When is the Colmar Christmas market in 2026, and how do you plan your visit?

Updated on September 28, 2026

In brief

Colmar runs 6 separate Christmas markets in and around its old town, all within about a 10 minute walk of each other.
2026 dates: November 23 to December 29, 2026, so the Colmar markets stay open for several days after Christmas.
2026 hours: 11:00 to 19:00 Monday to Thursday, and 10:00 to 20:00 Friday to Sunday.
The fastest trains from Strasbourg to Colmar take about 30 minutes, and TER Grand Est runs about 2 trains an hour in the daytime.
Colmar is about 73 km south of Strasbourg by the A35 highway, about 50 minutes to 1 hour by car depending on traffic.

Why the Colmar Christmas market is worth your time

The Colmar Christmas market is really a set of small markets, each on its own square in the old town, linked by lit streets and canals. The half-timbered houses of Petite Venise, reflected in the Lauch river after dark, are the reason most people come.

Compared with Strasbourg, Colmar feels more compact and easier to handle, especially with children or older travelers. It is not quiet, though: coaches and day-trippers fill the old town on December weekends, and the narrow streets around Petite Venise slow to a shuffle by midafternoon.

Expect Alsace crafts, bredele (small Christmas cookies), gingerbread, and mulled wine. For a warm break, the Unterlinden Museum (Musée Unterlinden) holds the Isenheim Altarpiece. It opens Wednesday to Monday, 9:00 to 18:00, and closes on Tuesdays and on December 25.

The Colmar Christmas markets, one sentence each

The Colmar Christmas market is made up of six individual markets, each with its own theme and setting. They sit close together in the old town, from Place des Dominicains in the north to Petite Venise in the south. Each gets one line below.

Place des Dominicains hosts about 60 chalets around the Dominican Church (Église des Dominicains), which holds the Madonna of the Rose Bower by Martin Schongauer and is open to visitors in December (closed on Mondays).
Place de l'Ancienne Douane gathers chalets around the Koïfhus, the old customs house at the center of the Colmar old town.
The Koïfhus indoor market, inside the old customs house, gathers about 20 Alsace artisans and stays dry whatever the weather.
Place Jeanne d'Arc hosts a market focused on local products, from foie gras and cold cuts to wine, schnapps, and bredele.
Place des Six Montagnes Noires, in Petite Venise, hosts the children's market, with rabbits and sheep, a mechanical nativity scene, a carousel, and Santa's giant letterbox by the Lauch river.
The gourmet market on Rue de la Montagne Verte has 9 chalets run by chefs, serving plates to eat standing or take away, and stays open into early January.

A simple route: start at Place des Dominicains, walk south through Place de l'Ancienne Douane and the Koïfhus, then end in Petite Venise as the lights come on.

How do you get to the Colmar Christmas market?

From Strasbourg, the TER regional train is the fastest and cheapest way for most visitors to reach the Colmar Christmas market: about 30 minutes on the fastest trains. Colmar station is about a 15 minute walk from Place de l'Ancienne Douane. Driving takes longer in December because the old town is closed to cars during market hours and nearby garages fill early.

Getting to the Colmar Christmas market from Strasbourg: the four main options
Option	Typical trip	Time	Cost	Best for
Train	TER Grand Est from Strasbourg to Colmar	About 30 minutes on the fastest trains	Fixed TER fare: check SNCF Connect for the current price	Couples and solo travelers going to Colmar only
Bus	FlixBus coach, currently about one direct departure a day	About 1 hour	Low fare: check flixbus.com for the current price	Rarely the best choice from Strasbourg
Rental car	A35 highway, then an old town garage or a park and ride shuttle	50 minutes to 1 hour, plus parking time	Rental, fuel, and parking; on market weekends, a park and ride at the Parc des Expositions costs 3 euros a day with a free shuttle	Travelers who also want the villages on their own schedule
Private driver	Hotel pick-up in Strasbourg, drop-off at the edge of the old town	About 1 hour door to door, more in December traffic	Priced per van, not per person	Groups of up to 7, and days that add village markets

FJ13 is not the best option for a couple or a solo traveler going from Strasbourg to Colmar and back with no other stop: the TER is faster than the road at rush hour and costs far less. If you are staying in Colmar old town, you need no transport at all. More detail is in Strasbourg to Colmar.

