2025 The Ultimate Guide to Strasbourg Christmas Markets
By now I have visited multiple European cities well renowned for their Christmas markets, but the most memorable is no doubt Strasbourg. Known as the Capital of Christmas, Strasbourg was my very first experience with a European Christmas market, and it opened my eyes to just how magical the season can be.
Few places capture the holiday spirit as beautifully as this enchanting city in eastern France. I mean, have you seen the photos of this building decorated entirely in teddy bears?
The Strasbourg Christmas markets are not only among the oldest in Europe but also some of the most beloved, attracting millions of visitors every year. Twinkling lights, half timbered houses, the scent of mulled wine, and festive decorations everywhere you go create an atmosphere that feels straight out of a fairy tale!
If you are planning to experience Christmas in Strasbourg, France, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know. From Strasbourg Christmas markets dates, where to shop, what to eat, where to stay and how to plan your visit, you will be ready to make the most of your festive adventure.
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Strasbourg Travel Tips
Why Should I Visit Strasbourg for Christmas?
Strasbourg is often called the Capital of Christmas for a reason. Not only are its Christmas markets among the oldest in Europe, but the entire city transforms into a winter wonderland during the holiday season. Every street is dressed in sparkling lights, shopfronts are decorated with whimsical displays, and historic squares are filled with festive chalets. The atmosphere is simply magical!
When Should I Visit to See Christmas Markets in Strasbourg?
The best time to visit Strasbourg for its Christmas markets and festivity is late November through December, when the main markets are open and the festive spirit is at its maximum. Strasbourg Christmas markets dates are set to be Wednesday, November 26, to Wednesday, December 24 in 2025 so make sure to visit during this time.
Strasbourg Christmas Markets Dates 2025
November 26 to December 24, 2025
From Monday to Thursday – 11 AM to 8 PM
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays – 11 AM to 9 PM
December 24th – 11 AM to 6 PM
How to Get to Strasbourg
Strasbourg is located in the Alsace region of northeastern France, on the border with Germany. Its location makes it easy to reach from major cities across France, Germany and Switzerland.
Train
The most popular way to arrive to Strasbourg is by train. High-speed TGV trains connect Strasbourg to Paris in under two hours, and this is how we chose to travel to Strasbourg. The trains get more expensive as it gets closer to your travel date, so try to book ahead if possible.
From Germany, regional trains link cities such as Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, and Offenburg directly to Strasbourg, while Basel and Zurich in Switzerland are also within reach.
Flights
If you prefer to fly, Strasbourg Airport is about 10 kilometers from the city center, served by both domestic and limited international flights. Many international visitors choose to fly into Paris, but you can also fly in to Frankfurt airport or Basel, which offer more connections and straightforward onward trains to Strasbourg.
How to Get Around in Strasbourg
The historic center of Strasbourg is compact and very walkable. Once you are in the old town, you can explore the Christmas markets entirely on foot and this is what we did.
Visiting during this time means cold weather, so remember to bundle up with gloves, scarves, and warm layers since you’ll be walking a lot.
For longer distances, Strasbourg has an efficient tram and bus network but we never needed to take them.
Where to Stay in Strasbourg
Given its popularity in the Christmas time, accommodations in Strasbourg book up quite quickly. On my last trip, we tried booking a hotel in late October and found a lot of places to be fully booked already. Try to book your hotels as soon as you have dates of your stay.
Best Hotels in Strasbourg
- Hotel & Spa Regent Petite France – luxury hotel in Petite France with views of River Ill or charming half-timbered houses.
- Hotel Hannong – central location, 5-minute walk from the TGV train station, Petite France district and the Cathedral.
- Maison Rouge Strasbourg Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection – modern luxury hotel with Art Deco style of 1920s. Located on Place Kleber.
- Hotel Gutenberg – located opposite of the Strasbourg Cathedral, placing you close to all the main attractions.
- Hotel Les Haras – housed in a historic building, the grounds here are quiet and the interiors are beautiful.
