Colmar Christmas Market Guide: More than 5 Markets, Which One Suits You Best?

Colmar, France is one of the most famous travel destinations in Europe for Christmas markets and fairytale-like magical vibes. It was on my dream list for years, and I finally got to visit and surprisingly discovered that there are 6 official Christmas markets in the Colmar Old Town area, plus a big funfair located in Colmar Place Rapp public square and each one has its own focus, vibe, stall design, and decorations.

In this article you will find the differences between these Colmar Christmas markets, real photos, my personal experiences, tips, favourite one as well as the pros and cons, so you know what to expect, which suits you best and how to plan your visit in 2026.

1. Little Venise (Petite Venise) Christmas Market

With kid’s fun rides, a stunning festive theme, stalls selling creative local crafts and Christmassy decorations, Petite Venise stands out as my favourite Christmas market in Colmar for taking photos and checking souvenirs, both day and night.

It is also one of the most kid-friendly markets in Colmar, full of laughter and happy kids.

From the Petite Venise Christmas market, you can also walk to the La Lauch river side of Little Venice for even more amazing Xmas vibes and enjoy the light show at night.

2. Place de l’Ancienne Douane Christmas Market

Slightly different from other Christmas markets in Colmar, Place de I’Ancienne Douane Christmas market spread across a few locations in the area around Fontaine Schwendi, Koïfhus, and L’ancienne Douane Cafe, with 2 different Xmas stall designs.

You can find local specialities (beer, wine, food), artisan goods & crafts here.

To be honest, as someone who loves arts and aesthetic views, the stalls at the square didn’t stand out, neither the hut design nor the products they sold really caught my attention.

But the other part of Place de l’Ancienne Douane Christmas market on the Rue des Tanneurs Street offered more interesting products to shop and an aesthetic atmosphere to take photos.

I bought a handmade leather notebook with a tree of life design and crystal, and really loved it.

3. Koïfhus Marché intérieur (Koïfhus Indoor Christmas Market)

Koïfhus Marché intérieur is the only indoor Christmas market in Colmar, with many creative crafts. If you are into art works, you might want to check it out.

4. Place des Dominicains Christmas Market

Around Église des Dominicains (Dominican Church) and surrounded by colourful Alsatian houses, Place des Dominicains is the most picturesque Christmas market in Colmar and my favourite one because of its aesthetic and what the stalls have to offer.

The whole place feels cinematic, like stepping into a medieval storybook, and everything feels well organised and perfect.

The huts are designed like mini versions of the colourful half-timbered houses you see everywhere in Alsace, France, and each one even has a church theme image as its sign. It really stands out and fits the style and the vibe of the area.

With a big Christmas tree in the middle, you can feel the strong Christmas spirit.

As for the products at the Place des Dominicains Christmas market, you will find stalls selling tasty mulled wine (vin chaud), various food with cheese (I had it with potato & sausage), Christmas plushy (dwarfs/elfs/Santa Claus), Christmas hats, Christmas decorations, Christmas candle carousel/spinner and more.

It is also a kid-friendly Christmas market, as there are also some fun rides for kids.

It’s so good that I kept walking back to it when I was in Colmar. I’d say this is definitely the one Christmas market you should not miss in Colmar!

5. Place Jeanne d’Arc Christmas Market

According to Noel Colmar website, the Place Jeanne d’Arc Christmas market is designed to look like the traditional Alsatian village, with a cozy and old-fashioned atmosphere. If you want to try regional food, and experience a different vibe you can visit this one.

6. Marché Gourmand (Gourmet Market)

Under the Colmar Ferris Wheel (Grande roue de Colmar), there is a Christmas market dedicated to food.

There will be actual chefs preparing food onsite and occasionally you will see live cooking shows. It is a great option for food lovers to enjoy Alsatian and French food.

7. Noël Féerique Place Rapp Colmar (Magical Christmas)

Other than the above 6 Christmas markets in Colmar Old Town, there is one more place to feel the Christmas spirit with the modern design and atmosphere in Colmar – a huge Christmas funfair at Place Rapp Square, suitable for both kids and adults.

You can find food stalls & mulled wine (vin chaud), bigger installations at this funfair.

When I went there were flying swings, a merry-go-round (Carrousel Bar), a roller coaster, most of them even adults can enjoy.

It is a spacious, fun, happy and energetic place to be!

Colmar Christmas market pros & cons

For visiting Christmas markets in Alsace, I think Colmar is definitely the must go! Below are the pros and cons of Colmar based on my personal experiences.

