Strasbourg France Christmas Market - A Perfect Guide To Magical Evening

I've been to several European Christmas Markets but I wasn't expecting the expansive and utter twinkling Christmas spirit within the Strasbourg Christmas market. Lines of chalets adorned in bows of deep green pine, dotted in contrast with red berries, small uniquely crafted trinkets, cozy blankets, deliciously soft slippers, warm mulled wine and spiced juices along with a multitude of treats filled my vision. If you are wondering if traveling to the Strasbourg Christmas Market is worth it, then the answer is a resounding yes. While many will travel to either Paris or the infamous German Christmas Markets - because of the history in the Alsace region, you can get the best of both worlds. 

Things To Know Before Visiting Strasbourg Christmas Market

Should you choose to visit, be aware that the entire Christmas market area is blocked off to cars (lots of tourists = easy target). They have each person open their bag(s) to examine inside, then randomly scan people for metal with a wand. So if you have a hotel in the center of the markets/city then you will need to be prepared to walk about 5-12 minutes to it. 

There isn't really a place to park unless you are willing to walk quite a ways into the market. There are paid parking stalls, but honestly it will be easier to take trains, buses, and taxis. From Paris it is 1 hr 46 min ride on a fast train, but I came from Luxembourg and took about 2 hours for me. All the markets are easy to walk to, but if it starts to rain make sure to have umbrella and dress in layers. 

The markets are open every day from 11:30 am until 8-9 pm and open (typically) around the end of November to the end of December. 

The toilets are few and far between, but make sure to bring some coins to pay for entrance. It is typically easier to just have a hotel near the markets, or use the toilets where you have lunch/dinner. 

Most hotels and the visitors center will have a map of each of the Christmas Market locations, it can be anywhere from 9-12 areas where vendors from 6-33 per location are set up so make sure to grab one as it makes it SO MUCH easier to navigate the different areas.

What is Strasbourg Christmas Market Known For

It isn't just chalets full of yummy traditional Christmas treats (see below) influenced by French and German cuisine. The entire Alsace region (north and south of Strasbourg) explodes into activities, traditions and celebrations of Christ. 

The Strasbourg Christmas market started in 1570, after the reformation changed the 'Saint Nicholas' into the 'Baby Jesus Market" - thus making it the oldest Christmas market in France, and one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe. In the middle ages the stalls typically consisted of wax chandlers, gingerbread vendors (spices were very expensive), herbalists, saddlers, second-hand clothes dealers, and haberdashers. 

You can learn about the different Christmas characters of the region like Saint Andrew, Saint Barbara, Saint Lucy, Saint Thomas, Saint Stephen, the Tree Wise Men, and the tradition of the dish of Onions. While most of the world started to spread rumors of Saint Nick, he was often known as de Wihanachtasmann (the Christmas Man) or Hans Trapp in the Alsace region. He was often seen with a bishop's crook (or cane), a bag full of toys, a whip or hooded cloak. 

Make sure to try the different traditional Christmas treats like Butterbredele (butter biscuits), Berawecka (nut and fruit bread/cake), Christstolle (fruit bread with icing/sugar), Mannele (in gingerbread man with raisins), Lebkuchen Gingerbread (gingerbread covered with images of Saint Nick with honey & spices), Leckerli (cookies made by the women of the house on first day of advent), Kougelhopf (cake with brandy, fruit, in the shape of bundt cake), Galette des Rois (King Cake - a type of cake, celebrate the wise men). The savory treats you can find at the Christmas market are Bretzels, Duck Foie gras, and Stuffed Goose. The traditional Christmas drinks include mulled wine, Christmas Beers, Local Christmas Wines and Brandy's.

Beyond the markets, make sure to check out the 'Secret Christmas' locations like Place du Marche Gayot workshop with some unique christmas tree decorations being made. You can catch different Christmas tales being performed at Place Mathias Merian. There are concerts at Place Saint Etienne around a table with other musicians with festive tunes being played in an intimate environment. 

You can take a baking class with friends/family to make the traditional Christmas biscuits of Strasbourg and Alsace. These cookies are typically made and eaten during advent while singing with other locals around the Christmas Cribs dotted throughout the region.  

Is Strasbourg Christmas Market Worth it? 

While Strasbourg is a city that has existed since the 12th Century BC, it still has a small town feel with cozy shops with welcoming locals. During the day you can hardly walk down the street without a musician or music group trying to share their talents, local shops outside wanting to share taste tests of their products like artisanal filet mignon, truffle sauces, spices, meats and bread. 

