Colmar Christmas market: which markets to see and when

Six markets within a ten-minute radius

The compactness of central Colmar is the main argument. From Place des Dominicains to Little Venice is less than 600 metres, and the walk passes every other site on the way. No shuttle, no transfer: the market is visited in one continuous loop, which is why it takes two or three hours where Strasbourg needs four.

What each square offers

Every site has a deliberate identity, set by the city so that the six do not blur into one another:

• Place des Dominicains: the traditional market at the foot of the Gothic church, with decoration chalets and a small funfair.
• Place de l'Ancienne Douane: some fifty chalets around the Schwendi fountain, framed by half-timbered houses. This is the postcard image of Colmar in December.
• Koifhus: the only indoor market, on two floors of the old customs house, given over to antiques and crafts. Useful on a wet day.
• Little Venice: the children's market along the lit canal, with a mechanical nativity scene and rides.
• Place Jeanne d'Arc: the Alsatian table, foie gras, charcuterie, cheeses and growers' wines.
• Place de la Cathedrale: the food market, tarte flambee and bredele biscuits, open later than the others.

2026 dates and opening hours

The 2026 edition runs from 24 November to 29 December. Usual hours are 10 to 7 Monday to Thursday, and 10 to 8 Friday to Sunday. Two exceptions: on 24 December closing is brought forward to 5 in the afternoon, and on 25 December the market opens only from 2 to 7. The food market on Place de la Cathedrale runs until 10 at night. Colmar is therefore one of the few Alsatian markets still open between Christmas and New Year.

Access and parking

The old town is pedestrianised during Advent. The multi-storey car parks in the first ring are full by mid-morning on December Saturdays, and hunting for a space easily costs forty minutes. Three options work: arriving by train, the station being a quarter of an hour on foot from the Ancienne Douane; parking on the outskirts and walking in; or being dropped at the edge of the pedestrian zone, which also removes the problem of getting back.

The right time to come

Saturdays and Sundays in the second half of December concentrate the crowds, peaking between 3 and 6 in the afternoon. Tuesday and Wednesday mornings are the quietest slots of the season. For photographs, late afternoon between 4.30 and 5.30 gives the best result: the lights are on and the sky still holds some blue, which is gone entirely after 6.

Combining Colmar with the vineyard villages

Colmar is the natural base for the village markets. Eguisheim is 10 minutes away by road, Kaysersberg 15, Riquewihr 20 and Ribeauvillé 25. A typical day pairs a morning in one or two villages, quieter before noon, with an afternoon in Colmar as the lights come on. The reverse works less well: village markets close earlier.