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Christmas Markets 2024 in Riquewihr & Alsace
In Riquewihr, Christmas magic is starting as early as end of November 2024!

The magic of Christmas in Riquewihr and Alsace will reign from the end of November 2024 to the beginning of January 2025. With its markets, its little lights and its magical decorations, it will be more appreciated than ever.

For 2024, the Riquewihr Christmas market is scheduled from Saturday November 30 (inauguration on Friday evening 11/29) to December 22, 2024 in the evening. Monday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

This period of celebration, which is that of Christmas markets in Alsace, carol concerts and good romantic times, begins the last weekend of November. From one village to another and from Strasbourg to Colmar, the dates of the Christmas markets vary. Several large Christmas markets traditionally begin on the last weekend of November. And when the Christmas markets are over, the atmosphere, the Christmas decorations and even certain events in the Pays de Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr are present until Epiphany January 6 (which is also Orthodox Christmas Day).

We are waiting for you, do not hesitate to book one of our romantic holiday homes! All of them, from the small studio to the larger family apartment, are decorated with a pretty Christmas tree. If you can, don’t limit yourself to the weekend. Arrange to come during the week. Even if some Christmas markets (Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé) are run by volunteers who are only available at the end of the week, you will have plenty to keep you busy the other days with a visit to permanent markets like Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr, Eguisheim or Turckheim.

By booking one of our holiday apartments in Riquewihr you will be ideally located to discover the Christmas markets all over Alsace and even nearby Germany.

About parking and car traffic during the Christmas market in Riquewihr: tips and practical advice.

Riquewihr is one of the most beautiful villages in France and this is more true than ever at Christmas time. The village is then literally taken over by visitors. Unfortunately, it will be difficult to find a parking space for day visitors. There is no free parking in Riquewihr but here are some practical tips and tricks that may help you.

For visitors who plan to stay in one of our vacation rentals.

Some of our gîtes (the White Stork , the  Dove’s Nest  house and the  Sentinel ) have private parking accessible during the Christmas market period.

For others, the municipality offers a public parking card for the vehicles of visitors who stay more than 3 days in Riquewihr (4 EUR / day instead of the full price at the parking meter). There is no reserved space but this card (to be placed behind the windshield) gives the right to unlimited parking in any public parking space around the historic village of Riquewihr (except the new Vignoble car park) for the duration of the stay. Please note, car traffic and parking are completely prohibited inside the historic perimeter.

If you go to explore Alsace during the day with your car, do not return to Riquewihr in the middle of the afternoon, when all access points are saturated. The vast majority of visitors to Riquewihr do not stay overnight. At the end of the day (7 p.m.), it is quite easy to find a place.

Once you have found a parking space, stay there and use the Christmas Shuttles (unless you plan to return late, after the end of the Riquewihr Christmas market). This will save you from wasting time and patience searching for parking spaces in each village you visit. This is especially important on Saturday and Sunday.

Download the brochure (very complete and essential) with program of festivities in all the villages around Colmar + shuttle timetables. For the moment, the 2024 documentation is not yet available but last year’s brochure will still help you: https://app.avizi.fr/fichiers/preview/5dbff9c46783d

For day visitors to Riquewihr at Christmas time

– Don’t arrive right when the Christmas market opens (10 am). The parking lots will already be full. This day is not the time to sleep in! Arrive before 9:00 a.m.! Discover the village and go have a coffee while waiting for the market to open.

– If you arrive in the middle of the day, it’s a safe bet that all road access will be saturated. Rather than being stuck in your car for hours, park immediately away from the village and go to Riquewihr on foot.

Our Holiday Apartments in Riquewihr

All our holiday apartments are decorated with a Christmas tree to allow you to enjoy Christmas Atmosphere like an Alsatian family. 

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace. Select yours!

At the 2024 Christmas markets in the neighbour town of Colmar

The Christmas markets of the neighboring towns of Colmar are only a few minutes from Riquewihr.

Colmar is located less than 15 kilometers from Riquewihr. Like every year, the Colmar Christmas market will be open every day from the end of November to the end of December 2024. In fact we should say the Christmas marketS of Colmar since there are now 6 Christmas villages distributed in several places in the old town.

The final 2024 dates are still pending but usually, they are scheduled are as follows:

Monday to Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Friday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. December 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. December 25 & 26 from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.  The Christmas festivities in Colmar have a dedicated website which will give you all the details.

A good plan is to stay in Riquewihr. Not only will you enjoy the magical atmosphere of Riquewihr, but you will also be just a few minutes from all the other Christmas markets in the neighborhood: Colmar, Ribeauvillé, Sélestat, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim. And Germany (with many other discoveries) is less than an hour away.

2024 Christmas markets in Kaysersberg and Ribeauvillé

The Ribeauvillé Christmas market has a long history. The medieval era survives thanks to architecture but also thanks to festivals throughout the year, including at Christmas time. In Ribeauvillé, the Christmas markets are… medieval. They take place in mid-December, this year on Saturday and Sunday 7 & 8 as well as 14 & 15 December 2024. As it is the volunteers of the Pfifferdaj associations who organize this medieval Christmas market, it unfortunately does not take place during the weekdays.

Only 4 kilometers from our places in Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé has always stood out for its medieval Christmas market which mobilizes a very large number of associations and volunteers. The visitor will find many activities there, not just chalets. Ribeauvillé offers one of the busiest Christmas markets in Alsace. You can discover games and activities for children, craft and Christmas products and taste medieval food and drinks (all imported products are prohibited!).

