Strasbourg Christmas Market – My guide (+ date 2022)

The Strasbourg Christmas market is probably, with the Colmar Christmas market, the most famous in Alsace. It must be said that this tradition does not date from yesterday: far from being an event invented for tourists, the Christmas Market of Strasbourg (called Christkindelsmärik) dates from the Middle Ages, which makes it one of the oldest European markets! Strasbourg is also considered the Christmas Capital for its unique atmosphere at this time of the year. So, tempted by a stay in Strasbourg to visit the Christmas market?

If I didn’t tell you about this market before, it’s because I didn’t like it very much a few years ago: it had lost its soul a little bit, giving in to the siren call of stalls with too much industrial products and sometimes looking like a fair. Fortunately, the city has been able to get its act together (and sort it out!), and I can once again fully recommend it to you: the Strasbourg Christmas market is really worth it! It’s hard to tell you everything about this great market, but I’ll try in this article to guide you, as I do with friends visiting me in Strasbourg. So, are you ready? Follow the guide!

What are the dates of the Christmas market in Strasbourg?

Opening date: when does the Christmas market 2022 start?

The Christmas market in Strasbourg starts on Friday, November 25, 2022 at 2pm.

Dates and times in 2022

This year, the Christmas market of Strasbourg takes place from November 25th at 2pm to December 24th 2022 at 6pm. The chalets are open from 11am to 8pm every day.

After Christmas, the markets are closed but Strasbourg Christmas Capital continues until January 2, 2023 at the Advent Village and After squares Louise Weiss and Suzanne Lacore.

The illuminations and decorated facades of Strasbourg, Christmas Capital

The first time I came to Strasbourg, I was in my twenties and I remember being literally dazzled by the decoration and the illuminations of the city’s facades. Even today, even though I live in Strasbourg, I still marvel every year at the richness of the decorations and the atmosphere in the streets. In the city center of Strasbourg (on the Grande Île), each building is decorated: branches of fir trees, big teddy bears, Christmas balls… We don’t lack imagination! I really advise you to walk around and look up so you don’t miss anything of this beautiful show!

The Christmas tree in Strasbourg

The Christmas tree of Strasbourg is a huge Christmas tree located on the Place Kléber in Strasbourg. It is about 30 meters high and is one of the must-sees during your visit to the Christmas market!

Where to go in Strasbourg for the Christmas market?

Here are the places I particularly like:

• Rue du Maroquin. Just beautiful!
• Rue Mercière. Very well decorated and offering a magnificent perspective on the Cathedral of Strasbourg
• The Carré d’Or, where some of the most beautiful stores in Strasbourg are located. Go to rue des Hallebardes and the surrounding streets to admire the Baccarat crystal chandeliers and rich decorations!
• The illuminated docks. Go to the quai des Bateliers at nightfall and have fun crossing the small bridges in one direction and in the other, it’s magical!
• The facade of the Pastry Shop Chez Christian, rue de l’Outre. One of the best pastry chefs in Strasbourg, a magnificent painted façade all year round and even crazier at Christmas!
• The blue tree, place Gutenberg. At night, I love to admire its chiseled branches standing out in the night!
• The OFF Market of Strasbourg for a totally alternative and very local atmosphere

One Christmas Market, many different places!

The Strasbourg Christmas Market is really big: you can easily spend a whole day wandering around, and even more if you take part in the workshops and animations organized. The market is located on the Grande Île of Strasbourg (heart of the city center) but is not confined to one place: it extends over several places, nevertheless close to each other. We go from one to the other on foot while admiring the decorations of the facades: it is all the historical center which is in festival! Here are the main places where the Christmas markets are located:

• Place Kléber. It is one of the main squares of Strasbourg, which welcomes every year the famous Big Fir Tree (30m high, really! It is really beautiful). There are also a few chalets of associations (including the star soup, I’ll come back to that in my good plans!) and an ice rink.
• Place de la Cathédrale and Place du Château. Around the (magnificent!) cathedral of Strasbourg.
• Place Broglie. It is the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville in Strasbourg.
• Place Gutenberg. Every year, the guest country’s chalets are located here.
• In front of the Palais des Rohan and Place du Marché aux Poissons. For food lovers, this is the place to find delicious food stands. It’s the Marché des Délices!
• Benjamin Zix Square. In the famous Petite France, the most touristic but also the most beautiful district of Strasbourg!
• Louise-Weiss and Suzanne Lacore squares. Also in Little France. for the Advent Village (after December 26, since this place remains open after Christmas) and the market of the Irreducible Small Alsatian Producers. What excellent local products (cheese, beer, flour, honey, jams…)!
• Place Grimmeisen. This is where the“Marché Off” is held, a social and solidarity market for local people (but visitors are of course welcome too!).
• Place Saint-Thomas and Place du temple-Neuf. Smaller markets, but nice too.

