Colmar Christmas Market 2026: Dates, Six Markets, Access

Colmar’s six Christmas markets

The old town, six markets on one route

Free entry 23 November to 29 December 2026 Goes ahead in all weather Six markets on foot

The tourist office calls the whole thing « La Magie de Noël » (The Magic of Christmas). It isn’t a single market: six themed spaces follow one another through the historic centre. The centre turns pedestrian from 25 November during opening hours, and entry to the markets is free. You pay for what you buy, what you eat and the rides. No official source gives a visit length: half a day for all six sites is our own estimate, not a published figure.

What you’ll find on site

• Place des Dominicains: Christmas decorations, wreaths, trees and baubles, in around sixty chalets.
• Place de l’Ancienne Douane: crafts and contemporary creations, around the Schwendi fountain.
• Petite Venise: the children’s market, the giant Father Christmas letterbox and a mechanical nativity scene.

Pixidia tip: Ulysse (5 November 2025) recommends coming on a weekday, Tuesday to Thursday, in the morning between 10 am and 1 pm. Saturdays 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December 2026 are announced as very busy, with no figure published.

To see the decorated villages nearby without driving, a day trip leaves from Colmar. Listed on Viator on 21 October 2026, it lasts 9 hours, with a 9:30 am departure in a minibus with driver. It passes through Kaysersberg (about 2 hours), Riquewihr (about 2 hours) and Eguisheim (about 1 hour), with a wine tasting and savoury snacks. Lunch isn’t included. An adult pays €130 based on two adults, and an 8-year-old child is listed at €65; 12 dates are open between 2 and 22 December 2026.

Christmas Market Tour from Colmar €130 per adult (based on 2 adults), 12 dates open out of 37 between 23 November and 29 December 2026, checked 21 October 2026 · ★ 4.5 (28 Viator reviews)

Book my Christmas market day

Source: official market website, presentation of the six markets, checked 21 October 2026. The source doesn’t list what’s inside each chalet, so we don’t detail it here.

Dates and opening hours 2026

The five traditional markets open on Monday 23 November 2026 and close on Tuesday 29 December. The gourmet market and the big wheel stay open until 3 January 2027. Hours aren’t the same throughout the period: on 24 December the markets close earlier, and Christmas days have their own slots.

Source: opening hours page on the official market website, checked 21 October 2026. The slots for 25 and 26 December come from a relayed source and should be confirmed on the website before you visit.

The gourmet market stays open until 10 pm, except on 31 December when it closes at 5 pm. Hours can shift from day to day around Christmas, so check the opening hours page the evening before your visit.

From Strasbourg: train, airport and car

The train, then about fifteen minutes on foot

About half an hour 15 minutes on foot from the station Basel-Mulhouse airport: about an hour

The train ride from Strasbourg to Colmar takes about half an hour. That figure comes from theoretical timetables that travel guides listed in October 2026 (wareontheglobe.com, 2 October 2026; onivapp.com, 15 October 2026). The SNCF timetable pages weren’t reachable when we checked, so look up the official timetable before you go. Book the ticket in advance, as the price varies with how early you buy.

Colmar station is about 15 minutes’ walk from the centre, on flat ground, according to the official market website. A city bulletin mentions free buses on some days, with no route or dates found. The park-and-ride shuttle is free, but free regular weekend buses aren’t confirmed. The Christmas shuttles leave from the station itself (see the next section).

What to know before you go

• The train takes about half an hour, to be confirmed on the official SNCF timetable.
• From the station, allow about 15 minutes’ walk to the Place des Dominicains.
• The centre turns pedestrian from 25 November during opening hours, so cars can’t get in at those times.

Pixidia tip: if you’re driving, the Parc des Expositions park-and-ride is the easiest option on market weekends. It’s covered in the parking section.

Sources: wareontheglobe.com (2 October 2026), onivapp.com (15 October 2026), festivalenfrance.com (station, relayed from the official page), checked 21 October 2026. The official TER pages weren’t accessible on that date.

The 2026 Christmas shuttles

To reach the villages around Colmar, the Christmas shuttles are the simplest option, since they leave straight from the station. The official shuttle page wasn’t accessible when we checked on 21 October 2026, so the details below come from jds.fr and evous.fr, which relay the market’s ticketing. Confirm them on the market website before buying anything.

