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Strasbourg enchants thousands and thousands of visitors with its quaint and idyllic views on any given day, but when it comes to Christmas time, the magic is raised to a whole new festive level, so much so that Strasbourg is actually known as “the capital of Christmas”.
In this Strasbourg Christmas Market guide, we’ll share everything you need to know about experiencing the unrivalled magic of the Strasbourg Christmas Market scene for yourself.
NOTE: We last visited this Christmas market in December 2019, so take note that some things may be different this year. We’ve tried to keep this guide as up-to-date as possible, but let us know if you spot anything we should change!
When is Strasbourg Christmas Market?
2024 Dates: November 27 – December 27, 2024
Note: Visit the official website here
Where to Stay for Strasbourg Christmas Market
In need of a place to stay? Here are some quick recommendations for hotels near Strasbourg Christmas Market:
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Where to Find Strasbourg Christmas Markets
The Strasbourg Christmas market scene is one of the most magical festive fairs in the world, and luckily there are plenty of locations to explore spread throughout the city to fuel that holiday cheer and childlike wonder.
These are the best locations to visit of the Strasbourg Christmas market scene:
The Christkindelsmärik at Place Broglie
Being the oldest Christmas market in Strasbourg, the Christkindelsmärik at Place Broglie should definitely have a place on your list.
This centrally located Strasbourg Christmas market offers one of the liveliest atmospheres in the city, with curious crowds coming to see what all that “capital of Christmas” fame is about, and while you will definitely not be disappointed when it comes to festive spirit, it has to be said that the crowds can get a bit overwhelming here.
No one likes to elbow their way through a crowd, however, the food scene in this market is exceptionally good, with tasty options for the Christmas market conossieur or the first time visitor, that will make any light inconvenience worth it.
Here you will find any festive snack your heart desires, from sausages, fresh pretzels, flammkuchen, crepes and the non-negotiable mulled wine, so make sure to save your appetite for this buzzing Strasbourg Christmas market.
The OFF Christmas Market at Place Grimmeisen
Moving on to one of the most unique locations in the Strasbourg Christmas market scene we have the OFF Christmas market, an unconventional festive conglomerate of stalls hosted at Place Grimmeisen.
Here you will come across an unmissable LED Christmas tree surrounded by small vendors displaying their unique products inside repurposed shipping containers.
The ambiance here is much more relaxed than at the more popular traditional locations in the Strasbourg Christmas market scene, so this is the perfect place to come and chill with friends, shop around or even sit down and enjoy a cup of vin chaud at the central dining space that offers keg-turned-stools for your sitting pleasure.
The Strasbourg Christmas Market at Place de la Cathédrale
The Strasbourg Christmas market at Place de la Cathédrale is without a doubt one of the most touristy locations in the city, and while we are all down for avoiding unnecessary crowds, we believe that the stunning backdrop of this Christmas market makes it worth a visit.
Here you will find an assortment of stalls nestled at the feet of the imposing Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg, and while the stalls themselves are not very memorable, the view is, and paired with a cozy cup of vin chaud (mulled wine) this magical Strasbourg Christmas market location is certain to get you in the festive spirit in no time.
The Small Producers of Alsace Christmas Market at Place des Meuniers
If you are looking forward to bringing back home some unique souvenirs, or gifts for someone special, the Small Producers of Alsace Christmas market is a great place for this.
Here you can expect to skip all those mass-produced glittery souvenirs, and instead you will find an assortment of small local producers offering delicious local goodies, ranging all the way from truffles, to award-winning Bredele cookies, to local craft beer and more.
Besides all the incredibly unique local products offered at this Strasbourg Christmas market, it also provides one of the coziest atmospheres when visited after dark, when the colorful stars that dangle over the wooden huts come to life.
The Alsatian Delicacies Market at Place du Marché-des-Poissons and the Patio of Palais Rohan
Another market that is an incredible option for finding all sorts of delicious local products is the The Alsatian Delicacies Market at Place du Marché-des-Poissons and the Patio of Palais Rohan, and is definitely one of our favorite ones in the Strasbourg Christmas market scene.
This festive market consists of a cluster of adorable wooden chalets lined one next to the other right along the water, displaying different types of local goodies with a special focus on wine and craft beer.
This is a beautiful market to explore in the evening, to take a walk along the water, admire the twinkly lights and sip on a glass of delicious local wine, like our favorite; Domaine Vierling.
The Small Christmas Market at Place Saint Thomas
If you are looking for a small and cozy location in the Strasbourg Christmas market scene don’t overlook this cute festive fair located at Place Saint Thomas.
Consisting of just a handful of wooden chalets, this particular Strasbourg Christmas market location caught our eye as a good escape from the overwhelming crowds of the more popular markets in the city.
