December
The Strasbourg market – Christkindelsmärik – is the most emblematic Christmas market of all, the most famous in France and stands since 1570. This Christmas market attracts every year 2 million visitors from all over the world to visit Strasbourg. In the Middle Ages, the market was established to anticipate the feast of Saint Nicolas on December 6, to allow parents to provide themselves with toys and treats for their children.
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