Despite my eternal love for the German Christmas Markets, if I am to pick one place in Europe to behold the magic of Christmas flowing through the air – it´s going to be a little French town of Colmar (sorry, Rothenburg ob der Tauber). Christmas in Colmar feels like an illusion taken from children’s books. But, pinch me! – This is real.
With its half-timbered houses, cobblestone streets, cozy cafes, mysterious antique shops and of course, some of the most delicious French patisseries, Colmar is a festive fairytale everyone should experience at least once in a lifetime.
My pre-Christmas tradition
Christmas… my favorite time of the year is almost here! Lights and decorations, music and carols, shopping and cooking, hot chocolate and movies, – lots of things pop up into my mind with a word “Christmas“… But mostly it´s all about those unique and unforgettable moments with our loved ones, isn’t it?!
Also read: Holiday Mood – My Vintage Christmas Playlist
In my family, one of our favorite pre-Christmas traditions is visiting Christmas Markets across Europe. Every year in December, we seek to travel somewhere colder in Europe in search of a Christmas spirit. Life in Spain is wonderful, no doubts. But you barely get this Christmas-is-coming feeling with +16°C in Dec, right?! And what about snow, Gluhwein, hot chocolate, and cozy Christmas sweaters? Those barely make any sense in Spain.
Besides, nothing cheers one up quite like grabbing a cup of hot chocolate in a company of your loved ones, with all those shimmery lights on around you.
Also read: Christmas in New York
Last year, after exploring the Swiss Christmas Markets, we decided to take a day-trip to the French Province of Alsace. As we were based in Basel, it seemed quite of a reachable goal. Besides, one of the capitals in Northeastern France, Strasbourg, could be easily found between the prettiest Christmas Markets in Europe in the travel media. We just couldn’t resist.

From Basel to Strasbourg via Colmar
The train from Basel to Strasbourg goes quite often. As it was cold and gloomy outside (plus peak-season), we decided against traveling by car. If traveling in the warmer months and in the off season, car is definitely the best option to explore Alsace. But with the Christmas Market hype we thought parking might be an issue, not to mention the weather conditions.
So, on a foggy December morning we bought two tickets to Strasbourg and departed Switzerland in search of a French Christmas spirit.
Also read: My Top 5 Christmas Destinations in Europe
After meandering the charming streets of Strasbourg for a while, we had a few hours left and decided to get off the train in Colmar before we head back to Basel. I’ve heard before that Colmar was pretty for the Holliday Season, but it´s definitely overcome my expectations.
A random stop on the way back home ended up being my ultimate winter travel crush.
Colmar: The magic of Christmas
It´s hard to describe with words how magical the tiny little village of Colmar actually felt. Some streets looked like they doubled for the “Beauty and the Beast” animated movie. The half-timbered town of Colmar should be extremely beautiful all year round. But all the dazzling lights&decorations, jolly market excitement, charming French cafes&shops, appetizing smells&spices during the Christmas Eve, turn The Old Town of Colmar into a real-life fairy tale.

Colmar’s unique construction style is a mix of French and German architectural techniques. Some of the buildings date back to the XIV century. The most picturesque quarter in the city is “Little Venice”. Taking a canal boat tour would be an amazing idea in the summer months.

Delicious snacks, crafty items, festive decorations, and everything handmade… Christmas in Colmar is a bewitching travel experience that should be on everyone’s bucket list.



About the only fly in the ointment…
Everything about Colmar was perfect, except one little accident that could have ruined our experience.
I’ve already mentioned the weather conditions on the day we visited Alsace – thick fog, cold wind: it was -1°C, but felt like -10°C at least. So, once we got back to the train station in Colmar, we noticed on the screen an alert that our train has being postponed. Apparently, there was some kind of an accident at the French railroad. As a result we spent 3 hours freezing inside the small (very-crowded) Colmar´s train station. We couldn´t really leave, cause no one knew when our train would arrive.
Not sure whether this happens often, or if traveling by car would be easier! Especially with the fog and lack of parking in the peak season. But I feel like I should at least warn about this possibility, so that you´d be ready for everything!