Tickets are sold online only, on the market website, from Thursday 12 November 2026 at 12 pm, in limited numbers each day. According to jds.fr, « last chance » tickets go back on sale three days before each day. The day fare is announced at €17 per person, to be confirmed on the day.

Source: jds.fr and evous.fr, relaying the market’s ticketing, checked 21 October 2026. Season from 27 November to 20 December 2026, departing from Colmar station.

Two useful points. The shuttles don’t serve Basel-Mulhouse airport. And line 5 only runs on two days, 12 and 13 December: if you’re aiming for Neuf-Brisach, that’s the only option.

Parking: park-and-ride and town centre car parks

The Parc des Expositions park-and-ride, on avenue de la Foire-aux-Vins (address relayed by evous.fr), opens on market weekends: 28 and 29 November, 5 and 6, 12 and 13, then 19 and 20 December 2026. A free shuttle runs every 10 minutes to the Saint-Éloi area, according to evous.fr. The last return is at 11:30 pm on Saturday and 9:10 pm on Sunday. The car park is closed on 26 and 27 December.

The official listing gives €3 per day. Another page relayed online dates that price from 2025, so confirm the amount on the market website before you come. A €5 rate quoted by one guide wasn’t confirmed by the official site, so we don’t repeat it.

In the centre, the official page says the Rapp, Montagne-Verte and Gare/Bleylé car parks are open 24 hours a day. Gare/Bleylé has a free shuttle. Their rates weren’t checked. Inside the centre, traffic is restricted during opening hours from 25 November, according to festivalenfrance.com, so park before you enter the pedestrian zone.

Source: official market website (town centre car parks), evous.fr (park-and-ride), checked 21 October 2026.

Petite Venise, Koïfhus and Noël Féérique

The canal quarter and the covered market

Lauch canal quarter Covered market at the Koïfhus

Little Venice (Petite Venise) is crossed by the Lauch canals. This is where the children’s market sits, with the Father Christmas letterbox and a mechanical nativity scene. Children’s choirs sing from boats, from 5 pm to 6 pm, through late November and December, according to event listings checked on 21 October 2026. Those listings don’t all give the same day, so check the tourist office calendar before you come: we don’t pick a date for you.

The Koïfhus, at 29 Grand’Rue, was the town’s old customs house. The building dates from 1480 according to the Mérimée heritage listing. Its interior has been on the inventory of historic monuments since 16 October 1930, and its façades and roofs have been listed since 29 November 1974. The indoor market brings together about twenty craftspeople, open during market hours.

What to see in the quarter

• The children’s market on the Place des Six-Montagnes-Noires, with the giant letterbox.
• The Koïfhus covered market, with its 1480 building.
• The Noël Féérique on the Place Rapp, announced from 21 November 2026.

Pixidia tip: the Ryo guide says Little Venice becomes hard to reach in the afternoon on December Saturdays. Arriving before 3 pm avoids the problem.

The Noël Féérique sets up on the Place Rapp from 21 November 2026, according to the official page. A secondary source says its hours match the market’s, with exceptions on 24 and 31 December: confirm on site. A big wheel stays open until 3 January 2027, according to the official website. Its location and fare are described differently across sources, so we don’t repeat them here: check them on site.

Source: official market website, checked 21 October 2026; Mérimée heritage listing PA00085366 (monumentum.fr), consulted 21 October 2026; choir listings: unidivers.fr, consulted 21 October 2026.

Budget for one day

Entry to the markets is free, so the budget goes on transport, shopping and food. The table only includes prices found with a dated source. We haven’t listed accommodation: no dated 2026 source was found.

Sources: official market website, jds.fr, evous.fr, checked 21 October 2026.

On the food side, the descriptions mention bredele, mulled wine, gingerbread, foie gras and sauerkraut served in the cabins. None of these prices has been checked for 2026: the mulled wine and the cabin meals are something to find out on the day.

For the train, tickets start at a modest price when you book ahead, while a 2025 account describes a much higher price at the counter on the day. For a typical day with the train and the markets on foot, the budget depends mostly on how far ahead you book. Fares and shuttle lines are detailed in their own section.

Which trip suits you

With family

Little Venice is the natural first stop: the children’s market, the Father Christmas letterbox and the choirs on the boats draw in the little ones. Children under 12 ride the shuttles for free, but booking is required and places are limited each day. Add everyone to the booking before you leave, and plan a break before the gourmet market for lunch.