The Carré d’Or Christmas Market at Place du Temple-Neuf
The Carré d’Or Christmas Market is one of our favorite smaller markets in the Strasbourg Christmas market scene.
Located at the feet of the protestant church Temple-Neuf, this cozy conglomeration of wooden stalls offers an ecclectic assortment of unique gifts and delicacies, from foie gras to cozy socks and slippers, as well as your quintessential vin chaud, which is served in actual mugs instead of the sad plastic cups you will find in other Strasbourg Christmas markets.
Besides being a charming little market to visit, the way to the Carré d’Or Christmas Market is an experience in itself, follow the lit-up trail from the Strasbourg Cathedral through Rue des Orfèvres and be ready to be amazed by some of the most beautiful festive displays in the city.
The International Guest Christmas Market at Place Gutenberg
A very unique and interesting aspect of the Strasbourg Christmas market scene is the fact that every year Strasbourg welcomes a guest country to host their own Christmas market in the city.
With guest countries ranging from Iceland to Finland or Lebanon, you are guaranteed to come across an exciting experience on whichever year you decide to visit.
We visited the International Guest Christmas Market in 2019 and got to indulge in some delicious Lebanese cuisine, admire the Lebanese handicrafts, and even took part in a little dance party—seriously, this market is full of surprises, so make sure to check it out!
What to Eat at Strasbourg Christmas Markets
Exploring all those beautiful festive locations will surely open your appetite, and from the traditional Christmas markets to the quirkier ones they each have many delicious dishes to offer.
So to give you a starting point, here are some of the things you can look forward to feast on at the Strasbourg Christmas market scene:
Fresh Pretzels
You will find stalls selling pretzels all throughout the Strasbourg Christmas market scene, which make for the perfect savory snack to enjoy on the go as you explore all the different festive locations, as well as the perfect bite to entertain your hunger while you decide what to feast on next.
Don’t be shy when ordering a pretzel and make sure to ask the seller if they have any fresh ones out of the oven—there’s nothing better than fresh anything out of the oven!
Grumbeerekiechle (AKA Galette de Pomme de Terre) with Munster Cheese
Grumbeerekiechle, sounds complicated but is simple, and oh so delicious!
Grumbeerekiechle is the local take on the German Christmas market favorite; Kartoffelpuffer, or known to North Americans as hashbrowns, however, what makes the Grumbeerekiechle so special is the presentation… they are served with thick piping hot slices of melted Munster cheese!
It’s the dreamiest comfort food for those dark evenings exploring the Strasbourg Christmas market scene and the perfect meal to soak up all those vin chaud!
Spätzle
Another decadent comfort food that you must try while at the Strasbourg Christmas market scene is the hearty Spätzle.
Spätzle is a delicious dish that is prominent in Central European cuisine and it consists of a bouncy type of noodle that is normally smothered in melted cheese, something like a European version of mac and cheese, and who doesn’t love mac and cheese?
Tarte/Baguette Flambée
Another one of our favorite Christmas market treats is the tarte flambée, a thin and slightly cripsy flatbread that is topped off with crème fraiche, white cheese, onion and bacon bits—is the perfect savory snack for those cold nights.
The tarte flambee also shows up in different Christmas markets across Europe, in Germany for example you will find it as “Flammkuchen”, however, what makes this tasty snack special in the Strasbourg Christmas market scene is that it is originally from the Alsace region, so you should not skip the chance to try it in its birthplace!
Choucroute
Choucroute is the Alsatian version of the sauerkraut, which you will find around the Strasbourg Christmas market scene served as a small pile topped off with a variety of steamed meats.
This one is definitely a hit or miss, since sauerkraut really is more of an acquired taste, but if you do enjoy sauerkraut then you should not miss this regional dish.
Knack d’Alsace
Another local food that you need to try at the Strasbourg Christmas market scene is the Knack d’Alsace, a type of sausage unique to the region.
The name of this sausage comes from the sound it makes when you bite into its crispy exterior that hides tons of flavor, so make sure to look for this local specialty at any of the stalls selling sausages.
International Food
As mentioned before, every year Strasbourg welcomes a guest country to host their own Christmas market in the city, so no matter when you visit you can always be sure to have an exciting market full of unique culinary options compared to all the other markets in the area.
The year we visited, Lebanon was the guest country and it was such a fun experience to try such a distinctive cuisine to vary our festive diet.
So make sure to keep an eye out for the international guest and their unique culinary offerings to the Strasbourg Christmas market scene!
Flavoured Vin Chaud
Vin chaud is the French version of the quintessential Christmas market beverage; the aromatic and spiced mulled wine.
The appearance of this drink marks the beginning of the festive season all across Europe and is an absolute must-try when exploring the Strasbourg Christmas market scene.
One particular aspect of the Strasbourg Christmas market scene that caught our attention was the variety of vin chaud flavors on offer; from raspberry to plum to non-alcoholic versions for kids, you will be spoiled for choice!
