Strasbourg Christmas market 2026: dates, where the markets are and which tour to book

The answer first. The 2026 Strasbourg Christmas market runs from 27 November to 24 December, according to the city’s official Christmas site. It is not one market but eight, spread over the old town. The market itself is free to walk through, so a tour does not buy access: it buys a route, the stories and someone who knows where to stop. If you want that, the two-hour small-group walk with mulled wine is the one we would book for most visitors. It costs €35 per person and is rated 4.8/5 from 37 reviews.

Where the markets are

The city lists eight market sites. Among them are the market at the foot of the big Christmas tree on Place Kléber, the Christkindelsmärik on Place Broglie, a market around the cathedral on Place de la Cathédrale and Place du Château, and a Petite France market on Place Benjamin-Zix and Place Saint-Thomas. The others are the Carré d’Or on Place du Temple Neuf, the Rohan Terrace market on Place du Marché-aux-Poissons, a market of small Alsatian producers on Square Louise Weiss and an “OFF” market on Place Grimmeissen. The city dates the tradition back to 1570.

According to the city’s FAQ, the stalls open every day from 11:00 to 21:00, weekends included. The exceptions are the opening day, 27 November, from 14:00, and 24 December, when they close at 18:00; from 25 December nothing is open. The city recommends weekday mornings if you want to avoid the crowds. It also says dogs on a lead are welcome and that toilets are available throughout the market.

What a tour adds

A walk links the sites in an order that avoids doubling back, and the guide decides where to pause. What it does not do is shorten the queues at the stalls. Our listings differ in four ways:

• Length and size. The two-hour tour by One City Tours takes up to 15 people and runs in English, French and German; it costs €39 (4.4/5, 135 reviews). The booking page asks you to bring cash for the stalls and warm clothes. It marks the tour as wheelchair accessible, yet it also names people with mobility impairments among its restrictions. The two statements appear to contradict each other, so ask the operator before you book if that matters to you.
• Mulled wine. The mulled-wine walk takes up to 10 people, is guided in French, English or Spanish, and includes a mulled wine or a hot juice. It meets at Place du Quartier Blanc.
• After dark. The Christmas market by night lasts 1.5 hours, is limited to six people, runs in English and French, and includes one local mulled wine or a hot juice. It costs €45 (5.0/5, 23 reviews). It meets at Place Saint-Étienne, takes place rain or shine, and the page lists people with mobility impairments as unsuitable.
• In German or Spanish. The Christmas market tour with a German- or Spanish-speaking guide lasts one to one and a half hours, starts at Place Gutenberg and costs €30. Its rating is 3.1/5 from 13 reviews, so read the recent reviews first.

One thing to know about the cathedral

The cathedral’s own page on the astronomical clock says that the clock’s daily show does not take place during the Christmas market. If the show is why you are going, read our cathedral guide first, and check the cathedral’s page for the current position.

A day trip to Colmar instead

If you have already seen Strasbourg’s markets, the seven-hour Christmas markets day trip goes to Colmar and a second village. It costs €150, runs in English for up to eight people and starts at Place de la Cathédrale. Children under 4 are not allowed and the tour is not wheelchair accessible. Our Colmar guide compares it with the train.

Our recommendation

Book the mulled-wine walk if you want a guide and a small group. Book the night tour if you would rather see the lights than the stalls. Book the two-hour walk if you need German, or a larger group suits you. Look at all the Christmas market tours before you choose, and see how a guide compares with a daytime walk through Petite France.