The short version: This 6-day itinerary covers 18 Christmas markets in Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel and Paris. Four cities, two countries, entirely by train with no rental car. Fly into Paris CDG, take the direct TGV to Strasbourg (about 2 hours), base there for four nights with day trips to Colmar (30 minutes) and Basel (1 hour 20), then finish with one night in Paris. We did this in December 2025 and paid roughly €240 per person in train fares.
Christmas Market Dates & Hours at a Glance (2026)
Last updated: August 27, 2026. Strasbourg has not published its official 2026 programme yet, so the dates below are the 2025 dates. Colmar and Basel have both confirmed 2026. I’ll update this post as soon as Strasbourg announces.
| City | Dates | Hours | Markets | From Strasbourg | What we paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strasbourg, France | Nov 26 to Dec 24 (2025 dates; 2026 to be confirmed) | 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily; closes 6:00 p.m. Dec 24 | 8 | Base city | n/a |
| Colmar, France | Nov 23 to Dec 29, 2026 (confirmed) | 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mon to Thu; 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Fri to Sun. Open Dec 24 (11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), Dec 25 (10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.), Dec 26 (10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) | 6 | About 30 minutes by TER, trains throughout the day | €30 round trip, bought same day |
| Basel, Switzerland | Nov 26 to Dec 23, 2026 (confirmed) | 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. On Dec 23 Barfüsserplatz closes 8:00 p.m. and Münsterplatz 6:00 p.m. | 3 squares, about 150 chalets | About 1 hour 20 minutes, direct | €30 round trip, second class |
| Paris, France | 2026/27 dates not yet released. The 2025/26 Tuileries market ran Nov 15 to Jan 4 | 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. | 1 main market (Tuileries) | About 2 hours to Gare de l’Est | €90 one way, booked two weeks out |
| Not all six Colmar markets run on the same calendar. The Gourmet Market on Rue de la Montagne Verte and the Place Rapp Christmas fair are open November 23 to December 30, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., December 31, 2026 from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and January 1 to January 3, 2027 from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. | |||||
Official sources: Noël à Strasbourg · Colmar, la Magie de Noël · Basel Christmas Market
Strasbourg – Capitale de Noël.