- Cour du Corbeau Hotel MGallery Collection – a beautifully renovated hotel in a 16th century timbered building on the banks of the river.
Christmas Markets in Strasbourg
There are numerous Christmas markets in Strasbourg, spread across the city withs over 300 stalls. We didn’t get to visit all the different markets, but I’ll share the 3 most famous and largest markets, and a few of the smaller ones we made it to.
Chrìstkìndelsmärik at Place Broglie
Address: Place Broglie, 67000 Strasbourg, France
The Christkindelsmärik is the oldest Christmas market in France, and even one of the oldest in Europe. It’s been held since 1570. This market has over 100 stalls, making it the largest in Strasbourg.
Here you’ll find the famous Christkindelsmärik arch, tons of food stalls with flavors of Alsace, and many wonderful places to shop for Christmas decorations.
Place Kléber
Address: Place Kléber, 67000 Strasbourg, France
Situated in the heart of the city, Place Kléber is home to the Grand Sapin, a giant Christmas tree that has become a symbol of Strasbourg’s Christmas markets. Each year, a tree is carefully selected to be the Grand Sapin, and decorated with a different theme. These trees are usually at least 30 meters tall. The foot of the tree is filled with decorations where you’ll want to snap endless photos.
Every hour between 4 pm and 9 pm the Grand Sapin comes alive as it dances to music. I’ve never seen anything like this musical show with glowing garlands, candles, stars, and twinkling lights.
At the foot of the Grand Sapin lies the Village du Partage, or Village of Sharing. This space brings together local charities that embody the true spirit of Christmas through values of solidarity, fraternity, and generosity. Here you can shop for meaningful gifts, contribute to charitable collections, and join community activities.
I visited this market during the day as well as at night, and while it is beautiful throughout the day, it truly becomes magical after dark when the Grand Sapin shines. The market here has plenty of mulled wine, Alsatian dishes to taste.
Place de la Cathédrale & Place du Château
Address: Place de la Cathédrale and Place du Château, 67000 Strasbourg, France
The market at Place de la Cathédrale sits right at the foot of Strasbourg’s stunning Gothic cathedral, and it is easily one of the most atmospheric corners of the city. This was my personal favorite market.
The contrast of warm twinkling lights on the wooden chalets against the grandeur of the cathedral made this square feel especially magical.
Stalls here are spread out in front of Place de la Cathédrale, and extends around to Place du Château.
Other Christmas Markets in Strasbourg
In addition to the three main major markets, you will also find smaller markets scattered throughout the city. To be completely honest, my visit to Strasbourg was in the very early days of my social media journey, so I was not as intentional with capturing photos as I am now. I missed keeping track and documenting many of these charming little markets (or I was simply too busy sipping vin chaud and indulging in all the delicious food). Even without the photos to prove it, I can say with confidence that these smaller markets were absolutely worth exploring.
Petite France
This picturesque neighborhood of canals and half timbered houses is charming at any time of year, but during Christmas it feels absolutely magical. It also happens to be my favorite part of Strasbourg.
The market stalls here are not necessarily the most impressive compared to other squares. For me, it was the ambiance of Petite France. Wandering through the narrow streets, with twinkling lights on the half-timbered houses dressed in festive garlands, felt like stepping into a storybook.
I especially loved visiting this area during the daytime, when the details of the houses stood out against the winter sky.
Place du Marché aux Poissons
This market is meant for the foodies. It’s located right on the river, and felt particularly romantic with all the glistening lights reflecting off the water.
Marché OFF
For something a little different, Marché OFF is the city’s eco friendly market. It offers fair trade and upcycled gifts, rather than the traditional items elsewhere.
Market at Temple-Neuf
This market is at Place du Temple Neuf near the main market at Place Kléber so you can just walk over once you’re done exploring the larger one.
If you are overwhelmed with all the different markets, consider joining this Christmas markets tour with a local guide through the Strasbourg Christmas markets.
