After spending 24 hours in Amsterdam and a few days in Bruges, Belgium last December, we headed to Strasbourg, France. We didn’t really have a set schedule for Strasbourg. Our main goal was to check out all of the Strasbourg Christmas markets and witness the fusion of German and French cultures that the city is known for.
Strasbourg lies on the border of France and Germany, in a region known as Alsace. The city switched nationalities between the two countries multiple times throughout history, creating a blend of German and French influences. Despite French being the dominant language, a lot of the buildings in the historic city center look German. It is a truly fascinating town.
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If you visit during December, you are in for a real treat! Dubbed The Capital of Christmas, Strasbourg turns into a city straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie during the holiday season. It is the perfect place for a romantic getaway. The streets are decked out in holiday lights and the buildings are adorned with unique Christmas displays.
We wandered aimlessly during our time there. However, if you want a concrete starting point to explore from, I would begin at the Cathédrale Notre Dame de Strasbourg. For over 200 years, this cathedral stood as the tallest building on Earth. It is now documented as being the 6th tallest church in the world. The exterior is gorgeously Gothic and etched with minute detail. I highly recommend going inside to see its stunning stained glass window.
If you want an affordable place to stay that’s right beside the cathedral, we really enjoyed staying at this Airbnb!
This is a good starting place, for a couple of reasons: Get separated from your friends? Meet back up at the tallest building in Strasbourg. Also every street in every direction leading away from the cathedral will take you to a Christmas market. I’m not exaggerating.
Immediately surrounding the cathedral is a small market selling items such as paper lanterns, ornaments, and hand painted signs. We didn’t spend much time at this market, because it was quite crowded given its proximity to the cathedral. However along the nearby canal are 2 more markets: one at Place du Marché aux Poissons and the other at Palais des Rohan. If you visit around sunset, it makes for splendid pictures, and it’s quite lovely strolling down the canal in the evening light while snacking on macarons. From here, it is a scenic 15 minute canal-side walk to the area of town known as Petite France.
If you do a Google Image search of Strasbourg, pictures of Petite France will fill the page. We arrived in the area just as it was getting dark, but it is a place you will probably want to see during the day to get those Instagram worthy photos. Because we were there at night though, the lights seemed extra beautiful.
There are several shops and restaurants in the area. Christmas booths in this part of town were less crowded, probably because they were further removed from the city center. We bought a few unique glass blown ornaments and stopped to listen to a group of musicians playing by one of the canals.
From the Cathedral, you can also follow Rue du Dôme and after 2 blocks, you will arrive at Place Brogile. This is where you want to head when you get hungry. Some Alsatian foods you need to sample are cheesy bretzel, spaetzle (a noodley dish sort of like macaroni and cheese), mulled white wine, gingerbread, and pommes de terre (potatoes cooked in a wine sauce in a big skillet). The king of Alsatian food though is tarte flambée (AKA flammkuche). This dish is like a flatbread pizza with a cheese sauce. It’s delicious.
I also found my favorite booth at Place Brogile. A man was selling hand sculpted clay hearts from a local potter. I bought myself one and a few more as Christmas gifts for the women in my family.
After visiting Place Brogile, it is just a short walk to two of Strasbourg’s biggest Christmas attractions: The light display at Galeries Lafayette and the huge Christmas tree at Place Kléber.
No matter where you begin your exploration of the Strasbourg Christmas markets, it is easy to get from market to market on foot. