Alsace Christmas Markets Tour From Strasbourg

Two Different Market Towns

Strasbourg hosts the Christkindelsmärik, a tradition dating to 1570, running 27 November to 24 December daily 11:00-21:00 with a 14:00 opening on the first day. Colmar counters with six smaller markets and about 180 stalls packed into a walkable old town, open longer, 23 November to 29 December. Strasbourg is the bigger city experience.

Colmar is the compact one where every market sits within a few minutes of the last.

How This Tour Splits the Two

The tour leaves Strasbourg at 9:00am and puts all its market hours into Colmar and one village. No return time is stated, so check it before planning a visit to Strasbourg's own market, which is open until 21:00 daily and closes at 18:00 on 24 December. If you would rather skip the transfer and start in Alsace itself, the Enchanting Christmas Villages tour departs from Colmar and covers Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim in 8 hours with a wine tasting for $145 per person.

Included

Three things come with the fare: travel in late-model, comfortable, fully-equipped minivans, the visit of Christmas markets in Colmar and one other village, and an English-speaking driver and guide. No tastings are listed as included and no entrance fees are covered.

• Minivan transport for the day
• Christmas market visits in Colmar and one other village
• English-speaking driver and guide

Paid on Top

The exclusion list is explicit. Meals and drinks are not included, so any mulled wine, bredele or lunch at a market hut is your own cost. Gratuities are extra.

Personal insurance and personal expenses are extra. Entrance fees to monuments, museums and attractions are not covered unless mentioned. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not offered, so make your own way to the tourism office.

• Meals and drinks at the stalls
• Gratuities
• Personal insurance and expenses
• Entrance fees unless mentioned
• Hotel pickup and drop-off

Wine Tasting Is Not Listed

The booking page name refers to Alsace wines, but no wine tasting appears in the inclusions. Treat any tasting as an extra you pay for and confirm on the booking page before you pay. The second village is set on the day depending on crowds.

Dates That Matter

The tour runs in the Christmas season, so the Colmar market dates frame it: 23 November to 29 December, Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00-20:00. On 24 December Colmar closes early at 17:00, and on 25 and 26 December the hours are 10:00-20:00. Markets close exactly at the scheduled time.

Money

Alsace uses the euro. The European Central Bank reference rate is 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD, so official euro figures on this page are written dollars first. Stall food, drinks and any market purchases are your own cost on this tour.

If you drive to Colmar instead, the weekend park and ride at the Parc des Expositions costs $5.57 (€5) per day with a free return shuttle.

Rules, Ages and What to Bring

Bring comfortable walking shoes, which the listing recommends. Children under 4 are not allowed, child ages run 4-12 and adult ages 13-99. Child seats are available on request, and you must give the number and ages of children at booking.

Pets are not allowed. The tour suits all fitness levels and a minimum of 2 people is needed for it to run. Wheelchair access is not stated.

Meeting Point and Departure

You meet the guide in front of the Strasbourg Tourism Office 10 minutes before the 9:00am departure. Public transport options are available nearby, which matters because hotel pickup is not offered. The vehicle is a late-model minivan with a maximum of 8 people per booking.

Colmar Christmas Market

The day's anchor stop is Colmar, where six markets with about 180 stalls spread across the old town, from Place des Dominicains with about 60 chalets to Place de l'Ancienne Douane with about 50. Your time here is free browsing of wooden huts, lights and craft goods. The listing does not state how long you stay.

The Second Village

After Colmar the minivan drives to one other Alsace village Christmas market. The listing does not name the village in advance because the visit depends on crowds. On a Monday expect a village that opens on weekdays, since some famous markets run only at weekends.

Ask the driver at departure what the plan is for your date.

End of the Day

The tour lasts 7 hours from the 9:00am departure. No return time or drop-off point is stated beyond the meeting arrangement at the tourism office, so plan onward evening plans in Strasbourg loosely. The operator can cancel for bad weather.

The Six Markets of Colmar

Colmar's markets run 23 November to 29 December, Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00-20:00, closing exactly on time for security. Place des Dominicains carries about 60 chalets and Place de l'Ancienne Douane about 50 along both banks of the Lauch up to the Koifhus porch, where about 20 craftspeople sell indoors. Place Jeanne d'Arc is the regional products market with foie gras, charcuterie, wine, schnapps and bredala.

The children's market in Petite Venise at Place des Six Montagnes Noires has animals, a mechanical nativity and mulled apple juice. The Gourmet Market with 9 chefs and the ferris wheel run 11:00-22:00 at the Montagne Verte sports plateau, staying open to 3 January.

Village Markets Near the Route

Eguisheim's authentic market runs 27 November to 30 December, closed 24 to 26 December, with hours from 10:00-19:00 at weekends. Kaysersberg opens Friday to Sunday only, on 27-29 November, 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20 December, 10:00-20:00. Ribeauvillé's medieval market runs two weekends, 5-6 and 12-13 December, Saturday 10:00-19:00 and Sunday 10:00-18:00.

Riquewihr runs 27 November to 20 December, with hours not published. Turckheim runs 27 November to 30 December, daily 10:00-19:00 most days.

What to Add Before or After

The tour's return time is not stated, so check it before adding an evening in Colmar. The Once Upon a Night at Unterlinden ticket gives museum access from 4 to 7 PM with a 10-minute sound and light show in the cloister for $9. For food, the Colmar Alsatian Food Tour covers bretzel, Munster cheese, tarte flambée and local wines in 3.5 hours for $89.74.

Both are in Colmar, so they fit only if you stay in Colmar rather than return with the minivan.

Dates and Days at a Glance

The table lists the official season dates and opening days for the towns that matter around this route. Colmar opens earliest, on 23 November.

What This Means for Your Booking

Three consequences follow. A Monday to Thursday departure cannot include Kaysersberg or Ribeauvillé, since neither market opens on those days. After 20 December, Riquewihr's market is closed for the season.

And Strasbourg's stalls close early on 24 December and stay closed from 25 December through New Year's Day, while Colmar keeps going to 29 December. Because this tour names its second village only on the day, ask the operator at booking which village is planned for your date, and if a specific village matters to you, compare the Best Alsace Christmas Markets from Strasbourg tour, which commits to Riquewihr and Kaysersberg.

By Train and Shuttle

Journey of Doing reports that direct regional trains run from Strasbourg to Colmar and rarely need seat reservations. The official Colmar Christmas shuttles then run from Colmar station to the village markets 27 November to 20 December on five lines, online tickets only, on sale from 12 November at 12:00 CET. Lines 1 and 2 serve Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr on Friday to Sunday for $18.92 (€17).

Line 3 to Eguisheim costs $8.90 (€8) Monday to Thursday and $18.92 (€17) at weekends. You handle connections and timing yourself.

By Car

Driving gives freedom until you reach the old town. Colmar closes its centre to all vehicles during market hours, 23 November to 29 December, so you park outside and walk or shuttle in. The covered Rapp and Gare/Bleylé car parks open 24/7, and a free Bleylé shuttle runs to the Théâtre Municipal every 13 minutes from 25 November to 29 December, with no service on 25 and 26 December.

What the Tour Fixes

The minivan day removes every one of those decisions: one pickup at the tourism office, one return, two markets, a driver who handles the closed streets and the village roads, and a group of at most 8. You trade flexibility for simplicity. Parking, shuttle tickets and train times disappear from your planning, which is the main reason to pay $170.40 rather than travel independently.

If you want a longer day that also includes tastings, the Best Alsace Christmas Markets from Strasbourg tour runs 10.5 hours for $124.96 per person.