Marches-de-noel.fr is a guide to the Christmas markets of France and its neighbouring countries, in six languages. We tell you what to expect when you get there and where each piece of information comes from.
Who we are
StartingUP publishes the site. The site’s editorial team writes the listings, the top picks and the articles. We work as a team and we read each other’s work before we publish it. The legal notice names the publisher and the publication director.
What you will find on the site
Every market has its own listing, from village markets to the big markets of Alsace, with the same sections: dates, opening hours, how to get there, prices, atmosphere and nearby markets. The map shows where every market is; the regions, the top picks and the practical guides help you choose.
How we work
Where our information comes from
Our sources are the organiser, the tourist office and the town council. We check each piece of information with them and note the date of that check, because dates and opening hours change from one year to the next, and sometimes during the season. On request, we will send you the list of sources for a listing.
When the dates are not yet known
We show the dates of an edition as soon as the organiser announces them. Until then, the listing says “to be confirmed” and reminds you of the previous edition’s dates. Many towns announce their programme between September and November.
A second read before publication
Someone other than the author reads every fact and goes back to the sources. They remove any fact that is not confirmed, or mark it “to be confirmed”. Translations go through the same check.
The four levels of reach
We rank each market by the journey it is worth from France. Worth the trip: a destination in its own right. Worth the weekend: a big market, worth coming from another region for. Day out: the leading market in its region. Local favourite: a town’s own market, for its residents and for people passing through. You can filter the map and the list of markets by level.
The photos
Most of the photos are under a free licence; a few belong to their rights holders. The “©” button on each photo shows its credit; the legal notice gives the full list in the “Photo credits” section. Our own images carry the label “Illustrative image”: they show the atmosphere of a Christmas market, not necessarily the one in the listing or the current edition.
The box at the bottom of each listing
The “Reviewed and approved by the editorial team” box closes every listing and every article. On a listing, it gives the date of our last check and the number of official sources.
After publication
We update a listing when the organiser announces something new. During the 2026 season, we will also visit markets in person and add to their listings. We correct every error we find and record it on the Corrections page.
How the site is funded
Affiliate links fund the site: when you book a hotel or a train through one of our links, the platform pays us a commission and you pay the same price. Our top picks and our rankings stay our own, with no paid placements and no sponsored content.
Contact us
Write to us about a wrong date, a market missing from the guide, a question about a listing, or if you organise a market. The form at the bottom of each listing and each article sends us your message with the name of the page. You can also email us at bonjour@marches-de-noel.fr. We reply within seven days.