You don’t know it yet, but planning a visit to the Strasbourg Christmas markets is the best decision you’ve ever made with your life. If we haven’t met, I’m Gina, and I love taking European Christmas trips. If you made it this far in your trip planning, congratulations! You are one step closer to experiencing one of the greatest Christmas market cities in the world. Ready to plan your trip to the Strasbourg Christmas markets? Keep reading!
I’ll confess, I have never heard of Strasbourg until recently when a photo similar to the one below appeared on my Instagram feed with the caption “the Capital of Christmas.” My jaw dropped. The more I dove into Strasbourg, the more I wondered what on earth was I doing with my life if I was just now discovering this place?!
But alas, I now know it, love it, and recommend it to everyone during the holidays!
Strasbourg is located in the Alsace region of France, which is made up of both French and German influences. This becomes more apparent as you look through the photos I have in this post.
- Pro Tip: Strasbourg is becoming more and more popular every year, aka it’s getting harder and more expensive to book a hotel. Make sure you book ASAP!
At the time of this post, there are 10 Christmas markets in the city, and I’m going to take you through all of them! I have organized the Christmas markets by “main markets” and then by proximity to each other. At the end, I’ve included a map to help give you a better idea of where each market is.
Where Can You Find the Most Photographed Building in Strasbourg?
Okay, so I don’t know if it’s the most photographed, but it’s the photo I see floating around the Internet the most often so we’re just going to roll with it. The famous “teddy bear building” is located right next to Le Gruber restaurant on Rue de Maroquin.
FYI – You’ll see further down that Le Gruber looks stunning for the holidays too, although at present time, the reviews were 3.7/5 stars for food, so I chose to only photograph it ;).
Why Should You Visit the Strasbourg Christmas Market?
Ummm…how much time you got?
First off, the entire city is stunning. If you’ve been to European Christmas markets before, you know they span much of the city center…some of them even going down alleyways and side streets. Many of the alleys and buildings are also decorated in lights.
But in Strasbourg, it’s on a different level. The buildings, the alleys, the markets…they are extra. Everywhere you look, there are decorations, and many of them were pink. It was the epitome of French romance meets the holiday season.
I KNOWWW, right??
Additionally, the Strasbourg Christmas markets had a more unique variety of gifts than I was used to seeing at the German Christmas markets. Don’t get me wrong: you could find some unique things in Germany too, but Strasbourg had booths with LED lights, perfume, long winter coats, twinkling string lights, flameless candles, handmade paper gifts that you would find at a little boutique, etc. In other words, this was a very Gina-on-a-Plane type of market.
Also, a lot of Strasbourg Christmas markets accepted credit cards! I was pleasantly surprised, because many of the German Christmas markets do not!
Finally, if you don’t believe me, Strasbourg became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1988. So…it’s kind of a big deal!
What Are The Dates for the Strasbourg Christmas Market?
This year, the Strasbourg Christmas market is open from November 27, 2024 to December 27, 2024.
CHRISTMAS MARKET OPENING TIMES:
- Open daily from 11:30am to 9:00pm
- Christmas Eve: 11:30am to 6:00pm
- Christmas Day: CLOSED
What is Strasbourg Known For?
Below are some things to know about Strasbourg itself, and also things that you’ll find at the Christmas markets.
- It’s the home of France’s oldest Christmas market – dating back to the 1500s
- Mulled wine – if you’ve read my German Christmas market posts, you know this wine as glühwein…but in France, it’s called vin chaud
- Chocolat chaud – hot chocolate
- Bretzels – essentially, pretzels
- “The Capital of Christmas” – okay, I’ll admit, my expectations were high after hearing this…but they delivered
- The combined French and German influences on the city – you’ll notice the Dutch architecture in my photos, despite being in France
- Flammekueche, aka tarte flambée – think of a thin crust pizza with various types of cheeses and toppings. Some popular ones I saw were prosciutto or bacon
- Bredele – sweet treats sold at the markets; similar to shortbread
- Pain d’epices – gingerbread
- Crémant d’Alsace – sparkling wine made in the Alsace region, similar to champagne (a lot of restaurants will carry this instead of champagne)
- Foie gras – a French delicacy made of fattened duck or goose liver
Exploring the Christmas Markets in Strasbourg
Now for the fun part!
