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Alsace Christmas market dates follow a predictable rhythm every year, even though the exact calendar shifts slightly. This page explains the pattern you can plan around: when the season opens, when markets close, what daily hours usually look like, which days are busiest, and how to lock in your dates before official announcements appear. Use it to book flights and hotels with confidence, then confirm the fine detail closer to departure.
In short
- The season usually opens in the second half of November, most often on the last weekend of the month, with Strasbourg traditionally among the first to open.
- Most markets run until 24 December, and many close early that day, around midday or mid-afternoon.
- A smaller number of markets, mainly in Strasbourg and Colmar, keep going into the days after Christmas and up to around 30 December or the New Year.
- Typical daily hours are roughly 11am to 8pm, with slightly later closing on Fridays and Saturdays and earlier closing on 24 December.
- Village markets are often weekend-only and can run for just two or three weekends.
- Book accommodation as soon as you have dates: December weekends in Strasbourg and Colmar sell out months ahead.
When do Alsace Christmas markets open?
The season opens in late November. In most years, the first markets start on the Friday or Saturday of the final full weekend of November, and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik has a long tradition of being among the earliest to launch, sometimes a few days ahead of the rest.
Because Advent moves each year, the opening date shifts by up to a week. That matters if you are travelling in the last week of November: a market that was open on 22 November one year may not open until 28 November the next. Never assume last year’s date carries over.
Practical planning rule: if you want to be certain the whole region is running, aim for the period from the first days of December onwards. By 1 December, most of the major town markets are usually open, but some village markets do not begin until the first or second weekend of December. Check the individual village calendar before planning a visit.
If you want the whole picture of the season rather than just dates, start with the complete guide to Alsace Christmas markets, then come back here to fix your calendar.
When do they close?
Two closing patterns exist, and confusing them is the single most common planning error.
Pattern 1 — closes on or before 24 December. This covers most markets, but village markets often finish earlier because they operate only on selected weekends. Some end as early as the second or third weekend of December, while others continue through Christmas Eve. Do not plan a Christmas Eve afternoon market visit as the highlight of your trip.
Pattern 2 — continues past Christmas. Colmar commonly keeps some Christmas market chalets open for several days after Christmas. Strasbourg’s schedule varies more from year to year: some editions finish on 24 December, while others include limited opening on 25–27 December. Always check the official calendar for the year of your visit.
| Period | What is usually open | Atmosphere | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Late November | Strasbourg first, larger towns opening | Fresh, decorations still going up | Moderate, busy at weekends |
| 1–15 December | Everything, including village markets | Full season | Very busy at weekends, calmer midweek |
| 16–23 December | Everything, peak lights and events | Peak | Heaviest of the season |
| 24 December | Most markets, early closing | Winding down | Drops sharply after midday |
| 25 December | Many village markets are closed, but some major town markets, notably in Strasbourg and Colmar, may remain open with reduced or modified hours. | Quieter than the pre-Christmas period, with fewer stalls and some businesses closed. | Very low |
| 26–30 December | Strasbourg and Colmar largely, reduced elsewhere | Relaxed, lights still up | Low to moderate |
Typical daily opening times
Exact hours are set market by market and change from year to year, so treat the figures below as the usual pattern rather than a timetable.
- Weekdays: roughly 11am to 8pm for most chalets. Some open at 10am in the largest towns.
- Fridays and Saturdays: often an extra hour in the evening, to around 9pm or later in Strasbourg and Colmar.
- Sundays: similar to weekdays, sometimes closing slightly earlier.
- 24 December: shortened, frequently closing between midday and 4pm.
- Food and mulled wine stalls: tend to stay open a little later than craft chalets, especially at weekends.
- Village markets: commonly Saturday and Sunday only, often running from late morning to early evening, sometimes with a Friday evening opening.
Always check the current-year hours on the official tourism website for the town in question a few weeks before you travel. Small changes are routine.
Illuminations versus market hours
The town lights and decorated façades stay on well after the chalets close. In practice this means you can eat dinner at 8pm and still walk lit streets afterwards. If photography matters to you, the window between sunset (around 4.45pm to 5pm in December) and the market closing time is when everything is lit and lively at once. Planning your evenings around that window is more useful than chasing opening hours, and there is more on that in the guide to the best viewpoints and photo spots in Alsace.
Village markets: shorter seasons, fewer days
The small hilltop and vineyard villages are where many people picture Alsace at Christmas, but they run on a much lighter calendar than Strasbourg or Colmar.
- Many village markets operate weekends only.
- Some run for just two or three weekends in December.
- Others open daily in December but with fewer stalls and shorter hours.
- A few villages hold themed weekends rather than a continuous market.