It’s impossible to mention all the activities offered in Strasbourg during the Christmas period: there are so many! For example, the impressive crib in the cathedral, the Advent village in the Louise Weiss and Suzanne Lacore squares, a storytelling tour on a boat BatoramaA walk with a night watchman, guided tours on the theme of Christmas traditions, concerts, workshops and shows for children, conferences, exhibitions of arts and crafts… Consult the detailed program here.

If you are visiting the market with children, go here to read our article dedicated specifically to Christmas markets in Alsace with your family.

My good plans and good addresses at Christkindelsmärik in Strasbourg

The hardest thing about this kind of market is finally knowing where to stop! It’s so big and there are so many choices that you get lost very quickly. That’s actually why it took me so long to write this article. I wanted to be able to give you really good advice (tested and approved, as always on this blog!), and for that I had to have gone through the market in length, width and breadth! I’m sure I don’t know all the good things about the Strasbourg Christmas Market yet (I’ll add them as I go along!), but here’s a good selection that should help you in your visit. And don’t hesitate to consult our article “Where to buy local at the Christmas market in Strasbourg“.

Gastronomy

• The best white mulled wine (made with Alsace wine!): La Tribu des Gourmets, on the terrace of the Palais des Rohan (river side) and Place Saint-Etienne.
• The best hot red wine: Chez Mathilde, place Broglie: an institution! You will probably find Strasbourgeois having a drink after work, it’s a meeting place not to be missed!
• The best gingerbread: Mireille Oster, place Broglie and place Benjamin Zix: reputed to make the best gingerbread in Alsace (and to have tested many of them, it’s probably true!). Chez Mathilde also has excellent gingerbread (in a softer style, which I also love!) as well as other cakes (if you like Linz pie, for example, go for it: it’s a wonder!).
• The best soup: Humanis, place Kléber. A soup prepared by star chefs from Alsace, the proceeds of which go to associations, or how to combine gustatory pleasure and good deeds!
• The best bredele (small Alsatian Christmas cookies): hard to say, but according to the ones I have tested so far, the best are the bredele from the Moulin de Hurtigheim, square Louise Weiss. For gluten-free bredele, you can go to the Boulangerie l’Eden libre de Gluten, Place du Temple Neuf.
• In general, to buy good local products: go to Louise Weiss square, where the “Marché des irréductibles Petits Producteurs Alsaciens” is held, as well as on the terrace of the Palais des Rohan, where the “Marché des Délices” is held.

Decoration and crafts

• Alsatrucs, place Kléber. I already told you about Alsatrucs objects, which I love: beautiful objects created by craftsmen, using traditional Alsatian symbols while bringing them a modern touch via very original designs!
• Boules de Meisenthal, place Benjamin Zix. These are glass Christmas ornaments made entirely by hand at the Centre d’Art Verrier de Meisenthal, located in Lorraine, near Alsace. A remarkable work and a beautiful collection of traditional but also modern balls. Indeed, every year, a designer creates a new ball… which is then snapped up during the whole month of December! It must be said that they are beautiful.
• Soufflenheim pottery, place du château. This is the right cottage to buy real Alsatian pottery from Soufflenheim.
• Caroline Courroy, place Kléber. Objects created in fabric (cushions, pouches, tote bags…) and also using Alsatian symbols, modern version. Top!
• Käte Wohlfart, Castle Square. A huge chalet filled with Christmas decorations, each one more beautiful than the next. There is often a line to get in!
• A Christmas in Alsace, 10 rue des Dentelles. A store (present all year long) offering beautiful Christmas decorations
• The House of Hanssen and Gretel, 7 rue du Chaudron. A store (present all year long) offering quality Alsatian handicrafts!
• Arts et collections d’Alsace, 4 place du Marché aux Poissons. A store (present all year long) where you can find traditional Alsatian objects (fabrics, pottery, decorations…)

Practical advice

Here are some practical tips to make the most of your visit:

• Dress warmly! A big pair of socks or two pairs of socks plus warm shoes (if you have lined shoes, that’s ideal) will guarantee that you can still feel your toes at the end of the day 😉 Also bring several layers of clothing, a hat, a scarf and gloves!
• Plan to stay long enough to see the nightfall: the illuminations and decorations are then the most beautiful!
• If you can, really try to come during the week, you won’t have the same experience at all: it’s much nicer than the weekend, where you walk all over each other.
• Coming to Strasbourg by car is quite complicated at this time. Choose park-and-ride facilities which allow you to park your car at a low price and include a streetcar ticket to get to the city center. Try to park there in the morning as there is sometimes no space left if you arrive in the early afternoon on weekends!
• Book your accommodation VERY early: in Strasbourg, it is not uncommon to have reservations 6 months (or even a year!) in advance. Here is the list of my favorite hotels in Strasbourg.
• Remember to make your restaurant reservations early! Click here to see the list of my favorite restaurants in Strasbourg.

Don’t hesitate to read our article dedicated to the practical advice to visit the Christmas markets.

My photos of the Strasbourg Christmas Market