Colmar Christmas Markets 2026: dates and hours

Colmar in Alsace looks like a Christmas card even without decorations: half-timbered houses, canals and the colourful facades of Petite Venise. In Advent, six Christmas markets spread across its old town. The short answer for 2026: the markets run from Monday 23 November to Tuesday 29 December 2026. According to the official website, they are open Monday to Thursday from 11:00 to 19:00 and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 to 20:00.

Colmar Christmas markets 2026: dates and opening times

Dates and times from the official website of the Colmar Christmas markets, run by the Colmar tourist office (see sources). The "Noël Féérique" on the Place Rapp follows the same dates and times as the food market and the big wheel.

Unlike many German markets, Colmar's markets stay open over Christmas – on 25 and 26 December from 10:00 to 20:00 – and until 29 December, with the food market lasting into the new year.

The six markets

The official website describes six markets, all within walking distance of each other in the old town:

• Place des Dominicains: next to the 14th-century Dominican church, whose stained glass is lit at nightfall. About sixty wooden chalets with decorations and gifts – the most contemplative of the markets.
• Place de l'Ancienne Douane: around the Schwendi fountain by one of the canals, about fifty chalets, with the illuminated Koïfhus in the background.
• Inside the Koïfhus: an indoor market in the medieval customs house with local craftspeople – potters, glassmakers, woodcarvers, jewellers.
• Place Jeanne d'Arc: a village-style market focused on regional food – Alsatian specialities, foie gras, charcuterie, wine, spirits and gingerbread.
• Petite Venise: the children's market by the Lauch river, with hot apple juice, a carousel, a mechanical nativity scene and a giant letterbox for Father Christmas.
• Food market (marché gourmand), rue de la Montagne Verte: a food village with nine huts run by nine chefs, with dishes to eat there or take away, and cooking shows.

The villages around Colmar

Colmar is the gateway to the Alsace wine route, and several villages nearby hold their own Christmas markets. Dates 2026 from the same official website:

The official website also lists Christmas shuttles to some of the villages. For a flexible tour of several villages in one day, a rental car in Colmar^* (EconomyBookings) is the easiest option – parking in the villages is tight at weekends, so go early.

Weather in December

Averages 2015–2024 from the ERA5 reanalysis (via Open-Meteo), rounded.

December evenings in Colmar are cold and often close to freezing. Warm shoes, gloves and a hat are the best investment for an evening on the markets. YesTrip shows you the forecast for your actual travel days and suggests matching clothes in the packing list.

Avoiding the crowds

Colmar is small and its markets are among the most popular in France, so weekends get very busy. A few tips:

• Come on a weekday, ideally Monday to Thursday, and in the late morning or early afternoon.
• Check the attendance forecast: the official website publishes one for the season.
• Arriving by car at the weekend? On Saturdays and Sundays in late November and December, a park-and-ride at the Parc des Expositions with shuttle buses into the centre is offered; according to the official website there is no shuttle on 26 and 27 December.

Getting there

From London, the easiest way is a flight to EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, about an hour and a half, and from there a bus to Saint-Louis station and the train to Colmar. By train, Colmar is around half an hour from Strasbourg and well connected to Basel and Mulhouse; TGVs from Paris take under three hours. Connections are easy to compare at train tickets to Colmar^* (Omio).

If you visit Colmar for a day on the way between Strasbourg and Basel, there is luggage storage in Colmar^* (Radical Storage), so you can stroll the markets without your bag. From outside the EU, a travel eSIM for France^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

Where to stay

• Old town and Petite Venise: in the middle of the markets, charming and booked out first for Advent weekends.
• Around the station: practical for train travellers, a 15-minute walk to the old town.
• In a wine village such as Eguisheim or Turckheim: quieter, with their own markets, a short drive or train ride away.

Hotels in Colmar are in high demand in December, especially Friday and Saturday nights – book months ahead, or stay in Strasbourg or Basel and come for the day.

More Christmas markets

Colmar combines perfectly with its neighbours: the Strasbourg Christmas market 2026 is half an hour away by train, and the Basel Christmas market 2026 is close too. Our overview of the best Christmas markets in Europe compares the classics, and if you travel at the beginning of December, the Lyon Festival of Lights 2026 runs from 5 to 8 December.

In YesTrip, "What's on" lists festivals, events and holidays on the days of your trip, and you can add them to the day plan with one tap.

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