Colmar Christmas Market Walking Tour: Secrets and Magic of the Markets

On the Route Itself

The Marché Couvert, where the walk ends, sells cheese, cured meat and other Alsatian specialties. Prices for individual stalls are not stated anywhere official, so bring a mix of cash and card and decide as you go. Wine lovers can book the Colmar walking tour and wine tasting instead, or add the Colmar Alsatian food tour on another evening, which covers bretzel, Bibeleskäs, Munster cheese and tarte flambée for $89.74 over 3.5 hours.

The Gourmet Market, Further Out

The Gourmet Market sits on the Plateau sportif de la Montagne Verte, at 2 rue de la Montagne Verte, with 9 cabins run by 9 chefs, a standing bar and a cooking show. It is open daily 11:00-22:00 until 3 January, later than the old town markets, and the ferris wheel stands beside it. It is not on the walking route, so treat it as a separate outing.

Included and Not Included

The listing includes a tour with a live guide and an audio guide in English and French. It also lists a food tasting of local products at the Christmas market stalls as included, yet the description and the highlights both state that food tasting is not included. That is a contradiction in the listing itself, so confirm on the booking page before you count on any free tasting.

Everything you eat or drink at the stalls, and any tips, come out of your own pocket.

How It Sits Against Other Walks

The Christmas market walk with a local costs $110 for 1 hour and includes a hot beverage and a local snack. The Colmar walking tour and wine tasting costs $50 for 2 hours and adds a tasting of 3 Alsatian wines at a winery. This $23 walk buys you the guide and the route, not the food or wine.

Dates That Matter for This Tour

Book the walk for a date between 23 November and 29 December, when the markets are open. The illuminations run every night during the season, which suits an evening slot. If you want to browse stalls after the walk, remember the markets close exactly on time at 19:00 on weekdays and 20:00 at weekends.

Money

The tour price is $23 per person. Euro prices quoted by the tourist office convert at the European Central Bank rate of 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD, so the tourist office lights tour costs $7.79 (€7) for adults. Stall prices for mulled wine (vin chaud) and bredele (Christmas biscuits) are not published, so carry cash.

What to Bring and Who Can Join

Wear warm layers and comfortable shoes, because all 2 hours are on foot. No minimum age, difficulty level, bag rule or wheelchair access is stated for this tour, so ask the operator on the booking page if any of those matter to you.

Market Hours and the Exact Closing Rule

The Colmar Christmas markets run 23 November to 29 December. Hours are Mon-Thu 11:00-19:00 and Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00. On 24 December they close at 17:00, and on 25 and 26 December they run 10:00-20:00.

The tourist office states that markets close exactly at the scheduled time for security reasons, so a late evening start leaves less time at the stalls.

• Mon-Thu 11:00-19:00
• Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00
• 24 December 11:00-17:00
• 25 and 26 December 10:00-20:00

When the Lights Come on

Colmar's illuminations use 1,150 computer-driven light sources on fibre optic, built around four themes: water, air, earth and fire. They are lit at nightfall on Fridays and Saturdays and every night during Christmas in Colmar, which suits an evening walk. The tourist office also runs its own guided lights tours at $7.79 (€7) for adults, $5.57 (€5) for ages 12 to 18, and free for under 12s.

Meeting Point and Route

You meet at Musée Unterlinden, Pl. des Unterlinden, 68000 Colmar. The guide leads the group on foot through Petite Venise (Little Venice), where half-timbered houses line the Lauch. The route then passes the Koifhus, the Maison Pfister and the Maison des Têtes, examples of Colmar's medieval and Renaissance architecture, before reaching the Collegiate Church of St Martin, built in pink sandstone.

The listing also mentions following the signs linked to Bartholdi, the Colmar-born creator of the Statue of Liberty.

End Point

The route reaches the Marché Couvert, where cheese, cured meat and other Alsatian specialties can be bought, and goes on through the Christmas markets. No end point and no return time are stated.

Dates and Hours for All Six Markets

The markets run 23 November to 29 December, Mon-Thu 11:00-19:00 and Fri-Sun 10:00-20:00. They close exactly on time, so plan any market browsing after the walk around the closing hour. On 24 December hours are 11:00-17:00, and on 25 and 26 December they run 10:00-20:00.

The Markets Along or Near the Route

Place des Dominicains has about 60 chalets, and Place de l'Ancienne Douane has about 50 chalets on both banks of the Lauch up to the Koifhus porch, right where the walk passes. The Koifhus itself holds an indoor craft market with about 20 local craftspeople. The children's market in Petite Venise sits on Place des Six Montagnes Noires, with animals, a mechanical nativity and mulled apple juice.

Place Jeanne d'Arc sells regional products such as foie gras, charcuterie, wine, schnapps and bredala (Christmas biscuits).

What to Add Before or After

The walk covers the old town only. For the villages, the Enchanting Christmas Villages Tour takes 8 hours and covers Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim with wine tasting at $145 per person. To stay in Colmar, the Once Upon a Night at Unterlinden light show is held at the same museum, at $9 per person.

Arriving by Train

The walk starts at Musée Unterlinden on Place des Unterlinden. Trains link Colmar with Paris in 2h 20 and Lyon in 3h 30, and Alsace tourism lists Colmar at 45 minutes from Strasbourg Airport and from EuroAirport. No walking time from the station to the museum is published.

Parking and the Free Shuttles

The old town is closed to all vehicles during market hours, 23 November to 29 December. Covered car parks Rapp and Gare/Bleylé are open 24/7, which suits an evening walk that ends after dark. The free Bleylé shuttle runs from Parking Bleylé to the Théâtre Municipal every 13 minutes, 25 November to 29 December, Mon-Fri 9:30-19:30, with no service on 25 and 26 December.

At weekends, park and ride at the Parc des Expositions costs $5.57 (€5) per day and includes a free return bus running about every 10 minutes.