While there are products in the market that are DEFINITELY cheap and likely shipped in from China, you can find the smaller items from local vendors that are uniquely made in this region. It is easy to tell though, and I still think visiting the Strasbourg Christmas Market is worth it for gifts 🎁. 

My friend that came with me doesn't celebrate Christmas, between the museums, views, food, shops, and unique things that make this city so charming - she genuinely had a good time as well. 

Christmas Market Highlights

Between stuffing myself with Spatzel, wine, hot chocolate, varities of chocolates, meats and cheeses. The other highlights of the Strasbourg Christmas Market for me were: 

• Place Kléber has the 98 ft (30 m) Christmas Tree near the Galeries Lafayette Strasbourg whose lights are coordinated with the music every day from 4 pm to 9 pm on the hour and lasts about 15 minutes. 
• Place Broglie is where you will find a small representation of where the oldest Christmas market in France started. 
• Place de la Cathédrale is where you can find the 6th tallest cathedral in the world, and if you go inside you can find the astronomical clock and at least 30 different types of nativities on display. The entire cathedral is surrounded by Christmas stalls, on the back side of the Cathedral you can find the merry-go-round as well as roasted chestnuts. 
• Palais des Rohan has all the unique French delicacies, so for the more refined tastebuds I recommend this spot. 
• Place du temple-Neuf has less stalls, and more of the gourmet craft stores. 
• Place Benjamin Zix is near Le Petite France (opposite side of Cathedral) where you will find the colorful houses, a smattering of Christmas stalls, and little windows serving hot juices, coffee, mulled wine of many varities and the old mill home. 
• Louise-Weiss and Suzanne Lacore squares this is where you will find little Christmas houses and play areas set up for kids and families right along the river. I saw dogs running along the river with their owners, and small spaces that allow for a reprieve from the Christmas crowd onslaught that tends to happen on the weekends here. 
• Place Grimmeisen is where you will find more of the locals congregating for Christmas items and gifts. 
• Grande Île road is where the stores are all decorated in Christmas decor and makes for a great photo op
• Rue du Vieux-marché-aux-Poissons - this is where you will find the Strasbourg, capitale de Noël lighted arch that is also a classic photo spot. 

Christmas Objects Significant To The Area

Each region and country in Europe has traditional items that are often seen in the area, and culturally can hold quite a bit of significance. 

Christmas Balls - beyond being baubles, these emerged after an 1858 drought that made walnuts and apples in short supply for Christmas tree decor, so Christmas balls emerged. These glass blown baubles, called Meisenthal Christmas Balls. You can find them dotted throughout the Christmas market here. 

Red Apples were one of the first decorations used on the Christmas Tree in this region, as a way to symbolize the fruit of temptation and death. 

Pomander or Oranges or Clementines was cherished as the ultimate Christmas treat, and often left of Saint Nicholas who, in this region, traditionally road a donkey. They are now often used here to flavor the many Christmas beers and wines that emerge during this time of year. Here they often cut them into slices and then stick cloves in them. While it might seem it is for flavor, the aroma of whole oranges stuffed with cloves set in closets warded off moths that would plague the winter wool stuffed closets. 

Candles are meant to represent hope, life, and rebirth in certain regions of Alsace you can find four candles set atop an evergreen advent crown with red ribbons. 

Christmas Motifs such as stars, angels, St Nick, bells, straw hearts, wooden spiral-shaped pyramids, carousels, and marzipan - all of which are available to make on your own during your visit with workshops dotty throughout the city. 

Foods To Try At The Strasbourg Christmas Market

French are known for their cuisine, but when you combine the German influence in Strasbourg it makes for a deliciously delectable adventure of the palate. While at the Christmas Market, make sure to pick up some of these treats. It is a little difficult to know what each item is, so I HIGHLY recommend getting Wifi or internet for your phone so you can use Google translate photo function to konw what you are actually eating. 

• Pain D’épices French spiced bread shaped into loaves or gingerbread men
• Bredele buttery or spiced cookies eaten during Christmas time in Strasbourg
• Pommes D’amour candied apples, circular sliced apples breaded and fried
• Boules de Neige a coconut covered mousse that looks like a dirty snowball 
• Mannele Brioche bread made in the shape of Saint Nick stuffed with raisins or chocolate
• Spaetzle — a rich creamy, non-diet ;) food that is basically like maccaroni with different artisanal butters, cheeses, creme and spices. It is deliciously addictive, and recommend sharing it with someone because it is quite heavy on the stomach. 
• Tarte flambée is essentially pizza but without the tomato sauce - while I will likely be roasted by the French for describing it this way as it is almost sacred to the Alsacian people
• Bretzel this is a pretzel on steroids, although I would rather have it made fresh, it is basically a pretzel with different artisanal cheeses, meats, spices and flavors unique to the area 
• Other Treats: Sable Rum Raisns cookies, Linzters, Chocolates and fudges of all varieties and textures, 
• Drinks: Delicious homemade dried teas, Saint-Pierre Biere (Santa Claus Beer), 
• Kougelhopf - bundt shaped pastry made from rum, spices and raisins then dusted with powdered sugar
• Berawecka - fruit and brandy in a cake served in thin slices with tea or foie gras
• Springerle - these are small traditional German biscuits flavored with aniseed, decorated into traditional molds
• Foie Gras - a sort of shaped, smoothed duck liver and is the classic cuisine of Alsace, always served with panache

