Marché de Noël de Haguenau – A beautiful market in northern Alsace

Alsace is beautiful from South to North of course, but I still have the impression that we don’t always think about going above Strasbourg. For me, Haguenau is above all a huge and pretty flat forest and the potteries of the neighboring villages… But it is still the 4th largest city in Alsace!

When you arrive by car, you see houses and industries, military past and no half-timbered houses on the horizon. However, if you arrive by train, you’re very close to the city center, which offers a charming, modern and independent pedestrian area, in keeping with the city’s history. To convince you to go there, let us tell you about our experience at the Haguenau Christmas Market!

Opening and closing date of the Christmas market in Haguenau

In 2023, the Haguenau Christmas market will be open every day from Friday November 24 to Friday December 30, 2023. Along with Obernai, Colmar and Sélestat, it’s one of the few Christmas markets in Alsace to remain open after Christmas.

What time does the Christmas market in Haguenau close?

It closes at 7pm, except on Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm. On December 24th, it closes at 4pm. It opens at 10am, except on Mondays when it opens at 2pm.

Where does the Christmas market in Haguenau take place?

You don’t really risk getting lost, the market is concentrated on the Place de la République, the Place Joseph Thierry, the Place d’Armes and the Cours de la Décapole.

Opinion on the Christmas market of Haguenau in Alsace

One afternoon in November, at the very beginning of the Christmas Market, I went to discover Haguenau dressed in its festive clothes.

A well-decorated and illuminated downtown

With my paper guide ” Christmas treasure hunts in Alsace “During 3 hours I walked through the corners of Haguenau: majestic Halle aux Houblons, theater, historical museum, beautiful enclosures, Saint-Georges church … All of this sublimated by beautiful decorations and illuminations that totally immerse my little heart in the magic of Christmas.

I like the pedestrianized city center of Haguenau, which has a lot of nice little stores and cafes. With the Christmas decorations and illuminations, it takes on another dimension, quite magical! The buildings are decorated with light projections and each space is beautifully decorated.

A reasonably sized market

The market is not too big or too small, with beautiful artisan stands and plenty of delicious treats. It is crowded on weekends but it is still reasonable to enjoy it. It’s a good size market in my opinion and on top of that it’s open even on weekdays!

Favourites: ice rink, crib and mulled wine…

Here are our favorites during the Christmas festivities in Haguenau:

• Get lost in theimpasse de l’Oie : when you are in the Grand’rue, follow the red carpet that unfolds to allow you to meet the local wine merchant and bookseller, a treat.
• Enter the old chapel renamed ” Espace Saint-Martin “, after having passed through the luminous ball. You will admire an exhibition of cribs. Haguenau would indeed be the cradle of the cribs in Alsace: we found there what would be the oldest written trace of the existence of a crib, in a register dating from 1420 and mentioning the realization of a crib in the Saint-Georges Church!
• Le vin chaud du Boudoir: I’m not ready to forget the special jet-set vin-chaud “Boudoir” (wine, rum, morello cherries, chantilly!), place Joseph Thierry
• The 1900 carousel on the Place de la République (which is usually Place Gutenberg in Strasbourg) will delight children
• The ice rink installed on the Cours de la Décapole
• Hot chocolate, gingerbread and treats from the chalet ofOriginal Cake, also Cours de la Décapole (which also has a tea room in the center: it can be nice to take a break)
• On the Place d’Armes: Alsace wines from Domaine Motz, Labonal socks (made in Alsace) and the Quebecois stand
• The mini-boutique of theTourist Office, filled with local products of super good quality only!

Finally, as you can imagine, I made many stops in some of the chalets of the Haguenau Christmas Market (there are about fifty of them!). In the restaurant business, I was told about the Tigre and the Ancienne Douane (Place d’Armes) to try – you’ll tell me!

My photos from the Christmas Market in Haguenau