The Strasbourg Christmas market has over 300 stalls spread throughout the city center, so don’t be afraid to wander! After all, not all who wander are lost…and even if you did get lost, you’re basically just lost in the magic of Christmas. It could be worse 😉.
In this section, I am going to take you on a photo tour of the city’s 10 different markets and the surrounding areas.
Where is the Main Christmas Market in Strasbourg?
I suppose there are three markets that you could consider to be the “main” market in Strasbourg. The first is at Place Kléber on the Grande Île, near the Strasbourg Cathedral. Here, you’ll find a massive Christmas tree, a carousel, and of course, a ton of vendors.
The second is at Place Broglie, which is home to Strasbourg’s very first Christmas market.
The third is at the Strasbourg Cathédrale Notre-Dame, which is a very traditional Christmas market.
Although I loved walking through all of the Christmas markets, I liked some of the smaller, more quaint ones best as opposed to the 3 main ones. But trust me, all of them are worth a visit. There weren’t any that I disliked!
1. The Christkindelsmärik at Place Kléber
Ahhh…one of the main markets. It was difficult to capture this market in its entirety, but the highlight is the tree. The massive Christmas tree is adorned by a ton of twinkling lights that reminds you of the Eiffel Tower at night. A ton of people gather round here to watch the dancing light show, so expect this area to be crowded.
This tree lights up to music every hour on the hour between 4pm and 9pm, then without music at 10pm and 11pm.
2. Broglie Christkindelsmärik
The market at Place Broglie is Strasbourg’s “OG” Christmas market. It is known as the Christkindelsmärik, which means “Market of the Christ Child.”
This is where I found the market with the LED lights and the twinkling string lights. At the end, you can climb up on the steps of the opera house to get a good photo of the market (where I snapped the 2 photos below).
3. The Market at Temple-Neuf
This market is right near the one at Place Kléber, so you could easily walk here next.
This market has decorations, candles, jewelry, treats, crafts…basically, it’s a great place for gift shopping! A lot of boutiques and patisseries are also near here, including L’Atelier 116. This is one of the best known patisseries in town, as evidenced by the line that’s always outside the door.
4. Cathédrale Notre-Dame at Place du Château
The market at Cathédrale Notre-Dame is another incredibly popular one, largely thanks to the cathedral’s enormous stature and gothic aesthetic. The front part of the cathedral is so tall that for awhile, I didn’t even notice the back of the church!
Speaking of the back, make sure to check out the astronomical clock on the back side of this church, located on the right of this photo. It features a calendar, planetary dial, and displays the real position of the sun, moon, and solar and lunar eclipses.
You can even climb up into the tower of this church and look out over the Christmas markets and the entire city. I wanted to do this, but by time I drug myself out of bed the line was so long that I didn’t have the strength to wait. If you’re a better person than me and can wake up early, I urge you to do it. I bet the view of all the Christmas markets from this high up is wild.
5. Marché aux Poissons et Terrasse Rohan
The Marché aux Poissons is situated right on the Ill River and is near the Strasbourg cathedral market that I mentioned above. It was one of my favorites for it’s beauty yet simplicity. The stars hung up in the tree with the water and glistening buildings and lights in the background was beautiful. It reminded me of the city lights dancing on the canals in Amsterdam.
From here, you can take a stroll along the water and just admire the scenery. I loved walking along the river after visiting this market. This part of the city really emphasized the German-French hybrid of Strasbourg that I mentioned earlier. It was like being in two worlds at once.
6. Marché de Noël at Rues Gutenberg et Hallebardes
Okay, soooo the best photo I got for this market was actually NOT of the market, but of the Place Gutenberg square. I want to apologize, but also, I don’t…because LOOK AT IT!
I remember this market kind of blending in with some of the others. This one was not one of my favorites, but I did think the square was beautiful.
7. Saint Thomas Marché de Noël
Okay listen, I’m just going to be honest with you. I was scrolling through my photos, and I have no idea what photos I have that are from this market. I don’t even know if I took any. All I know is that it’s small, but it exists. Don’t hate me. And also, don’t be mad if you skip this one.