This changes how you build an itinerary. A Tuesday drive through the villages in mid-December will give you decorated streets, shops and winstubs, but possibly no market stalls at all. If village markets are your priority, build your trip around a Saturday and Sunday, and use the weekdays for castles, cellars and towns.
The individual village pages set out how each one typically operates, including Riquewihr’s Christmas market, Kaysersberg at Christmas and the market in Eguisheim. For the bigger urban options, see Strasbourg’s Christmas markets, Colmar’s Christmas market and Mulhouse at Christmas.
Which dates should you actually choose?
Once you understand the calendar, the real question is which slot suits you. Here is how the options compare.
| Your priority | Best window | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Fewest crowds | Late November, weekdays | Season is open but coach traffic is lighter |
| Full atmosphere without peak chaos | First two weeks of December, Monday to Thursday | Everything open, hotels easier to find |
| Village markets | Any December weekend | Most villages only operate at weekends |
| Best lights and events | 10–23 December | Peak decorations, concerts and choirs |
| Lower prices | Late November or 26–30 December | Shoulder periods on both sides of the peak |
| Christmas Day itself | Not recommended for markets | Most markets closed, limited dining |
Midweek is the strongest all-round recommendation. A Tuesday-to-Thursday stay in early December gives you open markets, walkable streets and far better accommodation availability than a Saturday.
Weekend dates in Strasbourg and Colmar are the first to disappear, often booked six to nine months out, and prices climb steeply as December approaches. If your dates are fixed to a weekend, secure a room early and consider basing yourself in a smaller town with good rail links rather than the historic centre. The where to stay for the Christmas markets guide compares the main options, and choosing a base in Alsace covers the wider trade-off between Strasbourg, Colmar and a village.
What I’d book, and in what order
If I had December dates fixed, accommodation is the only thing I’d sort immediately. Everything else on this page can be confirmed later.
Where I’d look depends on the trip:
For a first visit built around the markets themselves, I’d pay the premium for Strasbourg’s Grande Île. Being able to walk back to your room at nine, through streets that are still lit, is worth more than it sounds on paper.
For a weekend on a tighter budget, I’d stay in Obernai or Sélestat and take the train in. You lose the late-evening wander; you gain a considerably better room for the money, and you skip the parking entirely.
For the villages, I’d book a guesthouse in Riquewihr, Eguisheim or Kaysersberg and accept that a car is part of the deal. The reward is having the place to yourself early and late.
Getting the timing right on the ground
Dates are only half the job. Daily timing decides whether your trip feels magical or exhausting.
- Arrive in a village before 11am or after 4pm. Coach tours cluster between late morning and mid-afternoon.
- Do the market you care about most in the evening. Lit chalets after dark are a completely different experience from the same stalls at noon.
- Eat early or late. Restaurant kitchens in small villages fill fast between 12pm and 1.30pm and again from 7pm.
- Allow far longer than the map suggests for December driving. Parking in Colmar, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg at weekends can add 30 to 45 minutes.
- Plan one town and one or two villages per day, no more. Three villages in a December day is theoretical, not practical.
If you are driving, winter conditions in the Vosges foothills mean you want a vehicle with proper winter tyres, and December pick-up slots at Strasbourg and Basel airports go quickly during the market season. Book the car at the same time as your accommodation rather than afterwards.
Driving in December: check your winter equipment
In France, winter tyres or snow chains are mandatory from 1 November to 31 March in communes designated under loi Montagne II, which covers parts of the Vosges and other French massifs. Rental vehicles are not equipped as standard — verify what your booking includes.
Christmas market season is also the tightest period of the year for rental stock. Prices rise steadily through December and airport pick-up points run out first.
Without a car, Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Obernai and Sélestat are relatively easy to reach by train. Seasonal Christmas shuttles also serve some Wine Route villages, but they generally run only on selected dates or weekends rather than continuously throughout December. Check the current timetable before relying on them. The practicalities are covered in visiting the Christmas markets without a car and, more broadly, in getting around Alsace.
Booking ahead: what needs locking in and when
Some things can wait. Others cannot.
- Accommodation: book as early as you can. This is the binding constraint of any December trip.
- Flights and trains: December fares to Strasbourg, Basel and Frankfurt rise as the month approaches. Check the options in the guide to airports serving Alsace and travelling to Alsace by train.
- Restaurants: weekend dinner in Strasbourg and Colmar needs reserving, often a couple of weeks ahead. On 24 and 25 December, many places close entirely or run a fixed menu that sells out.
- Guided tours: small-group departures thin out quickly on December weekends, and multi-village tours are the first to fill.
- Market hours: confirm in the final fortnight. This is the one item you should deliberately leave late.
