Strasbourg

Strasbourg Food Tour Review: Eating Alsace During the Christmas Markets (2026)

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Kougelhopf from Pâtisserie Buhler, a traditional Alsatian bundt-shaped brioche dusted with powdered sugar

On our Christmas market trip in December 2025, Dan and I took a food tour our second evening in Strasbourg with Do Eat Better. This tour, the Strasbourg Food Tour, ran about 3.5 hours. We paid 89.95 euro per person in December 2025; as of November 2026, it is 95.95 euro per person. I signed up for this tour because I had never taken an Alsatian food tour, and I was concerned about eating in Strasbourg during the Christmas market crowds. The food tour was delicious and fun, but it focused on Alsatian food generally, not Christmas market food (we didn’t even visit a Christmas market on the tour proper; we did after on our own). If you are still choosing between the two Alsace towns, see how Strasbourg compares to Colmar. This post reviews our tour in detail. For how we spent the rest of our time, see our Christmas market itinerary.

Eating a snack at a Strasbourg Christmas market stall in December

Me eating at the Christmas markets in Strasbourg, although not on the food tour.

Meeting Our Group: Le Point de Convergence

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Colmar vs Strasbourg Christmas Market: Which Is Better? (2026)

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Strasbourg's Grand Sapin Christmas tree towering over crowds and historic buildings at Place Kléber

*Updated November 2026*

We visited both the Strasbourg and the Colmar Christmas markets in December 2025. This post compares Strasbourg’s and Colmar’s Christmas markets against one another so that you can decide which to visit with limited time.

Short answer: Colmar for atmosphere, food and drinks; Strasbourg for more markets, easier trains, bigger decorations, sightseeing, shopping and hotels.

Winner by category

  • More Christmas markets: Strasbourg
  • Easier to reach: Strasbourg
  • Christmas vibes: Colmar
  • Christmas decorations: Strasbourg
  • Food: Colmar
  • Drinks: Colmar
  • Sightseeing beyond the markets: Strasbourg
  • Christmas shopping: Strasbourg
  • Where to stay: Strasbourg
  • Crowds: Tie

Strasbourg wins more categories, but most of its wins are logistics and extras, while Colmar takes the vibes, food and drinks that make a Christmas market feel magical, so overall we call it a tie.

Colmar vs Strasbourg Christmas Markets 2026: Quick Answers

  • Strasbourg: November 27 to December 24, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. opening on November 27, 6:00 p.m. close on December 24).
  • Colmar: November 23 to December 29, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Friday to Sunday. The Gourmet Market and Place Rapp Christmas fair stay open through January 3, 2027.
  • Number of markets: Strasbourg has 8; Colmar has 6, plus the Place Rapp Christmas fair.
  • Train between them: About 30 minutes. We paid 30 euro per person round trip, second class, buying tickets the same day.
  • Best day to go: A weekday. Monday and Tuesday were much more manageable than Saturday and Sunday.
Place Kléber Christmas market in Strasbourg at night, with lit wooden chalets and the Grand Sapin glowing behind the crowds

Strasbourg’s Place Kléber market, with the Grand Sapin, Strasbourg’s largest Christmas tree, in the background.

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Colmar Christmas Market: The Perfect Day Trip From Strasbourg (2026)

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Peach-colored and half-timbered buildings decorated with Christmas garlands in Colmar's old town

Dan and I got engaged in Colmar, France in October 2016. Located in the Alsace region in France (only 30 minutes from the German border via car), Colmar is a picture perfect European town, the town Disney is said to have based Belle’s village on (seriously, you cannot deny this). It is also, arguably, the most magical Christmas town in Alsace. Colmar hosts six absolutely adorable Christmas markets every holiday season. We finally visited in early December 2025 as a day trip from Strasbourg, as part of our first trip to the European Christmas markets. This post shares everything about Colmar’s Christmas markets.

Aerial view of Colmar's half-timbered houses and canal from the Ferris wheel

Beautiful Colmar from the Ferris Wheel.

Colmar Christmas Market 2026: Quick Answers

  • Dates: November 23 to December 29, 2026. The Gourmet Market and Place Rapp Christmas fair stay open through January 3, 2027.
  • Hours: 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM Monday to Thursday, and 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM Friday to Sunday.
  • Cost to enter: Free. All six markets and the Place Rapp Christmas fair are free to enter.
  • Train from Strasbourg: About 30 minutes. We paid 30 euro per person round trip, second class, buying tickets the same day.
  • How long to spend: About five hours. We arrived around 11:00 AM and left around 4:00 PM.
  • Best day to visit: A weekday. Our Monday visit was busy but never overwhelming.
  • Mulled wine cup deposit: 2 euro (2025), refundable at any stall in Colmar.

Is a day trip to Colmar worth it?

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Finally, I Made It To The European Christmas Markets!

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Couple standing beneath the illuminated Strasbourg, Capitale de Noël arch on a crowded street during the Christmas markets

I had been wanting to go to European Christmas markets for years. Truly, YEARS. And finally in 2025, due to Dan’s job change, we found ourselves with an extra week of vacation in December and booked a last minute trip to the Alsace during Christmas market season. We visited Strasbourg, Colmar, Basel, and Paris over the course of a week! I will be posting more about this trip, including information about the Colmar market and comparing Colmar and Strasbourg, but this post details exactly what we did over the course of one week. Highly recommend taking an extra week of vacation to Christmas market hop!

Illuminated wooden chalet stalls at the Christkindelsmarik Christmas market in Strasbourg, France

A real, live Christkindelsmärik.

DAY 1: WELCOME TO STRASBOURG – THE CAPITAL OF CHRISTMAS

We arrived at Paris Charles de Gaulle after an overnight flight from Newark (NYC). We took the train, which we pre-booked, directly from CDG to Strasbourg, France. We arrived in Strasbourg in the early afternoon, left our luggage at our hotel, Voco Strasbourg City Center (by IHG), and promptly walked to the Place Kléber Christmas market, one of Strasbourg’s eight (!!) Christmas markets. I didn’t originally expect to jump right into the markets without a nap, but it being too early to check in, off to the markets we went.

Strasbourg's giant Christmas tree lit up in Place Kleber at the Christmas market

Welcome to the Christmas Capital – this is Strasbourg’s largest Christmas tree in Place Kléber.

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