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Loving all the beautiful pictures! Merry Christmas!!!
Thank you! Merry Christmas, Kamelia!
Beautiful photos that made me feel a bit more Christmassy! Love the cool Christmas markets and the pretty decorations. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by, Lexx!
I’ve heard nothing but wonderful things about this area. Glad to read you feel the same. Your pictures really caught the magic of the place! Can’t wait to visit.
Thanks, Lisa! Colmar is such a real life fairytale <3
This place looks amazing. Thr pictures are stunning I will love to go there on Christmas one day.
Beautiful area looks so festive. Thanks for sharing #feetdotravel
Thanks, Paul and Carole!
Stunning photos especially the foggy ones, really atmospheric! Colmar looks like a magical christmas place to visit!
Thank you, Garth!
Oh my goodness, your photos are stunning, I absolutely adore the “little Venice” pic at the top! Christmas markets, hot chocolate and gluhwein are favourites of mine during the festive season as well and we like to travel away – this year we are in the sunshine! Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and wishing you many more travels in 2017! #feetdotravel
Thanks for stopping by, Angie! I´ve just read your wonderful post about Christmas on 5 continents – loved Dominicana! Enjoy the sun this year and have a wonderful holiday season ;-*
Beautiful photographs!! Colmar is somewhere I would love to visit but my goodness it looks even more gorgeous at Christmas! I also like the cold and if possible snow to get that magical Christmas feeling!
Thank you Tracy! It was so magical that I´d love to go back one day, both in summer and winter!
Nice photos! Love the ski tree, very creative. One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the hot chocolate too 🙂 Even though we don’t really need to warm up in Florida, but it’s still nice.
Chocolate is always a good idea 😉
What a beautiful way to spend Christmas. The start was rough but the Christmas markets look amazing and cold. Stunning photos and thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks, Stephanie!
Stunning photos. What a beautiful place. Perfect for Christmas!
Thank you Kelly!
Looks like a real Christmas fairy tale! 🙂
100% Thanks for stopping by, Csaba & Bea 😉
Colmar looks absolutely magical. Alsace, with its gorgeous towns like Colmar, is very high on my must-visit list..!
Simply magic time and magic place!
OMG I would so love to get here one day! I often wish I lived in Europe, much easier to travel. And much better transit systems. No one takes trains here, only NY, DC, Boston and Portland OR have any kid of decent metro system. How lovely is this beautiful village, thanks for sharing this.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Colmar looks so dreamy and beautiful! I love all the old architecture. It really does look like something out of Beauty and the Beast! I would love to visit Europe around Christmas time someday because it looks more suited for Christmas than some of our tacky Christmas decorations in the US haha
Jill
https://jilliancecilia.com/
I love Christmas markets! I haven’t been to Colmar yet. I hope to visit it soon.
Amazing pics!
Thanks for sharing, love the tree made our of skis. Great guide
This looks like a beautiful place to spend Christmas!
The beauty of this old town is so impressive particularly the medieval cobblestone streets! What a lovely experience.
Wow! That place looks breathtaking. A perfect place to be for the holidays. Looks like you had an amazing time.
I think so, yeah! Most especially, in “Parc du Champ de Mars”. This kind of lighting does the mood-setting just right.
Wow, such an amazing place and seeing those photos makes me feel more excited for the Christmas day.
What I wouldn’t give!! This does look like a delightful place to spend some time over the holiday break!
These pictures are gorgeous! What a beautiful place! It looks like you had an amazing time — it would be cool to be able to visit during the holidays!
Looks awesome. id love to visit sometime. i love kriskringle in Chicago. so many great places to visit around the holidays.
I would love to experience Christmas in Colmar! Well, actually I would love to experience Christmas in a new place every year. That would be great if I only had the finances to do that. I love this nice place you featured. The Christmas tree made out of skis was so uniquely beautiful!
Oh I would just love a vacation to France. The houses are exactly what I picture when I think of France.
Oh my! The place looks absolutely amazing and looks like it came out of a fantasy world. Definitely a place to visit with the family.
So beautiful post. Have a happy Christmas Day!
http://www.OSC24.blogspot.com
Colmar is so beautiful at Christmas. I’m going there end of March and I’m sure it will as magical!