Alsatian Wine
If you are a wine lover like us, you are in luck! Alsace is one of the most important wine regions in France, that is why you will notice a focus on local wines in some of the Strasbourg Christmas market stalls.
During our visit back in 2019, we tried a delicious sparkling Alsatian wine from Domaine Vierling and fell in love! So make sure to explore the different kinds of local wine, you might also find a new favorite!
What to Buy at Strasbourg Christmas Markets
Strasbourg at Christmas time is such a magical place that you will want to take the whole atmosphere and holiday cheer and bottle it up to take back home with you… or a street decoration or two, sadly that’s not allowed, but what is allowed is browsing the stalls of the Strasbourg Christmas market scene in the search for the perfect souvenir.
Here is a list of items that you can buy at the Strasbourg Christmas market locations that we think would make great gifts or souvenirs:
Alsatian wine glasses
After drinking your way through the Strasbourg Christmas market scene and trying all their different delicious local wines you will notice a pattern when it comes to glassware; they are served in very distinctive wine glasses.
The Alsatian wine glasses have a wider bowl which, according to experts, helps to bring out the floral notes of the local aromatic white wine and the colorful green stem is meant to reflect the pale colors of the wine.
The experts also agree that these are unequivocally cute and a great gift or souvenir to take back home!
Local food products
Alsace has some very iconic food specialties that would make any foodie back home very happy to receive as a gift, such as foie gras, cheeses, wines, cookies, among others.
We love to haul local food products and drinks as a souvenir of a trip since it allows us to share that experience with loved ones, and it allows us to prolong that feeling of wonder and excitement for the unknown even when we are back home.
So make sure to grab a bottle, or two, of local wine and a few other delicious local treats to accompany it!
Golden bookmarks
These stunning golden bookmarks really stood out to us as part of the Strasbourg Christmas market scene since this is an item that we have rarely seen anywhere else.
These intricate golden bookmarks would make an incredibly gorgeous and thoughtful gift for any book lover in your life, so keep an eye out for them!
Bredele
Another iconic Alsatian item that you will be able to find throughout the Strasbourg Christmas market scene is bredele; traditional festive cookies that are unique to the holiday season and you can spot them throughout the city being sold in attractive small packages.
These would make the perfect gift for someone special back home or the perfect souvenir to reminisce later on on your trip to the capital of Christmas!
Gingerbread cookies and hearts
Another iconic souvenir that just screams Christmas in Europe are these adorable gingerbread cookies that come in all different shapes and with different sayings on them, that you can find throughout the Strasbourg Christmas market locations.
Don’t let yourself be deceived by how cute they are, they don’t taste half as nice as they look, these are better as a quirky festive souvenir to look at than to snack on… you’ve been warned.
Chocolate
At the Strasbourg Christmas market scene you will also find a variety of gifts or souvenirs for those of us with a sweet tooth, like this fascinating stall selling items made entirely out of chocolate, such as the cool cameras pictured below.
We also noticed a particularly popular chocolatier stall in the OFF Christmas market that is definitely worth checking out if you are looking for some sweet treats to purchase.
Extra Tips for Visiting Strasbourg Christmas Markets
Don’t limit your explorations to only Christmas Markets
Strasbourg is known as the “capital of Christmas” for good reason, they don’t limit their festive cheer to Christmas markets, they truly go all out all throughout the city!
The main streets and storefronts of Strasbourg join in the holiday spirit and put up gorgeous elaborate Christmas decorations that turn the whole city into one big Christmassy attraction!
So do yourself a favor and go explore the rest of the stunning city center outside of just the markets.
Dress warm
Stepping into the Strasbourg Christmas market world is like stepping into a magical winter wonderland, and you want to be able to savor it, to walk slowly through Strasbourg’s streets covered in twinkly lights, and the best way to do this is by being properly dressed for the weather.
There is nothing worse than not being able to enjoy yourself because you cannot stop thinking about how cold you are, so make sure to dress accordingly!
We highly recommend wearing a proper winter jacket, a warm hat, a cozy scarf, gloves, and shoes that can keep your feet warm and dry to guarantee that weather will not affect your festive plans.
Bring cash
It is common practice for most Christmas markets to not accept any type of card payment, so to avoid running around looking for an ATM once you are already starving make sure to take enough cash with you for all your food, drink and souvenir purchases.
Your future self will thank you for this!
Where to Find More Info on Strasbourg Christmas Markets
Official website: Visit Strasbourg
Help us improve this Strasbourg Christmas Markets Guide!
Do you have a pro tip about Strasbourg Christmas Market? A particular souvenir you loved, or a delicious treat you tried? Let us know in the comments what your insider tips are for Strasbourg Christmas Market so we can help improve this guide for all future visitors.