Exploring Strasbourg’s Christmas Markets

Since 1992, Strasbourg has been officially dubbed the Capital of Christmas. Every year, the city’s squares play host to 8 official Christmas markets, with over 300 market chalets.

Strasbourg’s Christmas markets are among the most famous in Europe, with markets spread throughout the historic centre. If you’re planning a visit, here’s what you need to know about where the markets are, what to expect, what to eat, and how to make the most of your time in Strasbourg at Christmas.

About Strasbourg Christmas Markets

Strasbourg’s history of Christmas markets goes back to the late 1500s, making it one of Europe’s oldest markets.

There are hundreds of chalets dotted around the city in various town squares. Maps across the city make it easy to locate different market spots.

The original market is now held on Place Broglie, where you’ll find stalls selling traditional decorations, crafts and festive treats. Some of the other main market areas include Place de la Cathédrale, where the stalls spread around the Cathedral and Place du Château; Place Kléber, dominated by Strasbourg’s enormous Christmas tree; and Petite France, where you can browse stalls among the half-timbered houses and canals. There’s also the more food-focused market around the Rohan Palace and the alternative, socially conscious Marché Off.

The markets themselves are a mixture of Christmas decorations, handmade crafts, local products, food and drink. You’ll find plenty of traditional Alsatian specialities alongside the more familiar Christmas-market fare. The atmosphere is a big part of the experience: even when you’re not buying anything, wandering between the illuminated squares and decorated streets is one of the nicest things to do in Strasbourg at Christmas.

The markets are open each day from 11:30 until 9 pm (except for Christmas Eve, when they close at 6pm). It gets incredibly busy in the evenings. We went on a Thursday evening and again during the daytime on a Friday. If you want to avoid crowds, aim to go during daylight hours.

Food and Drink

In nearly every one of the market areas, you will find stalls selling vin chaud, or mulled wine. You’ll spot them straight away by the smell of spices, and the waft of steam coming from the big copper pots or black cauldrons.

They offer both red and white wine options, with many stalls selling spiced hot apple juice as a non-alcoholic alternative (and equally delicious!). There’s something so cosy about holding a warm drink in cold hands.

To keep things sustainable, drinks in Strasbourg’s Christmas markets are served in reusable plastic cups. You’ll be charged a small deposit of about €1 per cup. Then, you can either return the cups to get your deposit back, or keep them as a souvenir.

Vegan tips for visiting Strasbourg:

On the whole, Strasbourg is not an exceptionally vegan-friendly city. You will find some restaurants on Happy Cow, and you may come across others who are happy to adapt their dishes.

Vegan options are improving, but don’t expect every market stall to have a plant-based option. When I visited, I found that pretzels and fries were the easiest choices, although we also found a stall on Place Kléber selling vegan galettes.

However, I have generally found French supermarkets to be pretty good for vegan food. We booked an Airbnb with a kitchen for this reason, and cooked most of our meals ourselves in Strasbourg. We went to the Monoprix by Place Kléber when we arrived and stocked up.

Where to stay for Strasbourg’s Christmas markets

See my article on best Strasbourg Christmas stays here.

If you’re visiting specifically for the Christmas markets, I’d recommend staying in or close to the historic centre. We stayed on the Grande Île, between the Cathedral and Place Kléber, and being able to walk everywhere made visiting the markets incredibly easy.

Tips for visiting Strasbourg’s Christmas markets:

Overall, I loved Strasbourg. It’s a magical city, and I had the nicest two days exploring with my husband. If you decide to go, I hope you love it too. Hopefully these tips help you get the most out of your visit:

• Toilets are not easy to find. There are some public toilets on Place Kléber, at the opposite end of the Christmas tree. These are free to use. Nearby, the department store Printemps also has toilets, but charge to use them.
  The maps showed public toilets near the cathedral, but I couldn’t find them and signage was poor.
• Restaurant reservations: It gets so busy when the market is on, so if you do want to try some of the local restaurants, I recommend making reservations.
• Arriving by plane: The airport has a train station that will take you right into the centre of the city. At about €4, it’s far cheaper than a taxi.
• Arriving by train: The city centre is about a ten minute walk from the main train station, with trains arriving from all over France.
• Security measures: The city centre was blocked off from traffic, with security at main entrances into the city. I was asked to unzip my suitcase so the guards could check I wasn’t carrying anything dangerous. While this may seem inconvenient, it is unfortunately necessary and helps keep everyone safe.
• Crowds: The markets get crowded after dark. It’s a tradeoff, because the city looks so beautiful lit up at night, and the market looks so cute and festive. I found a good balance in visiting during the day to properly see all the stalls and what they had to offer, and visiting in the evening for a vin chaud and the atmosphere.