Thann Christmas Market

The spire of the Collegiate Church of Saint-Thiébaut rises more than seventy metres above the rooftops, and it sets the tone for Thann Christmas market. The chalets set up at its feet, on Place Joffre, in a maze of lanes where Flamboyant Gothic provides the scenery. This is the southern gateway to the Alsace Wine Route, the last wine stop before the Vosges, and you can tell as much in the glasses as in the atmosphere.

Thann Christmas market at the foot of the collegiate church

Twenty-five wooden chalets are spread across Place Joffre, Place Saint-Thiébaut, Place de la République and Place de Lattre de Tassigny. The format stays on a human scale, a change from the big overcrowded fairs: you can walk round in under an hour, chat with the stallholders and go back to a stand without elbowing your way through. Crafts, ceramics, jewellery, honey, confectioners and regional producers share the space.

The collegiate church, built between the 13th and 15th centuries, remains one of the high points of Rhenish Gothic in Alsace. Its stone lacework, lit up in the evening, makes a stunning backdrop. One moment is worth the trip on its own: Father Christmas abseiling down from the church's north spire, scheduled on certain December Sundays in the late afternoon.

Dates, opening hours and access for Thann Christmas market 2026

For 2026, the market is announced from 20 November to 24 December (dates to be confirmed in the official programme; the 2025 edition ran from 28 November to 27 December). Opening hours follow a regular pattern: Tuesday to Thursday from 2pm to 7pm, then Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 8pm. On 24 December, afternoon only.

The tram-train from Mulhouse drops you in the centre, a few steps from the chalets, which saves taking the car on busy days. If you do drive, the town has more than 520 free spaces spread across several car parks. From Strasbourg, allow about an hour and a half by TER regional train.

Bredele, gingerbread and Rangen wines

For food lovers, this is Alsace through and through. Warm pretzels, gingerbread and bredele make their way from stand to stand, and Vosges honey sits alongside the sweets. Traditional mulled wine is served straight from the chalets, and if you want to make it at home, a homemade mulled wine recipe will do the job nicely.

Thann has one more ace up its sleeve: the Rangen, a granite hillside classified as a grand cru and one of the steepest vineyards in Alsace. A Riesling or Pinot Gris from this terroir partners the local specialities with a striking minerality. The town marks the southern entry point to the Wine Route, which makes it a logical starting point for working your way up through the vineyards.

The legend of the Three Fir Trees

Thann owes its origins to an enduring legend. On the death of Saint Theobald (Thiébaut), Bishop of Gubbio, his relic is said to have been guided here by three flames resting on top of three fir trees. Every 30 June, the town commemorates this founding episode with the Crémation des Trois Sapins (Burning of the Three Fir Trees), a spectacular blaze on Place Joffre followed by fireworks. The ceremony takes place in summer, so don't confuse it with the December market, but it explains the three fir trees standing on the square and how attached the people of Thann are to their collegiate church.

To extend your outing, Mulhouse is twenty minutes away by tram-train: its Christmas market and its Christmas fabrics are worth the detour. Another possible stop as you head up through the vineyards is Colmar Christmas market and its illuminated districts.