Alsace Christmas Markets: the guide to plan your trip

Every year from late November to late December, Alsace becomes Europe's Christmas capital. Strasbourg, Colmar, Sélestat and dozens of villages light up with trees, garlands and wooden chalets. Here is our guide to planning a stress-free visit.

Strasbourg, the "Capital of Christmas"

Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik is France's oldest Christmas market (1570). The great tree on Place Kléber, the chalets on Place Broglie and the illuminated lanes of Petite France create a unique setting. Allow at least two days: the market spreads over some ten squares of the UNESCO-listed historic centre. See our hotel selection for Strasbourg.

Sélestat, birthplace of the Christmas tree

45 minutes from Strasbourg, Sélestat holds the oldest written record of a Christmas tree (1521), kept in the Humanist Library. Its more intimate market is perfect for families. It is also a great base: Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle, the eagle sanctuary and the Monkey Mountain are minutes away, and the wine villages of Châtenois, Kintzheim and Dambach-la-Ville are lined with half-timbered houses and cosy winstubs.

Practical tips

• Book early: Strasbourg hotels sell out from October for December weekends, and rates can double.
• Sleep outside the centre: staying in Sélestat, Châtenois or Obernai is often 40–60% cheaper, with regional trains reaching Strasbourg in 20–45 minutes.
• Come midweek: Monday to Thursday the alleys are quieter and prices gentler.
• Eat local: mulled wine, bredele biscuits, gingerbread, and a choucroute or baeckeoffe in a winstub.

Where to stay?

For a charming stay at the foot of Haut-Kœnigsbourg, the Hôtel Restaurant Dontenville in Châtenois — a half-timbered Alsatian house with a traditional restaurant — offers excellent value 4 km from Sélestat.

With a little planning, the Alsace Christmas markets remain a magical and affordable experience: lights, traditions and gastronomy in one of France's most beautiful regions.