Christmas Market Products and Gifts

There are a lot of trinkets you can find at the markets, many are well made, it is a perfect place to find those Christmas treats or small gifts to give to friends and family for Christmas. 

• Coin purses, purses, and belts
• Scarves and gloves
• slippers and wool cloaks
• nutcrackers
• christmas ornaments
• food delicacies
• Strasbourg mugs and cups for the mulled wine
• small musical instruments
• candle holders 
• paper lanterns
• Small Strasbourg looking small ceramic homes

What To Pack For Strasbourg At Christmas

For reference, I live in a high desert town in Utah in the USA - so any location that has any kind of humidity, my body tends to be a bit more sensitive to the cold. That being said, I would certainly dress in layers. 

For me I wore a cute cream puffy white coat with a beanie, and then stuck my trusty rain poncho in my bag for when the drizzly rain started. I wouldn't bring an umbrella honestly, it annoys the other patrons - especially in the more crowded areas, as the aisles between the chalets can get quite crowded. 

If it does rain, it is a bit hard to find places to shelter until the updraft occurs, or the rain passes through. 

You could really wear any kind of shoes, but I would suggest something comfortable and a bit weather proof with good traction. The streets are fairly flat, no cobblestones really, so you should be ok if you have ankle or knee instability. 

Things To See Near Strasbourg For Christmas

You can participate in treasure hunts and escape games designed for families where local legends, mythical christmas characters, or history of Strasbourg/Alsace. Christmas wine cellars open up and offer tours of novel tastes of wine. 

There are choir recitals, music ensembles and solos that are constantly taking place throughout December. Make sure to check recital times and places and plan your visit around one of these as they typically take place inside the medieval cathedrals that have insane acoustics. 

Follow the Christmas Crib Trail where the true meaning of Christmas is remembered through the nativity and the symbolism of it. This trail follows different churches, homes, where the nativity is represented by blown glass, metal, paper, carved wood each expressing it in their own way. This is throughout the Alsace region, and has about 40 different locations with beautiful varities of the nativity. If you are driving into Strasbourg this is a great activity to keep you entertained.

Choosing Where To Stay in Strasbourg

There are hostels near the center of Strasbourg you can stay at if you are on a budget, but you can also get a bit bougie and stay at Hôtel Le Bouclier D'or. This hotel is a 5-star hotel, originally built in the 16th century that was once home to the Schilt Knights, it was plundered during the revolution, and then rebuilt in the 1970's. It is a 1-minute walk from a Christmas market, and about a 5 minute walk from the Strasbourg Cathedral. 

If you don't want to stay there, you can definitely find a hotel more mid-range, but it might be a bit further from town. One tip I would suggest while looking for a place to stay, you need to have a sauna or hot tub you can utilize. When staying in a more humid area during winter the cold really seeps into the bones and it can take awhile to get warm at night but a sauna and hot tub really really help with that. 

My Takeaway Of Strasbourg France Christmas market

I went to the Strasbourg Christmas market in conjunction with the trip to Luxembourg Christmas market for my Birthday. I wouldn't have changed a thing about combining them both, other than wishing I would have arranged a few more tours in Strasbourg along with some Christmas themed workshops. 

I was so glad we scheduled time to visit during the weekday, as the weekends were SO BUSY with day tourists, you could hardly walk down the road to the cathedral without bumping into or being bumped into by people. The musicians aren't able to play along the street because it gets too crowded as well, so there is a certain charm you miss by going on the weekend. 

Strasbourg Christmas market is well worth the effort to visit, and looks like something out of a Hans Christian Anderson fairytale book. The food was so delicious, and I definitely should have stayed longer than 3 days because there were just SO MANY treats and items to sample and try - I just got WAY to full every day. I found so many great gifts, and think a new favorite food - Truffle Sauce! OMG....(wipes drool) -- With the historical nature of the city, the length the Christmas Market has existed - it truly has earned (at least to my assessment) the Christmas capitol of the world. 

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