Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle at Christmas

Perched 757 metres above the Alsace plain, Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle towers over the vineyards and villages of the Alsace Wine Route between Sélestat and Colmar. In December, the fortress rebuilt for Emperor Wilhelm II can be visited in a wintry atmosphere: mist over the Vosges, pink sandstone, rooms warmed by large earthenware stoves, and sometimes a blanket of snow on the ramparts. Haut-Koenigsbourg at Christmas is not a market: you come for the castle itself, for the view and for the Christmas tours, before heading back down to the chalets of Sélestat, Ribeauvillé or Colmar.

An emperor’s fortress to visit in winter

The first castle appeared in the 12th century, built by the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Destroyed in 1462, remodelled by the Thierstein family, burned by the Swedes during the Thirty Years’ War, it lay in ruins for more than two centuries. It was Wilhelm II who decided to restore it: the architect Bodo Ebhardt led the reconstruction from 1900 to 1908, in the spirit of a 15th-century fortified castle. The result is one of the most visited monuments in eastern France, with nearly 600,000 visitors a year. The site now belongs to the European Collectivity of Alsace.

The visit follows a route of 300 steps through the lower courtyard, the kitchens, the banqueting hall, the Kaiser’s room painted by Léo Schnug, the bedrooms and the great bastion bristling with cannons. From the top of the square keep and the gardens, the panorama opens onto the plain, the Black Forest and, on clear days, as far as the Alps.

Christmas at the castle: what happens in December

Every winter, the castle stays open in December with reduced hours and offers Christmas-themed tours. The best known, “Noël, Noël!”, is a tour led by a guide who explains the Christmas traditions of the Middle Ages and Eastern Europe: legendary characters, recipes, songs and seasonal decorations in the rooms. It lasts 2 hours, is aimed at visitors aged 12 and over and must be booked in advance, as places are limited. For 2026, the dates announced by the castle are 5, 6, 12 and 13 December at 2pm, and they were already sold out in early October.

The castle is also bringing back “Une lumière pour Noël” (A Light for Christmas), a one-hour puppet show telling the story of a young lord and a servant girl at the castle during the festive season, for children aged 6 and over: on 19, 20 and 21 December 2026 at 10.30am and 3pm, booking required (€14 per adult, €10 for ages 6 to 17). On 23 December, the family workshop “Allons de l’Avent!”, for ages 6 and over, at 10am and 2pm, lets you make Christmas decorations in two hours (€16 per adult, €12 for ages 6 to 17, €10 at the reduced rate).

Watch out for closures: the castle is closed on 25 and 26 December, and on 1 January. On the first Sunday in December, entry is free for everyone, as on every first Sunday of the month from November to March.

Winter opening hours and prices

From November to March, the castle is open 9.30am-12pm and 1pm-5pm (from 10.30am on Mondays). Last entry is one hour before closing: in winter, you therefore need to be there before 4pm, and allow about an hour and a half for the full route.

Entry costs €12 for an adult, €8 for ages 6 to 17, €6 for the reduced rate, and there is a family ticket at €30 for two adults and two children. It is free for under-6s. The Christmas tours are charged separately: €16 for “Noël, Noël!” (€12 for ages 12 to 17, €10 at the reduced rate), €14 for “Une lumière pour Noël” (€10 for ages 6 to 17) and €16 for the “Allons de l’Avent!” workshop (€12 for ages 6 to 17, €10 at the reduced rate).

Getting there and what to combine it with

The castle is in the commune of Orschwiller, 12 km from Sélestat and 26 km north of Colmar, via the A35 motorway (exits 17 or 18) and then the winding road that climbs through the forest. A free car park with 150 spaces is just below the entrance, with six spaces reserved for disabled visitors. Without a car, the line 500 shuttle bus links Sélestat station and the castle from March to December for €3 per journey, with a discount on the entry ticket.

The route involves a lot of climbing and pushchairs are not allowed: bring a baby carrier and good shoes, as the courtyards and wall walks can be slippery in December. Dress warmly, even though the indoor rooms are heated.

Haut-Koenigsbourg combines very well with the nearby Christmas markets: Sélestat, the birthplace of the Christmas tree, is at the bottom of the hill; Ribeauvillé and its medieval market, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg are less than 20 km away on the Wine Route; Colmar and its six markets are half an hour away. A typical day: the castle in the morning as soon as it opens, lunch in a Wine Route village, then a Christmas market in the afternoon as the lights come on.

Around the castle: the birthplace of the Christmas tree

At the foot of the hill, Sélestat claims the oldest written mention of the Christmas tree: a town account book dated 1521 records the purchase of fir trees for the festive season. The Humanist Library displays this document every winter, and the town holds a friendly, human-scale Christmas market around the church of Saint-Georges, with trees decorated in the style of different eras in the streets of the centre. Allow 15 minutes by car from the castle car park.

A little further on, the Wine Route strings together the villages that make Alsace famous in December: Ribeauvillé and its medieval market over two weekends, Riquewihr and its illuminated half-timbered houses, Kaysersberg and its chalets beneath the castle. For nature lovers, the Montagne des Singes monkey park and the Volerie des Aigles eagle park in Kintzheim, Haut-Koenigsbourg’s next-door neighbours, close for the winter: in December, your outing is built around the castle and the markets, not the animal parks.

To stay nearby, hotels in Sélestat and the guest houses of Kintzheim, Orschwiller and Saint-Hippolyte are less than ten minutes away, and often cheaper than Colmar over the festive season. In the morning, the mist lingering over the plain and the sun catching the pink sandstone towers are worth the early start.