For the classic Christmas market trip, go to Alsace: Strasbourg (November 27 to December 24, 2026) for size and spectacle, and Colmar (November 23 to December 29) with the wine villages of Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg for charm. Pair it with two or three days in Paris, which does lights better than markets, and time it for a weekday between November 30 and December 18, before French school holidays start on December 19. If you can, add Lyon's free Fête des Lumières on December 5 to 8.
The market season in France is short and front-loaded: many markets close on December 24, and the holidays themselves are for family. Plan around that and December is one of the best months of the year to visit. For weather, ski openings and everything else this month, see France in December; for what happens after the holidays, France in January.
2026 market dates at a glance
| Market | 2026 dates | Best for | From Paris | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strasbourg | Nov 27–Dec 24 | The biggest and oldest, eight market sites | TGV from Paris Est, about 1 hr 50 min | Official |
| Colmar (six markets) | Nov 23–Dec 29 | The prettiest town setting | Strasbourg, then 30 min by regional train | Official |
| Eguisheim, Turckheim | Nov 27–Dec 30 | Small village markets | Via Colmar, by bus, taxi or car | Official |
| Riquewihr | Nov 27–Dec 20 | Walled wine village | Via Colmar | Official |
| Kaysersberg | Weekends: Nov 27–29, Dec 4–6, 11–13, 18–20 | Weekend village market | Via Colmar | Official |
| Ribeauvillé (medieval) | Dec 5–6 and 12–13 | Costumed medieval market | Via Colmar or Sélestat | Official |
| Paris: Tuileries | Nov 14–Jan 3 | Rides and stalls by the Louvre | In town | Announced |
| Paris: Champs-Élysées | Nov 22–Jan 4 | About 200 chalets under the lights | In town | Announced |
| Metz | Nov 20–Dec 30 | Several squares and a big wheel | TGV from Paris Est, about 1.5 hr | Listed; hours not yet published |
| Lille (Place Rihour) | Nov 18–Dec 30 | Easy from Paris or London | TGV from Paris Nord, about 1 hr | Organizer, subject to change |
| Lyon (Place Carnot) | Nov 20–Dec 24 | Combine with the Fête des Lumières | TGV from Gare de Lyon, about 2 hr | Listed |
| Reims, Amiens, Montbéliard | Late November to late December | Regional markets | 45 min to 2.5 hr | Check each tourist office |
"Official" dates come from the market's own site; "listed" dates come from event listings and could still change.
Strasbourg
Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik has run since 1570, which makes it one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe. In 2026 it runs from Friday, November 27 to Thursday, December 24, across eight sites in the old town: the original Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie, the giant tree on Place Kléber, the stalls around the cathedral and Place du Château, Petite France along the canals, the Carré d'Or on Place du Temple Neuf, a regional producers' market on Square Louise Weiss, food stalls on the Rohan terrace and Place du Marché aux Poissons, and an alternative "OFF" market on Place Grimmeissen.
The official 2026 hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day, except the opening day (2 to 9 p.m. on November 27) and December 24 (11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). The city sets up security checkpoints with bag checks at the bridges into the old town and restricts car traffic in the center, so leave a car at a park-and-ride tram stop. Weekends are shoulder to shoulder; come Monday to Thursday and arrive before noon.
Insider tip
If Strasbourg hotels are full or overpriced, stay in Kehl, Germany, across the Rhine, about 20 minutes from the center by tram, or in Colmar, Sélestat or Obernai, all on the regional rail line. See Alsace & Lorraine.
Colmar and the wine villages
Colmar's six markets, set among half-timbered houses and the canals of Little Venice, run from Monday, November 23 to Tuesday, December 29, 2026. A 2026 travel listing gives hours of 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday to Sunday, with different hours on December 24 to 26; confirm on the official Noël à Colmar site, which also lists park-and-ride parking and Christmas shuttles to the villages. The same listing says the gourmet market and Ferris wheel on Place Rapp stay until January 3, 2027.
The wine villages along the Route des Vins are smaller and quieter on weekdays. Official 2026 dates:
- Eguisheim and Turckheim: November 27 to December 30.
- Riquewihr: November 27 to December 20.
- Kaysersberg: Friday to Sunday only, on November 27–29, December 4–6, 11–13 and 18–20.
- Ribeauvillé medieval market: December 5–6 and 12–13.
- Bergheim: November 27–29 and December 4–6.
- Munster, in the Vosges mountains: Friday to Sunday from November 20 to December 20, then daily from December 21 to 31.
- Neuf-Brisach, a fortified town, holds an 18th-century-themed market on December 11–13.
