Celebrating Christmas is an event in itself. Loading from late November, all respectable towns put on their festive clothes, seduce you with magical decorations, lights, and cinnamon perfume. However, some Christmas markets have a stronger reputation. Let’s immerse in Strasbourg Christmas markets, a place synonym with Christmas capital!
Even if the city of Strasbourg (France) is not huge, you may want to set aside one day and a half or two for the fully magical experience and some exploration of the Alsatian capital. If you are in a hurry, one day will do, as well.
Travel to Strasbourg for Christmas! It looks amazing and truly inviting! The Christmas markets are all over the city with typical stalls! The entire city is flooded with the festive spirit!
Taste everything Strasbourg has to offer! The Christmas stalls compete for your attention! Gingerbread, mulled wine, sweet treats, German and French delicacies are yummy and plentiful!
Feel the spirit of the season! Everything is meant to delve you deep in the most beautiful Christian celebration. Remember to dress warm, Strasbourg can be really cold!
Useful info
Strasbourg Christmas markets
Food, drinks and prices
Highlights to visit in Strasbourg
Interactive map
Useful info
Known as the capital of Alsace, Strasbourg (France) is a fairytale city with personality. However, the houses and canals make it resemble to fabulous Bruges. Being very close to the German border, it is easily reachable from Germany or France. You have a wide array of transportation, be it plane, train, car or bus.
Strasbourg Christmas Market 2023 is open from November 24 to December 24, 6 p.m. Stalls are open daily between 11.30 a.m. and 9 p.m.
The Great Christmas Tree is in Place Kléber and enchants passers-by every hour on the hour between 4 and 9 p.m. with music, and at 10 and 11 in the evening without music.
The illuminations are on from November 24 until January 7 until 11 p.m.
Strasbourg Christmas markets
No wonder that Strasbourg has the reputation of Christmas capital! The city abounds in the seasonal spirit in every square, and so much more! Closest to our great accommodation, we started off with Christkindelsmärik, to be found in Place Broglie. Apparently a small market, it was beautifully decorated and had hand-crafted gifts, amazing bonbons and tasty food. I particularly liked the unique Advent building right across the market!
Place de la Cathédrale (Cathedral Square) is another good spot. Not just for Christmas watching, but you’ll probably stay in awe observing the huge Gothic cathedral! (more on it later). Even if the décor is pretty much the same, here you have a carousel for children and an inviting pop-up store crammed with decorations, as well as people eager to warm up. Here, we had already started feeling cold, so we welcomed hot chocolate and mulled wine.
Insider tip!: The cost of the hot drinks is 3-4 euro on average. But you pay 1 extra euro for the Christmas glass. You can keep it or use it for refill every time you head for another comforting drink.
Place Kléber is the main square, and obviously the one with the huge Christmas tree. Le Grand Sapin, as the French call it, measures 30 metres and was brought straight from the Vosges forests! Looks stunning and is undoubtedly one of Strasbourg’s Christmas market highlights! Besides, the square boasts the true spirit of togetherness and care. Here you can find many charities with heart melting stories.
But the truth is that you needn’t look for Christmas markets anywhere in the city.
The festive spirit is everywhere.
Whether you wander in La Petite France or any downtown area, you’ll see gingerbread men and ornaments decorating traditional houses. The shops are a pleasure to the eye, but the houses with teddy bears are undoubtedly one of Strasbourg’s trademarks. There are many places where you can see the fluffy teddies with red ribbons looking irresistibly at you, but one of the most traditional places is the corner next to Le Gruber restaurant. I just loved it, and considering the hordes of tourists in the area, I know I am not alone.
Besides these main points in the city, you can easily see that Christmas is, in fact, all around! Christmas markets are a common feature on every street corner in Strasbourg. Dressed differently, true, season fairs are a thing you bump into…. You will find:
- Advent village for kids and local producers – Square Louise Weiss;
- Eco-friendly and solidarity activities – Marché Off /Place Grimmeissen;
- Quai des délices – gourmet food (Terrasse Rohan, Place du Marché-Aux-Poissons)
- Home decorations to brighten up the holidays – Place Benjamin Zix
- A unique pop-up boutique made by craftspeople (jewelry, fashion designers, ceramists, etc) – Place Kléber, Aubette room, Dec 9-23.
- Most importantly, humanist values are reinforced in most places by solidarity, charities and donations.
Food, drinks and prices
The main focus lies on the sweet treats you can have in every Strasbourg Christmas market.
Gingerbread, candies, mannele (a local tradition sweet which is a milk man shaped into a little man) as well as savoury treats called bredele, spätzle, crêpes or baguettes are just some culinary ideas. You can also drink the classic mulled wine, hot chocolate, but also many other drinks in their winter version: hot Aperol or apple juice. Cinnamon floats in the air…
Here you have some Strasbourg Christmas Market 2023 prices:
| Mannele (a local tradition sweet usually in the shape of a little man) | 2.50-3 euro/a small one |
| Pain d’épice (a gingerbread type local cake with spices) | 8-9 euro/200 g or around 22-24 euros a large one |
| Nougat | 7 euro/100 g |
| Flam’s (brezels filled with sour cream/lard/cheese/onion) | 4 euro/piece |
| Spätzle (German pasta)/munstiflette (A French dish made with cheese, potatoes and bacon, perfect for a cold winter day) | 10 euro/portion |
| Crêpes | 4-7 euro/piece depending on the filling |
| Hot chocolate/mulled wine | 3.5 -4 euro/250 ml glass, but you also get a pretty glass for your money. |
Highlights to visit in Strasbourg
This city will put a spell on you and ask to be revisited for more. As for now, you should:
- Enter the amazing Notre Dame Cathedral. It is huge, beautiful, free of charge, and inside has an astronomical clock. For a small amount, you can go upstairs for supposedly great views over the city, but we skipped this part for now because of the chilly and windy weather.
- Don’t miss out on La Petite France, the most representative neighborhood of Strasbourg. It is famous for its half-timbered houses and looks very charming.
- The covered bridges are next to the above-mentioned area. They are bridges and towers that made up an ancient defensive work and are now an attraction.
- Discover more of Strasbourg on a boat tour. It takes 70 minutes in a covered or open boat and you can admire the pretty views while listening to an audioguide.
- Stroll around the chic streets, explore the Alsatian lifestyle and grab some traditional beer or wine.
Interactive map
This is an interactive map of Strasbourg Christmas markets and some highlights of the city. With red you will find the squares and markets, while with green you have the main tourist attractions. Some eating spots we tested are colored purple, and the accommodation is yellow. Do not let yourself deceive, even if the distance seems considerable in some cases, everything presented is within 30 minutes walking distance.