Pros of Colmar Christmas markets:

• All Christmas markets are spread across the old town and Place Rapp Square, so the crowds can be separated too.
• With more than 6 markets plus a funfair to go to, visitors can find more souvenirs, food to buy and more things to do.
• Each Christmas market in Colmar has its own focus and vibe, so there is something for everyone, kids, parents, foodie or craft lover, all can find something to enjoy.
• Most of the Colmar Christmas markets & these spots in Colmar are so photogenic. 2 of my 128GB memory cards were full very fast.
• Colmar town is a mix of old and modern. You can see the ferris wheel, light shows and old traditional houses, sculptures at the same time. The whole town gives the lively, dreamy and magical vibe.

Cons of Colmar Christmas markets:

• As the markets are spread across the town, you will need to walk a lot if you want to visit them all.
• During Christmas market seasons, the hotels in Colmar or nearby Colmar become extremely expensive, those good ones and with reasonable prices usually fully booked well fast. I started searching for hotels 3 weeks before I visited Colmar and I didn’t have many good options left. I ended up booking one that’s a 35 minute drive away from Colmar Old Town and still cost about 160 Euros per night.
• Other than the Gourmet Market, there are far fewer food stalls than souvenir stalls at Colmar Christmas markets, so people usually need to queue for a bit to get food or dine at the restaurants.
• At its peak time for the Colmar Christmas market, even the good restaurants, cafes, pasty shops in Colmar town can be packed, and it’s hard to find a seat to rest & eat.
• Products selections at Colmar can get a bit commercial, and you can see some of the Christmas products aren’t crafts or special from the regions. (though some are really amazing!)

Hotels to stay in Colmar and best location to stay

The best and the most convenient location to stay in Colmar is near the Old Town, which is very close and within walking distance to all Colmar Christmas markets and popular spots.

However, as mentioned above, good hotels with reasonable prices & great locations in Colmar get fully booked real quick during the Christmas markets season. I highly suggest you book your hotels a month or even months before you visit Colmar, Alsace. Trust me you’d really want to book fast before it’s gone, don’t make the same mistake like I did.

Is Colmar Christmas market worth visiting?

I’d say 100%! absolutely!

Even though there are many other amazing towns in Alsace to visit for Christmas vibes and markets, Colmar is still a must go, as there are more than 6 spots to go, and so many picturesque spots to take photos, lots of things to do and has something for everyone. The whole town is just magical, dreamy and energetic!

If you love Christmas vibes, colourful houses, and a good variety of things to do, you will love Colmar when visiting Alsace, France for Christmas markets.

How much time do you need in Colmar?

Even all the Colmar Christmas markets are just within walking distance to each other, if you want to properly explore the whole Christmas markets + funfair as well as to visit shops in Colmar and find aesthetic spots to take photos, you still might need 1-2 full days or more, depending on how fast you browse and if you are someone like me that takes photos of everything I find aesthetic.

Take my experience as an example, I went to Colmar 3 times during my 4-day trip in the region, totalling almost 2 days there and still have lots I haven’t seen and areas I didn’t check. I admit that I walked to the same spots a few times because I really liked it and wanted to take photos of those places both day and night but still, Colmar is quite big, and it’s worth taking your time wandering around.

Other towns/countries nearby Colmar for Christmas market & vibes

One of my great surprises when visiting Colmar during the Christmas market season is discovering there are even more cute, fairytale-like, medieval towns nearby Colmar with festive Christmas decorations and their own Christmas markets. Ribeauvillé, Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg are just some of them.

Go to Ribeauvillé- If unique medieval vibe and nature scenery is your thing, Ribeauvillé might suit you!

Riquewihr- If you are obsessed with the dreamy, fairytale kind of atmosphere, visit Riquewihr.

Eguisheim- if cute, cozy festive vibes are what your soul is looking for, then you will really enjoy Eguisheim.

I went to Colmar, Ribeauvillé, Eguisheim, and Riquewihr and loved them all. The whole experience makes Alsace the best, dreamiest, most magical Christmas markets I’ve experienced in Europe so far.

The best plans for you will be to stay in Colmar, and take a shuttle bus or drive by yourself or join day tours to other towns for more Christmas spirit and different atmospheres.

You can read my comparison of Ribeauvillé, Eguisheim, Riquewihr, and Colmar & get more information in this article.

Don’t forget to book them in advance, as during the Christmas season, they are popular and sell out fast!

When will Colmar xmas market open in 2026

Most of the Christmas markets in Colmar open from 23rd November to 29th December 2026.

Some of them, Noël Féerique Place Rapp Colmar & Marché Gourmand (Gourmet Market) run from 23rd November to 03 January 2027.