The Markets in Petite France
Petite France is a lively tourist area of Strasbourg known for its cobblestone streets, canals, and half-timbered, Dutch-looking homes. I thought this area was really cute and enjoyed walking through here. Along the way, you’ll see many lights signifying that you’re in Petite France.
8. Place Zix Marché de Noël
Place Zix reminds me of Marché aux Poissons with the lighting, except these are a little more…fiber optic? I don’t know, but it’s pretty, and that’s why we love it. Come to think of it, I don’t know who climbs up what and hangs these stars places, but they deserve something. Or at the very least, some recognition and a public “thank you” because I’m obsessed.
When I was there, many of the vendors were selling Meisenthal Christmas baubles, which are decorative, transparent glass sculptures or ornaments.
9. Village de l’Avent at Square Louise Weiss
This Advent Village might be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. I mean…just look at that entrance!
They even had a cute little Christmas tree farm here! Along the way, there are vendors selling local products, such as jams, honey, cheese, etc. This market is close to Place Zix that I mentioned above, along with Le Marché OFF that I talk about next.
Le Marché OFF at Place Grimmeissen
Le Marché OFF is located on Grimmeissen Square and is the first – and only – industrial Christmas market I’ve ever seen. A lot of the vendors had tin-looking stalls with string lights inside and unique, handmade gifts. I’ve also heard this referred to as the “locals market.”
This was another one of my favorite markets in Strasbourg because of how unique it was. I loved how they weren’t afraid to be different and march to the beat of their own drum…and I mean that quite literally. When I was here, an entire marching band came into the center of the market and started playing live music!
I don’t know how often this happens, but damn. I can’t say I’ve ever seen that before, and it took me right back to my band camp days. (FYI: The coldest I’ve ever been in my life was in Scranton, PA at Tournament of Bands in 2004. I’m getting off track, I know…but I have a lot of respect for people who play musical instruments outside in winter.)
This is also where I found my favorite chocolat chaud of the trip! A lot of the chocolat chaud that I tried at restaurants wasn’t very sweet, but the one I got from a vendor at this market was perfect. Interestingly though, it wasn’t thick in the way that French hot chocolate can often be…it was the same consistency as in America. (For my favorite French hot chocolate ever, check out my Paris at Christmastime post!)
Getting to the Strasbourg Christmas Market
Getting to the Strasbourg Christmas market will, of course, depend on where you’re coming from. Strasbourg has a small airport (SXB), and the city is also easily accessible by train.
Strasbourg was my second stop in my Christmas market journey. When I got here, I flew into Frankfurt, Germany and then took a train from Frankfurt to Strasbourg.
- Train time from Frankfurt, Germany to Strasbourg, France = about 3.5 hours
I chose this because I found a flight to Frankfort for super cheap, and also because it was close in proximity to Strasbourg. I was even able to kill 2 birds with one stone and explore Frankfurt’s Christmas markets for a day before coming to Strasbourg!
Another option is to fly into Paris and take the train from Paris Gare de l’Est to Strasbourg.
- Train time from Paris Gare de l’Est, France to Strasbourg, France = 1 hour and 45 minutes
You may be wondering why I didn’t just fly into Paris if the train ride was shorter from there? I have seen Paris at Christmastime before, and while I absolutely loved it, I wanted to check out a different city that I had never been to.
Of course, there are multiple other cities that you can start from, but IMO, these are 2 of the easiest. Strasbourg is also only an hour train ride away from Colmar, France, which is another Christmas town in the Alsace region that people love.
Where To Stay in Strasbourg
Like I mentioned earlier, hotels in Strasbourg book up fast. They can also get insanely expensive around Christmastime. I like to search for deals on Booking.com or Agoda.com.
Additionally, you can also stay in Schiltigheim, which is a town just north of Strasbourg and a 5-10 minute bus ride away from the city center. If you’re staying in Schiltigheim, know that traffic can be slow into Strasbourg because Strasbourg is a city made for bikes! You’ll see a ton of people biking around here, even in the cold…despite how crowded it gets.
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