Riquewihr Christmas market: when to go and where to park

Open daily, unlike its neighbours

This is the decisive argument when planning a midweek trip. From 27 November to 20 December 2026 the Riquewihr chalets open every day, where Kaysersberg is limited to Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and Ribeauvillé to four days in the year. On a Tuesday in December, Riquewihr is therefore the only village in the area with a working market, and it is three to four times quieter than on a Saturday.

The detailed opening hours

They vary by day, which catches out visitors arriving late in the afternoon:

• Monday to Thursday: 10 to 6.30. With nightfall around 4.50, that still leaves more than an hour of illuminations.
• Friday: 10 to 8. The longest slot and the best compromise of the week.
• Saturday and Sunday: 10 to 7, peaking between 2 and 5 in the afternoon.

A market spread across the whole village

Unlike Kaysersberg, which groups its chalets on two sites, Riquewihr spreads its market across the entire medieval centre. Stalls punctuate the main street and the side lanes, between decorated half-timbered facades. The practical consequence is that you are not visiting a market but a village in festive dress, and you should allow an hour and a half to two hours to walk it without rushing.

Parking outside the walls

The village is ringed by ramparts and closed to vehicles: no car goes inside, market or not. Car parks sit outside the walls, are charged, and fill by mid-morning on December weekends. The queue on the road from Ribeauvillé forms from 11 on Saturdays. Midweek the question barely arises before 2 in the afternoon. A drop-off at the upper gate avoids both the queue and the walk from the further car parks.

The best slot

A Tuesday or Wednesday between 3.30 and 6: the lights come on before 5, the day groups have left, and most chalets stay open until 6.30. Friday evening, until 8, gives the most polished atmosphere but starts filling after 6. Saturday afternoon is best avoided if photography is your main motivation: the main street is then packed along its whole length.

Combining with the neighbouring villages

Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg form a triangle of under 15 kilometres. On an early December weekend all three markets run at once, which happens on only four days in the year. Midweek, Riquewihr is the only one of the three open: a four-hour tour from Colmar then adds a cellar or the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle instead.