What to Eat at Strasbourg Christmas Markets
- Vin Chaud – this is mulled wine.
- Chocolate Chaud – hot chocolate.
- Flammekueche (tarte flambée) – a thin crust dough with cheese, onion and bacon toppings. It’s essentially like a really thin pizza. Some places had variety of other toppings available.
- Pain d’epices – gingerbread
- Crémant d’Alsace – sparkling wine made in the Alsace region
- Bredele – Alsatian Christmas biscuits
- Bretzels – pretzels
Other Things to Do in Strasbourg
Like I have said before, although Strasbourg is world famous for its Christmas markets, what I found truly charming was the overall atmosphere of the city itself. The teddy-bear decorated buildings, glowing streets, and whimsical displays felt just as magical as the markets, sometimes even more so than the market stalls themselves.
While the Christmas markets are the highlight of the season, Strasbourg offers plenty of other festive experiences that make a visit even more memorable.
Visit the Teddy Bear House
I’m sure we’ve all seen the teddy bear house on social media at some point if you’ve decided to head to Strasbourg. There’s quite a few teddy bear decorations throughout the city but this is the most iconic and famous display. You’ll find it at Le Tire-Bouchon on 5 Rue des TAilleurs de Pierre, right next to Le Gruber restaurant.
It gets quite crowded for obvious reasons, so go early in the morning. But remember to also check it out at night with all the sparkling lights!
Wander the Historic Old Town
The Grande Île, Strasbourg’s historic center, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and worth exploring beyond the markets. Stroll through cobblestone streets, admire the adorable half timbered houses , and soak in the fairytale atmosphere that feels especially magical when the city is draped in Christmas lights.
If you like guided tours, you can join this tour with a local guide to familiarize yourself with the city.
My two favorite streets are Rue du Maroquin (where the teddy bear house is located) and Rue du Chaudron. On Rue du Chaudron there is a store called La Maison de Hanssen & Gretel (The House of Hanssen & Gretel) that had bubbles blowing out on to the streets… how cute is that?
Strasbourg Cathedral
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg is a true Gothic masterpiece that you can’t miss in the city of Strasbourg.
It used to be the tallest building in the world, from 1647 to 1874 for a period of 227 years.
We were visiting for a short period of time mainly for the markets so we didn’t have time to visit the inside of the cathedral, but I’d have to say that it’s one of the most impressive cathedrals I’ve seen from the exterior. The astronomical clock and the intricate details on the exterior are fascinating. I wish we could have climbed up for views of the markets from high up.
Boat Ride on River Ill
You can hop on a boat to see Strasbourg from the waters. Various boat rides and tours are offered throughout the entire year.
This is a wonderful way to see hte half-timbered houses and the Petite France area from a fresh perspective. It’s beautiful all year round, but especially when the canals are framed by twinkling decorations.
Day Trip to Colmar
The Alsace region is home to other adorable towns like Riquewihr, Equisheim, and Ribeauville. The easiest one to get to from Strasbourg, and the best day trip in my opinion, is Colmar. Some of the other towns mentioned were not the easiest to get to. I recommend this tour if you want to visit other highlights of the Alsace region.
It takes roughly about 30 minutes to get to Colmar from Strasbourg by train, and it’s definitely worth visiting.
Colmar is smaller than Strasbourg, so you can see the markets and the decorated town in a day trip. Highlights of Colmar include the Christmas markets, Little Venice, Old Town, Pfister House, Au Vieux Pignon.
This tour starting from Strasbourg includes the Christmas markets of Colmar, Riquewihr, and Kaysersberg-Vignoble.
Final Thoughts
I hope I’ve inspired you to add Strasbourg (and Colmar!) to your Christmas bucket list. If you’re looking for a truly fairytale Christmas experience with the best Christmas markets, then look no further than Strasbourg Christmas Markets.
Strasbourg is perfect to combine with a trip to Paris, especially if you’ll be flying from the US. Read my full Paris Travel Guide here!
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