Strasbourg Christmas Market: The Ultimate Guide for 2022

Noël à Strasbourg—Christmas in Strasbourg—is something any lover of the holidays must experience! If you’re looking for a quintessential European Christmas market experience, I’d start here.

First established in 1570, the “Christkindelsmärik,” is France’s oldest Christmas market . . . and it was everything I dreamed it would be. If you’ve ever wanted to live inside a Hallmark Christmas movie, this is the place where you can do it.

Now that I’ve experienced the Strasbourg Christmas Market, I want everyone else to see the magic for themselves! So, I’ve put together this Strasbourg Christmas market guide to help you plan the perfect holiday trip.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that allow us to earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.

Strasbourg Christmas Market Dates and Hours 2022

The Strasbourg Christmas Market opening hours for 2022 are November 25th until December 24th from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

However, on November 25th, the hours are 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on December 24th from 11 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Strasbourg Christmas Market Location

Where are the Christmas markets in Strasbourg? We received a great map at the security checkpoint as we entered Strasbourg’s Grande Île (“Big Island”), which identified a dozen different markets around town. Most are on the Grande Île, although a few smaller ones are just over the bridge.

Here’s a list of the Christmas market locations, the number of vendors and any theme that location has:

• Place Grimmeisen: OFF Market (14 stalls)
• Square Louise Weiss: Advent Village
• Place Zix et Place des Meuniers: Small Producers of Alsace (9 stalls)
• Place Saint-Thomas: Children’s Village (13 stalls)
• Place Kléber: The Big Tree (85 stalls)
• Place du Temple-Neuf: Golden Square (18 stalls)
• Place Broglie: The Historic Market (64 stalls)
• Place de la Cathédrale (47 stalls)
• Place du Château (30 stalls)
• Place du Marché-aux-Poissons (6 stalls)
• Terrasse Rohan: Christmas Delights (24 stalls)
• Place du Corbeau: Small Market (6 stalls)

Place Kléber is where you’ll find the big tree and the largest number of stalls, including hand-crafted gifts, jewelry, clothing and plenty of food and beverage options. This market alone would make Strasbourg a great destination, but it’s just one of a dozen in town. It’s the largest, so it’s where we started.

Place Broglie and Place de la Cathédrale are the next largest in town. You absolutely must experience the market around the foot of the cathedral at night. It’s nothing short of magical.

View an interactive Map of Strasbourg Christmas Markets here

Strasbourg Christmas Market Address

Because there are 12+ Christmas markets scattered around Strasbourg, there’s no one address. However, if you’re looking for a central location to map yourself to in order to begin exploring Strasbourg’s Christmas markets, go straight to Place Kleber: Pl. Kléber, 67000 Strasbourg, France.

Strasbourg’s Grande Île is pedestrian-only throughout the Christmas Market period, with free access for pedestrians and cyclists. There are security checkpoints you’ll have to pass through to enter the Grande Île, which includes a bag check.

Planning a Trip to the Strasbourg Christmas Market

Hotels Near the Strasbourg Christmas Markets

We stayed at a boutique hotel in Strasbourg called Hôtel Hannong, and I would highly recommend it. Our room was spacious and quiet, and it was easy walking distance to all of the Strasbourg’s Christmas markets.

Hotels that are walking distance to the Strasbourg Christmas Markets:

Hôtel Hannong *our pick

Regent Petite France & Spa

BOMA

Maison Rouge Strasbourg Hotel & Spa, Autograph Collection

Citadines Kleber Strasbourg

voco Strasbourg Centre – the Garden, an IHG Hotel

Strasbourg Train Station to Christmas Market

We took a train from Gare de L’est in Paris to the Strasbourg City station. The ride was under two hours, and we were able to reserve two seats with a table in advance.

It’s a short walk from the Strasbourg City station to the bridge that takes you over onto the Grande Île. Hôtel Hannong, where we stayed, is on the Grande Île (0.4 miles/650 meters from the station), as are most of the Strasbourg Christmas markets.

If you have a parking pass from a hotel, you’ll be allowed to enter. However, you have no need for a car while you’re here.

Strasbourg Christmas Market Food

You never have to leave the markets to round up plenty of tasty treats. You can find a wide assortment of pressed sandwiches, pretzels with a variety of toppings, sausages, spätzle and more.

Perhaps my favorite part of the Christmas markets: red and white mulled wine (vin chaud in French). Some stalls had a dozen or more different flavors, the raspberry vin chaud being my personal favorite.

The different stalls for vin chaud also have their own annual designs for their cups, and you get a discount if you continue reusing your cup. You can carry your drinks all around town with you as you walk from market to market.

Tours During Strasbourg Christmas Market

Overwhelmed by the number of markets in Strasbourg and not sure where to start? Take this two-hour tour of the Strasbourg Christmas markets to get the lay of the land and figure out where you want to go back and spend more time.

If you want to check out another great market nearby, you can go on this tour as a day trip to Colmar’s Christmas market from Strasbourg. Or, if you want to experience more of the fabulous Alsace wine nearby, combine this wine tour that also includes a Christmas market.

Strasbourg Christmas Market Itinerary

I wish we had stayed longer, but we were able to visit all 10 markets in Strasbourg in only an overnight stay with two mostly full days in town without feeling like we were rushing around too much. It was just so wonderful that I wish we had stayed longer!

Here’s our 36-hour itinerary:

Day 1

10:00 a.m.: Arrive on train from Paris

10:30 a.m.: Check into Hôtel Hannong (they even had our room ready early)

11:00 a.m.: Head out from the hotel to Place Kléber (home of the big tree and the largest number of stalls)

12:00 p.m.: Eat lunch from a stall in Place Kléber (so much deliciousness to enjoy!)

12:30 p.m.: 6:30 p.m. Stroll around the Christmas markets. We headed west and checked out all the markets in that direction, ending at Place de la Cathédrale (definitely most stunning at night).

6:30 p.m.: Dinner at Brasserie Floderer (which was excellent)

8:30 p.m.: Stop in Place Kléber on the way back to the hotel and grab great nighttime selfies with no one else around to edit out

Day 2

10:00 a.m.: Grabbed pastries for a late breakfast at a nearby café and plan our day

10:30 a.m.: Stopped in some nearby stores to shop

11:30 a.m.: Walked east and south to hit the markets we missed the previous day

1:00 p.m.: Head back to the hotel to get our luggage

1:30 p.m.: Walk from the hotel to the train station

2:45 p.m.: Catch the train back to Paris

Although I loved Strasbourg enough to want to stay longer, you really can hit the highlights here in 36 hours if you’re short on time. It’s much smaller and easier to get around than I even imagined, so we were able to do everything we had on our list, including hitting all the markets.

Strasbourg Christmas Market Review

Is the Strasbourg Christmas market worth visiting? Absolutely!

Visiting the Strasbourg Christmas market was the highlight of our December trip to France and Belgium. Although we visited other markets, nothing had the same charm as these markets and the surrounding town with his alpine architecture. If there was a Hallmark Christmas movie set around Christmas markets, this is where it would be filmed!

So, if you love Christmas and have the ability to get there, do yourself a favor and go.