Colmar Christmas Market

Little Venice dressed in light

Colmar in December is that suspended moment when the glow of the fairy lights dances on the canals of Little Venice. The half-timbered houses, already picturesque the rest of the year, turn properly magical under their Christmas decorations. Every window and every balcony tries to outdo the next.

Colmar Christmas market is spread across 6 separate sites in the old town. Each has its own character: crafts on Place des Dominicains, food on Place de l'Ancienne Douane, children on Place des Six Montagnes Noires.

One market, six moods

Place des Dominicains, overlooked by its Gothic church, hosts the most intimate of the indoor markets. Place de l'Ancienne Douane, with its medieval customs house in the middle, is where the Alsatian food is concentrated. The artisans' market at the Koïfhus showcases local know-how: pottery, ironwork, textiles.

For children, Place des Six Montagnes Noires becomes a Santa's village with workshops, rides and puppet shows. Few markets in France offer such a complete area for younger visitors.

Food and Alsace wines

Colmar is the capital of Alsace wine, and you can tell on the market. Local winegrowers pour tastings of Gewurztraminer and late-harvest Riesling, a perfect match for melted Munster cheese. The mulled-wine kougelhopf is a twist you will only find here.

Around Colmar

The Alsace Wine Route links Colmar to a dozen villages, each with its own Christmas market. Kaysersberg, Eguisheim and Riquewihr are all under 20 minutes away. A weekend in Colmar leaves plenty of time to fit in two or three of them.