As a couple

Come on a weekday morning to enjoy the streets before the crowds. The Koïfhus, the Dominicains market and the Ancienne Douane square are all on foot: allow half a day, which is our own estimate rather than an official figure. To end the day, the gourmet market stays open until 10 pm, so you can have an early dinner on site before heading back.

On a budget

Entry is free and the visit is on foot. The biggest cost is transport: book the train ahead, and see the shuttle section for the routes. Bring cash, because some visitors report cards refused at certain chalets. Shopping is up to you: chalet prices aren’t published.

For a first visit

Aim for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning. If you come on a Saturday, arrive before 3 pm for Little Venice: the Ryo guide says it becomes hard to reach in the afternoon on December Saturdays. Keep the gourmet market for lunch or an afternoon snack. If you want to see the neighbouring villages, book a shuttle for a separate day rather than fitting everything into one.

With reduced mobility

The old town’s streets are paved, with uneven slopes. We found no accessibility information for wheelchair users or reduced mobility in the official sources we read. It’s best to ask the tourist office before your visit, and stick to the main routes rather than the narrow lanes.

A full day, step by step

Here’s an order that keeps the back-and-forth in the centre to a minimum. Line up the train times with your own journey.

• Arrive at Colmar station, then walk 15 minutes to the centre on flat ground.
• Morning: Little Venice, before the crowds, with the children’s market and the canals.
• Midday: the gourmet market, open from 11 am, for lunch in the chefs’ cabins.
• Afternoon: Dominicains, Ancienne Douane, Jeanne-d’Arc, then the Koïfhus.
• End of the day: back to the station, after the Koïfhus and before the markets close. The last trains to Strasbourg are listed at 11:01 pm on Saturday 28 November and at 10:06 pm on Sunday 29 November. A service at 12:03 am is also listed, with no day given: these are theoretical times, to be confirmed on the official SNCF timetable.

Last train times: onivapp.com (15 October 2026), to be confirmed on the official SNCF timetable.

Mistakes to avoid

• Arriving on a Saturday afternoon without a plan. Saturdays 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December are announced as very busy. Come on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday morning if you can.
• Relying on your bank card alone. Some visitors report payments refused at certain chalets. Keep cash for the smaller sellers.
• Forgetting to book the children’s shuttle. Free travel for under-12s depends on a booking, and tickets are sold in limited numbers.
• Parking at the park-and-ride on 26 or 27 December. The car park is closed on both days.
• Mixing up the market opening with the pedestrian zone. The market opens on 23 November, and the centre becomes pedestrian from 25 November during opening hours.
• Leaving the train ticket until the last minute. A ticket booked ahead usually costs less than one bought at the counter on the day.

Colmar or Strasbourg: how to choose

Colmar fits inside the old town, which you cover on foot. Strasbourg is a different market, which we don’t compare here. For the capital’s Christmas market, read our Strasbourg Christmas market 2026 guide.

Is the Colmar Christmas market worth the trip?

The sources don’t agree. Part of the press describes an overcrowded market: an Ulysse article published on 5 November 2025 reports crowds, card payments refused and very negative accounts. Those accounts aren’t precisely dated, so we don’t present them as facts. On the other side, travel guides from October 2026 describe Colmar as a day trip from Strasbourg. Both views exist, and it’s up to you to judge based on how much crowd you can handle.

If you go, the points every source agrees on are these: come on a weekday, Tuesday to Thursday, in the morning, and avoid the Saturdays of 28 November and 5, 12 and 19 December, which are announced as very busy.

If you want a quieter market, our off-the-beaten-track selection puts Colmar alongside Bratislava and Tallinn: our selection of off-the-beaten-track Christmas markets. To carry the day on into the vineyards, also read our article on the Alsace wine route from Strasbourg.

What other guides don’t tell you

The guides we read for this research sometimes reuse 2025 figures. One point, checked on the official page, is missing from the rest of the article:

• 2025 opening hours are still circulating. The Ryo guide quotes 2025 hours, with a weekend of 10 am to 9 pm. The official 2026 page gives 10 am to 8 pm for the traditional markets from Friday to Sunday. Source: opening hours page on the official website (consulted 21 October 2026); Ryo guide read for the same research, 21 October 2026.