Colmar Christmas Market – France

Another day in beautiful Alsace and another Christmas Market tour. I mentioned it before in all objectivity, we, Alsatians, are excellent at throwing Christmas related events, it is our thing and we are great at it (#Alsacianandproud). So today I am taking to the super-duper picturesque Colmar to explore the town and Christmas Market.

Colmar is in the south of Alsace, it is famous for its chocolate-box village look, its canals and to be the hometown of Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty.

Colmar is a small town so you would only need a few hours to explore. We started our visit in the famous Little Venice part of the city. There canals zig-zag between half-timbered houses to form a Franco-Germanic version of the Italian gem.

We arrived in Colmar just after lunch time and as Andrew fancied some dessert we swung by the Marché Couvert. It is a lovely covered market where you will find all the traditional food of Alsace as well as everyday life necessities. You can take a seat in the centre of the market to enjoy a sheltered meal far from the cold and snow (very common in Alsace in the winter).

After our snacking detour, we resumed our visit of Colmar Little Venice. The streets were dotted with wood cabins and vin chaud signs. Note that you can do a boat tour along the canals to learn more about the history of the town.

We explored the many Christmas markets, which I thought were great at catering for children’s needs. With many merry-go-rounds and rides for kids to enjoy, Colmar is a great destination for families around Christmas time.

We strolled along the high-street which had been made pedestrian for the occasion we arrived at the even more picturesque (if that is even possible) cobbled streets of the old town.

We were lucky to visit on a Wednesday afternoon as it wasn’t too packed. However, it was busy enough that I would dread to think how crazy it gets on weekends.

I had been to Colmar before as a child and a student but clearly, my priorities at the time must have been different as I had no recollection of how pretty it was. It was so lovely to feel like a tourist in my own neck of the woods.

We kept exploring the streets for a little longer. Everywhere we looked was pretty.

We left just after the sun had set and the Christmas lights turned on, enjoying an overdose of fairy lights on our way back to the car.

Colmar Christmas Market is an absolute must if you are in Alsace around that time of the year. The local architecture and medieval setting make it an even more immersive experience, and with some of the best wines in the world produced a stone’s throw away, it is perfectly located on Alsace’s wine route.