DECEMBER 2022
I couldn’t believe my luck when it turned out to be the perfect weather when we were on our trip in the Alsace. The Alsace is especially magical during Christmas time and I was able to plan a day trip to Colmar and Riquewihr from Strasbourg. Most villages in the Alsace are decorated abundantly during Christmas time and I would recommend to visit at least one. Unfortunately, the Christmas markets are already over, but this blogpost will serve as an inspiration for next year!
Parking in Colmar
It gets incredibly busy in Colmar during Christmas time, so if you arrive later during the day you should arrive by train or park your car in a P+R. Another plus of parking in a P+R is that it is free. We parked our car at the P+R at Parc des Expositions, a free shuttle bus runs regularly and takes you into the city center in 10 minutes. We arrived driving from Strasbourg, which is about 1 hour. You can find my blogposts on Strasbourg’s Christmas markets here.
Colmar
We arrived to Colmar at 11AM, which is already too late to take unobstructed pictures. Colmar is only a small town and it attracts lots of tourists, so it gets very busy in the streets. I would recommend to arrive between 9-10AM if you are keen on taking good pictures for your Instagram. I kind of let go of my Instagram goal and decided just to be happy to visit this magical town! If you venture off the main streets, you will still find some nice opportunities for pictures.
The Christmas markets in Colmar are open from 24 Nov until 29 Dec, so you have an opportunity to visit them after Christmas (unlike Strasbourg). They open daily at around 10AM and close at 7PM, and are closed on Christmas Day as well.
In between the city center of Colmar and Petite Venise you will find an enormous Ferris wheel. To be honest, I heard the view wasn’t very good, so we didn’t take a ride. A ticket costs € 8 and you can join the wheel for a few spins.
Petite Venise is the most picturesque area of Colmar, so you should definitely not miss out. It does get jam packed though. When we were done with the crowds, we headed into the market hall and were able to find a seat and have a flammküchen and mulled wine. Near Petite Venise, you will also find the children’s market, which features a few fun rides. I personally loved the decorations at hotel Le Marchechal, if you pay close attention you will see it is decorated in polar bears!
Riquewihr
Near Colmar, you will find many cute villages that lay it all out with Christmas traditions, such as Riquewihr, Ribeauville, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg. You should be able to take a shuttle bus from Colmar, but I heard it didn’t go very often, so we took the car instead.
We decided on heading to Riquewihr, I had been before during autumn when it was raining and would really like to say it without the fog. Parking can be a real challenge during the weekends and we parked all the way out in the vineyards. The parking situation already indicated how insanely busy it would be in the village. I think you should go in with the right mindset, if you expect it to be busy, it won’t be that bad. The decorations in Riquewihr are top notch, it basically is one big street full of colorful, half-timbered houses all decorated in the loveliest way.
One of the main attractions in Riquewihr is the Käthe Wolhfahrt store. There usually is a queue in front of it and we didn’t go in, but we admired the shop window instead. Definitely a good activity for kids, Hugo didn’t want to leave 😉
I was surprised to find a very good photo opportunity at the polar bear house, which is located in a side street of the main street. Riquewihr is very small, so you won’t miss it.
Dining can be a bit of a challenge during the Christmas season, the good restaurants tend to get booked up weeks in advance. If you want to have dinner in a restaurant, I advise you to reserve timely. You can also have some bites at the Christmas markets, there is a small Christmas market near the entrance of Riquewihr.
Conclusion
I absolutely loved seeing all the decorations in the Alsace, but if you have a strong dislike against crowds and do not like Christmas, I would recommend to visit it in a different period. You can find my autumn blogpost on the Alsace here and my cycling adventure in summertime here.