A car makes the villages easy, but drive carefully: black ice is common at night. Without one, use the Christmas shuttles from Colmar or a taxi, and plan weekend days around the weekend-only markets.
Paris: lights first, then markets
Paris is not a market city in the Alsace sense, but its lights and windows are spectacular. The Champs-Élysées lights are switched on at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 22, and stay on until midnight every night into early January, and all night on December 24 and 31. The department stores on Boulevard Haussmann, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, put on animated windows, and a giant tree rises under the Galeries Lafayette dome; go on a weekday morning to avoid the crush.
- Tuileries Garden: November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with rides and stalls next to the Louvre.
- Champs-Élysées: November 22 to January 4, about 200 chalets in the gardens of the avenue, back for the first time in about a decade.
- Notre-Dame: November 26 to December 27 in Square René-Viviani, small and pretty, across the river from the cathedral.
- Alsace market at Gare de l'Est: December 2 to 18, a taste of Strasbourg on the station forecourt.
- La Défense: from November 12, one of the largest in the region, in the business district west of the city.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés (November 27 to January 6) and the Eiffel Tower market on Quai Jacques-Chirac (December 5 to January 3) were described as expected to return; check before you go.
Plan your sightseeing with 3 days in Paris, and pick a base on where to stay in Paris.
Beyond Alsace and Paris
- Metz (Lorraine): listed for November 20 to December 30, 2026, across several squares, with a big wheel. Hours for 2026 were not yet published; in 2025 the main squares opened 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
- Nancy: the Saint-Nicolas weekend and parade, the city's favorite event, falls on December 5–6.
- Lille: the market on Place Rihour is listed by its organizer for November 18 to December 30, 2026, opening at 11 a.m. and closing at 8:30 p.m. (10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday), at 6 p.m. on December 24 and all day on December 25. A Ferris wheel nearby is listed to January 16, 2027. See Lille and the North.
- Lyon: the market on Place Carnot is listed for November 20 to December 24. The Fête des Lumières, four nights of free light shows on Lyon's monuments, runs Saturday, December 5 to Tuesday, December 8, 2026; book a room now or stay in Villefranche-sur-Saône, about 25 minutes by train. See Lyon.
- Reims: one of the larger markets, around the cathedral and Place du Forum. Event sites list November 25 to December 27, but the city had not confirmed 2026 dates when we checked. See Champagne.
- Amiens and Montbéliard: big regional markets, listed for about November 20 to December 30 and November 21 to December 24 respectively. Confirm with the local tourist offices.
What to eat and buy
Alsace's markets are as much about food as ornaments. Look for vin chaud (mulled wine, red or white), sold in a mug with a small deposit that you can keep as a souvenir or return; bredele, the little Alsatian Christmas cookies; pain d'épices (gingerbread); pretzels; tarte flambée (thin, crisp flatbread with cream, onions and bacon); and hot sausages.
The best things to bring home are glass and wooden ornaments, Alsatian pottery, gingerbread, Christmas cookies and Alsace wines.
Different from home
US customs allows cookies, gingerbread, chocolate and hard cheese, but not meat products such as sausages or saucisson, even vacuum-packed. Declare all food on your arrival form. See shopping and coming home.
What is open on December 24, 25, 26, 31 and January 1
Christmas Eve (le réveillon) is France's big family dinner, and the country largely goes home that night. Christmas Day and New Year's Day both fall on a Friday in 2026–27, making long weekends.
| Day | Sights | Shops and markets | Restaurants | Transit and trains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thu Dec 24 | Most open; some museums close early | Shops close early; Strasbourg market's last day (to 6 p.m.); Lille closes at 6 p.m. | Many close in the evening or serve set menus; book ahead | Normal service; holiday trains sell out |
| Fri Dec 25 (public holiday) | Louvre, Versailles, Chambord and the American cemeteries closed; the Eiffel Tower opens every day | Most shops shut; some markets closed, others on reduced hours | Brasseries and hotel restaurants most likely open | Holiday schedule in Paris; trains run, check times |
| Sat Dec 26 | Normal Saturday, except in Alsace and Moselle | In Strasbourg and Metz, a public holiday: offices and some shops close | Mostly normal | Normal elsewhere; check local timetables in Alsace |
| Thu Dec 31 | Mostly normal, some close early | Shops close early | New Year's Eve menus, often over €100 (about $112) a person | Big crowds and closed Métro stations around the Champs-Élysées |
| Fri Jan 1 (public holiday) | Most museums closed, including the Louvre and Versailles | Most shops shut | Many closed; book | Holiday schedule |
Epiphany, on Wednesday, January 6, 2027, is not a public holiday, but every bakery sells the galette des rois, a puff-pastry almond cake with a small figurine hidden inside. The winter sales (soldes) start the same day.