You will have understood, the quality Christmas market of Ribeauvillé is worth a long visit. Not in a rush, not a quick visit between two other Christmas markets. Ribeauvillé no longer welcomes the buses of tour operators who organize visits to Christmas markets one after the other. In Ribeauvillé, visitors take the time to wander around, have fun, and get into the very special atmosphere of the medieval Christmas celebration.

In Kaysersberg the Christmas market is held around the very beautiful church of the Invention of the Holy Cross (which is full of treasures of medieval art and which really deserves an attentive and thoughtful visit). The 2024 dates for the Kaysersberg Christmas market are as follows: from Friday November 29, 2024 to Sunday December 1, from Friday December 6 to Sunday December 8, from Friday December 13 to Sunday December 15 and finally from Friday December 20 to Sunday December 22, 2024 inclusive. The Kaysersberg Christmas market therefore ends just before Christmas.

Tip: Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg are located a few kilometers from Riquewihr. Leave your car in the car park and take the Christmas shuttle buses.

Christmas market in Ribeauvillé in video

My video will give you an idea about the magic of the Christmas market in Ribeauvillé. 

Our Holiday Apartments in Riquewihr

All our holiday apartments are decorated with a Christmas tree to allow you to enjoy Christmas Atmosphere like an Alsatian family. 

From the studio to the large luxury apartment: our 10 romantic gites in Alsace provide some of the best self catering accommodation in Alsace. Select yours!

Sélestat near Riquewihr, a gem to discover absolutely…

Sélestat is a small, must-see town just 20 minutes by car north of Riquewihr and Colmar. Although it is full of treasures, Sélestat remains a town somewhat unknown to tourists. Perhaps because they often rush onto the highway between Strasbourg and Colmar or because they stay on the wine route without thinking of stopping at Sélestat. What a pity! Sélestat is a beautiful town with a rich historical and architectural heritage. The Christmas events are very beautiful and very interesting, with an undeniable cultural richness. There’s more than just mulled wine to drink. We are far from the invading crowds, for a truly quality moment. Sélestat is the historic birthplace of the Christmas tree. In 2021, we celebrated 500 years of the oldest written reference to the Christmas tree, which dates back to 1521.

The festivities around Christmas in Sélestat generally take place from the end of November to the end of December. Some exhibitions even extend into January.

The 2024 dates are not yet final as I write these lines but I am providing you with the link to the 2023 program here. Many events are repeated from one year to the next. This will allow you to see the wealth of events and activities around Christmas that are offered in Sélestat!

Strasbourg and its big Christmas market: less than an hour from Riquewihr

We no longer present the Strasbourg Christmas market. Strasbourg Christmas markets are dating back to medieval times (1570). In fact, in Strasbourg as in Colmar, the Christmas market is plural and spreads over several sites with different themes. To enjoy the Christmas market more than ever, we will insist on a visit outside of weekends. During the week, it’s much more pleasant!

The Strasbourg Christmas market is scheduled to take place from November 24, 2024 from 2 p.m. until December 24 at 6 p.m. The chalets will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day (except December 24, when the chalets will close at 6:00 p.m.).

By staying in one of our apartments in Riquewihr, it will be very easy for you to spend the afternoon and evening in Strasbourg. The key word: above all, do not try to enter Strasbourg by car! Take public transportation. One of the many trains departing from Sélestat (free parking) or Colmar. If you still prefer the car because you plan to return late in the evening, use the Parking + Tram formula. When traveling from Riquewihr to Strasbourg via the A35 motorway, exit at Illkirch and park in the specially provided car park (P + R markings, very reduced rate). Then, in a short time, you will be in the heart of Strasbourg and its Christmas markets.

Strasbourg, Capital of Christmas, has a dedicated website which will provide you with all the details as they become known.

And when the Christmas time is over …

Winter is the season of traditional Alsace. Mid November, January and February offer plenty of discoveries for those who know how to look and approach closer. Riquewihr is your base for exploring the vineyard and the mountains of Vosges and Alsace! 

In the aftermath of the Epiphany, the Feast of the Magi, 6 January, when the celebrations of Christmas fade in our memories, when the lanterns have been removed and the new year has begun its march towards Easter, then another Alsace unfolds. Some find it more authentic, far from the tumult of the crowds of the beautiful days.

And even if the snow is not present every year in Riquewihr, those who want to take a walk in snowshoes or cross-country skiing should find their happiness with a day out a little higher in the Vosges, a half an hour’s drive barely (station du Lac Blanc). Finally, do not be worried by any wintry road conditions: of course caution on the road is always up, but in Alsace and in the Vosges, snow is not an unknown phenomenon and there is appropriate equipment available (and know how) to quickly clean the roads in case of snowfall …


Christmas and Winter atmosphere in our romantic holiday apartments in the medieval village of Riquewihr in Alsace!

Our self catering gites in Riquewihr are wonderful places to stay in Winter. In the lounge of the Dove’s Nest house as well as in the White Stork (2 persons) you will have a safe pellet fireplace. During the Christmas markets period (end of November to January), all our apartments, from the smallest studio to the largest flat, have a beautiful romantic Christmas decoration.

We have guests coming from all over the world especially for the Christmas markets period. Availabilities in our holiday apartments are vanishing rapidly.

For even more fun, make your explorations during weekdays. The Christmas markets will be less crowded.