DECEMBER 2022
As you might have already noticed on this blog; I am a big fan of the Alsace region in France. I am also a huge Christmas fan, so you can imagine how happy I was when I booked a trip to Strasbourg at the end of November. Strasbourg is the self acclaimed Capitale de Noël and it was such a dream to visit the Christmas markets. In this blogpost I will give you all my recommendations for a visit to the Christmas markets of Strasbourg!
Where we stayed
Lodging becomes super expensive during the Christmas markets, so you must book well in advance to get a good deal. Most hotels adjust their prices upwards during the weekends, so you will be able to find better deals for weekdays. We booked a stay with Adagio Illkirch-Graffenstaden, where we had been before. This hotel is located a 15 minute tram ride away from Strasbourg city center and there is a tram stopping in front of the hotel every 10 minutes, which is perfect. The hotel also has affordable parking for € 5 per night. We wanted to explore the area, so a car was a necessity. Lots of hotels in the old city center do not have parking, but you could use a P+R outside the city to fix that. Adagio has several styles of rooms between € 100 – € 200 per night. The studios are cheapest and turned out to be very spacious, so I regretted hiring a big room with a separate sleeping area. Don’t expect a stylish hotel, the amenities in your room are a bit scarce, but it is a fine budget option.
Strasbourg Christmas markets with kids
You will find Christmas markets scattered throughout Strasbourg. My favorite Christmas market was the one in front of the Cathedral and after that the one with the pig tree (Place Kléber). In 2022 the Christmas markets ran from Nov 21 – Dec 23. We visited on the first weekend it opened, and I think that was sensible as I read that it became busier each weekend. I found the Christmas markets an incredibly fun activity to do with my little toddler, he loved all the Christmas decorations and the markets were the perfect spot for a quick bite with a kid. The markets open at 11AM and close at 8PM, which is bedtime for little Hugo anyway. The big Christmas tree is decorated differently each year and definitely a hit with kids. Just beware that the lights stop sparkling at 8PM. In December it gets dark really early anyway, so plenty of time to admire it. The Christmas markets had a good combination of food and Christmassy presents, which also made it a lot of fun to wander around with Hugo. I must say that we were lucky that it wasn’t cold when we visited the markets, which made our visit a bit easier. Just make sure to bundle up the kids accordingly!
Instagram spots
Besides the markets Strasbourg is very Instagrammable during Christmas, lots of stores and streets are decorated in an over-the-top way. One of the popular decorations is with teddy or polar bears, which makes these buildings a must-see for kids (and child-like parents). It kind of reminded me of the Christmas decorations in London, but the difference is that every building in Strasbourg is decorated! Most of these decorations return yearly, so you can re-use this Instagram guide.
Le Tire-Bouchon is the famous teddy bear restaurant, which I absolutely loved! We arrived at 10AM on the weekend and it wasn’t busy at all, just a few bystanders taking pictures. It is also lovely illuminated at night, but very, very crowded.
Rue du Chaudron is a lovely street during Christmas time as well, many of the shops in this street are decorated so beautifully!
You will find a beautiful arch welcoming you into Strasbourg at the Musee historique de la ville de Strasbourg, which I found a very good Instagram spot as well.
Petite-France is one of the cutest areas in Strasbourg, you will find half-timbered houses overlooking the canals. I must say that I did not find this area overly Christmassy and the Christmas market was more overcrowded than the other ones. However, you still should not miss out on visiting it!
Of course the giant Christmas tree at Place Kléber is very Instagrammable too. I discovered that if you walk away from it a little bit into different streets, you can actually get some interesting angles of the tree. If you are closer to the tree you will find so many people admiring it, that it will be difficult to take a good picture.
Food
If you want to have dinner in a good restaurant, I highly recommend to make reservations weeks in advance, most restaurants get fully booked during the Christmas market season (especially on the weekend). We were able to make reservations for lunch at Maison Kammerzell, which is one of the most classic restaurants in town. It is a little bit more expensive than the average restaurant, but the food and atmosphere were really good. The exterior of Maison Kammerzell is very impressive and featured some lovely Christmas decorations as well.
Of course you don’t have to make reservations, as you can have food in the markets too! A great plus is that you can try lots of different foods, which Hugo loved to do as well. An old-time favorite are the käsespätzle and we also discovered raclette sandwiches. What I loved about the Christmas markets in France is that there is a real “wine culture”, I also spotted lots of wine tasting stands, which makes sense as the Alsace is a famous wine region. Of course we had mulled wine too, which is a real Christmas favorite.