Watch out
From December 19 to January 4, French school holidays fill trains, Paris museums and ski resorts. TGVs on December 18–20, 23–24 and January 2–3 sell out first. If your dates are fixed, book as soon as you can on SNCF Connect. See trains in France.
New Year's Eve
The free show in Paris is on the Champs-Élysées. Last year it brought a video projection on the Arc de Triomphe shortly before midnight, a countdown and fireworks, with security gates opening in the early evening, bag checks and a ban on glass and alcohol. The 2026 program had not been announced at the start of November; the details usually come out in December. Several Métro stations near the avenue close, so plan to walk.
Restaurants serve fixed-price réveillon menus and fill weeks ahead. In Alsace, the Strasbourg market is long gone by December 31, but Colmar's Place Rapp, Eguisheim and Turckheim are still running between Christmas and New Year's. See festivals and events.
Hotels and prices
December has two halves. Until about December 18, Paris is moderately busy and hotel rates are reasonable, while Alsace is at its busiest on weekends. From December 19, French families are on holiday and the Alps peak, while Paris rates often ease between Christmas and New Year's Eve before the New Year's spike.
- Strasbourg and Colmar sell out for December weekends months ahead. Book now for weekdays, or base yourself in Sélestat, Obernai or Kehl.
- Lyon sells out for December 5 to 8.
- Paris: a three-star double typically runs about €150–250 (about $170–280) a night outside the peak, plus tourist tax of €5.53 per adult per night at a three-star hotel.
Budget the whole trip with our budget calculator.
A sample week: Paris and Alsace on weekdays
This plan runs Sunday, November 29 to Saturday, December 5, 2026, putting Strasbourg and Colmar on weekdays, before the school-holiday crowds.
- Day 1
Sun Nov 29 · Paris
Arrive at CDG. After dark, walk the lit Champs-Élysées and its market.
- Day 2
Mon Nov 30 · Paris
The Louvre at opening (it is open on Mondays), then the Tuileries market next door and the Galeries Lafayette windows and tree.
- Day 3
Tue Dec 1 · Strasbourg
TGV from Paris Est (about 1 hour 50 minutes). The cathedral, Place Kléber's tree and an evening at Place Broglie.
- Day 4
Wed Dec 2 · Strasbourg
Petite France and the canals in the morning, the Rohan terrace food stalls and the producers' market at lunch, and the tram across the Rhine to Kehl, Germany, about 20 minutes away.
- Day 5
Thu Dec 3 · Colmar
Regional train to Colmar (about 30 minutes). Little Venice, the six markets and the Unterlinden Museum. Sleep in Colmar.
- Day 6
Fri Dec 4 · Wine villages
By car, shuttle or taxi: Eguisheim in the morning, Kaysersberg as its weekend market opens, and Riquewihr at dusk.
- Day 7
Sat Dec 5 · Home or Lyon
A direct TGV from Strasbourg to the CDG airport station for an afternoon flight, or continue to Lyon (about 4 hours) for the opening night of the Fête des Lumières.
For a longer trip that adds Lyon, see the sample week on France in December, or build your own in the trip builder. For routes beyond December, see our France itinerary.
What to pack
- Warm, waterproof boots with good grip; standing at stalls on cold stone is what chills you.
- A hat, gloves, a scarf and thermal layers, especially for Alsace and Lyon's evening light shows.
- A cross-body bag with a zip: crowded markets are pickpocket territory.
- Euros in small bills and coins for stalls and mug deposits.
- One dressy outfit for a réveillon dinner.
The State Department rates France at Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution) for terrorism and civil unrest; at markets, that means soldiers on patrol and bag checks, which are routine. See safety and our packing list.
Bottom line
Go to Alsace on weekdays between November 30 and December 18, 2026, with two or three days in Paris for the lights, and add Lyon on December 5 to 8 if you can get a room. Choose Colmar and the villages for charm, Strasbourg for scale, and Paris if you want markets plus museums. Skip the trip if you need everything open over Christmas itself or hate cold, crowded squares; then the first half of December, or January for quiet museums and sales, suits you better.
Comparing other countries' markets? See Christmas markets in Italy, Christmas in London and our best places to travel in December. Want this trip planned around your dates? Tell us your dates.
Add it to a route in the trip builder, or ask us to plan the hotels, trains and guides for you.