Guided day trips solve the parking and driving problem neatly when several villages are on your list in a single day, and December departures are limited in number. The comparison in Christmas market tours and the wider Alsace tours and day trips guide will help you decide whether it is worth handing over the logistics.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming last year’s dates. The opening weekend moves. So does the closing pattern in some towns. Check the current-year calendar before booking non-refundable travel.
- Planning a village market on a weekday. Many simply do not operate Monday to Friday. Check whether the village you want runs daily or weekends only.
- Booking 25 December for markets. Christmas Day is the quietest day of the year in Alsace. Markets are largely closed and restaurant options are thin. Treat it as a rest day, a walking day or a spa day.
- Arriving at a village market at 4pm on 24 December. Many will already have packed up.
- Underestimating December daylight. Sunset is around 4.45pm. Anything you want to see in daylight, such as a castle or a vineyard viewpoint, has to happen before mid-afternoon.
- Booking a Saturday for a first visit. Weekends in Colmar and Riquewihr in mid-December are genuinely crowded. Midweek delivers the same markets with room to move.
- Leaving accommodation until autumn. By September, the best-located and best-value December rooms are largely gone.
Beyond the market hours: what else fills a December day
Because chalets typically open around 11am and the light goes early, you have a natural morning slot to fill. Use it for the things that are better without crowds: a castle, a cellar visit or a museum. Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg is spectacular in winter light, and cellar doors along the Wine Route are far quieter in December than in September, though many keep shorter winter hours and appreciate a phone call ahead. The wine cellars and tastings guide explains how visits generally work.
Cold weather is the other planning variable. December in Alsace regularly sits near or below freezing after dark, and standing still at a market amplifies it. Layers, waterproof footwear and gloves make the difference between staying out for the evening and retreating to a café after 40 minutes. The Alsace packing list sets out what genuinely earns its place in your bag, and weather and seasons in Alsace gives realistic temperature expectations.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly do the Alsace Christmas markets start?
They usually start in the second half of November, most commonly on the last weekend of the month. Strasbourg traditionally opens among the earliest, sometimes a few days before other towns. The precise date changes each year because it is tied to the Advent calendar, so verify the current-year date on the relevant town’s official tourism site before booking travel.
Are the Christmas markets open on Christmas Day?
Many smaller and village markets are closed on 25 December, but this is not universal. Strasbourg and Colmar may keep selected markets or chalets open, often with reduced hours or fewer participating stallholders. Check the official town calendar before making Christmas Day plans. Restaurants and shops are also widely closed. If you are in Alsace on Christmas Day, plan a walk, a church service or a hotel meal booked well in advance rather than a market visit.
Do any markets stay open after Christmas?
Yes. Strasbourg and Colmar generally keep part of their market running for several days after 25 December, typically into the last days of the month. Stall numbers are reduced and the atmosphere is calmer, but the illuminations remain. Smaller village markets almost always finish on 24 December.
What time do the markets close in the evening?
Most chalets close around 8pm on weekdays, with an extra hour or so on Fridays and Saturdays in the larger towns. Food and mulled wine stalls often run later. Christmas Eve closing is much earlier, frequently between midday and mid-afternoon. Check current-year hours locally, as they vary between markets.
Are village Christmas markets open every day?
Often not. Many Alsace village markets run at weekends only, and some operate for just two or three weekends across December. Others open daily but with fewer stalls. If village markets are central to your trip, build your itinerary around a Saturday and Sunday and confirm each village’s schedule individually.
What is the quietest time to visit?
Weekday mornings in late November or the first week of December, and the days between 26 and 30 December. Midweek is consistently calmer than weekends throughout the season. Avoid Saturdays between roughly 10 December and 23 December in Colmar, Riquewihr and Strasbourg if crowds bother you.
How far in advance should I book accommodation?
For December weekends in Strasbourg or Colmar, six to nine months ahead is realistic if you want good location and value. Midweek dates and smaller towns give you more flexibility, but even those tighten from around September. Accommodation is the constraint that shapes December trips, so fix it first.
Do I need a car to see several markets?
No, but it helps for villages. Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, Obernai and Sélestat are all reachable by train, and seasonal shuttles connect some Wine Route villages in December. A car gives you the most freedom for village-hopping, at the cost of parking queues at weekends.
Keep planning
- Alsace Christmas markets: the complete guide — the full overview of the season
- Which Christmas markets are worth your time — comparison of the main options
- Christmas market food and drink — what to eat and order at the chalets
- Alsatian Christmas traditions — the background to what you will see
- Best time to visit Alsace — how December compares with the rest of the year
- Alsace itineraries — ready-made routes from one day to a week