Flying straight to Colmar? EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg is the closest large airport, about 60 km south of Colmar, or about 40 minutes by car. See the closest airport to Colmar.

When should you go to the Colmar Christmas market in 2026?

The quietest times at the Colmar Christmas market are weekday mornings, before the day-trip coaches arrive. Colmar stays open until December 29, 2026, so you can also come after Christmas. December weekends are crowded from midday, especially in the narrow streets around Petite Venise.

The 2026 dates are November 23 to December 29. Stalls close early on December 24 (11:00 to 17:00), then open on December 25 and 26 from 10:00 to 20:00. December 25, 2026 falls on a Friday, so December 25 to 27 form a long weekend that can get busy.

Plan to arrive in the early afternoon and stay until dark, around 16:30 in December, to see the old town both in daylight and lit up. To add a village market, see the village Christmas markets. In 2026, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg close on December 20 (Kaysersberg opens on weekends only), while Eguisheim runs until December 30.

The Colmar Christmas market with FJ13 private driver

FJ13 is a private transport company with driver, based in Entzheim next to Strasbourg. For the Colmar Christmas market, your FJ13 driver picks you up at your hotel in Strasbourg, drives you to the edge of the Colmar old town, and meets you at a set time. The price is per van, for 1 to 7 passengers.

The real value is in combining Colmar with the village markets, which are hard to link by train on the same day. The Alsace Christmas markets private tour is a full day of about 10 hours that ends in Colmar after dark. The Christmas markets in France and Germany day pairs Alsace with a market across the Rhine.

Your driver knows the region and shares local tips along the way, and you get self-guided time in each market. Tolls, parking, and bottled water are included. A 20% surcharge applies between 21:00 and 06:00, which matters if you stay in Colmar for the evening lights and ride back to Strasbourg late.

A Colmar hotel pick-up is also possible, at the same price as from Strasbourg. Tell us your dates and group size in the quote configurator.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Petite Venise Christmas market good for young kids?

Yes. The Petite Venise market in Colmar, on Place des Six Montagnes Noires, is designed for children, with rabbits and sheep, a carousel, hot apple juice, and Santa's giant letterbox. The streets around it are narrow and packed on weekends, so a stroller is easier on a weekday morning.

Which Colmar Christmas market is indoors if it rains?

The Koïfhus market, inside the old customs house on Place de l'Ancienne Douane, is the indoor option in Colmar. It gathers about 20 Alsace artisans, from potters to glassmakers. The other Colmar markets are outdoors, with only the chalet roofs for shelter.

Are the Colmar Christmas markets open after Christmas Day?

Yes. In 2026 the Colmar Christmas markets stay open on December 25 and 26 (10:00 to 20:00) and run until December 29, so you can still visit between Christmas and New Year. Nearby Eguisheim runs until December 30.

Can you take a boat ride in Petite Venise in December?

Yes. Flat-bottomed boat rides on the Lauch river in Petite Venise run year-round, but winter hours can be shorter, so call the operator (Sweet Narcisse) before you go. Rides last about 25 to 30 minutes.

What time is the last train from Colmar back to Strasbourg in December?

On the current timetable, the last trains from Colmar to Strasbourg leave late in the evening, close to midnight. SNCF timetables change each December, so check the last departure for your date on SNCF Connect. Buy your ticket before you board: evening trains fill up after the markets close.

How many hours do you need to see all the Colmar Christmas markets?

Three to four hours is enough to walk through every Colmar Christmas market, eat something, and see Petite Venise lit up.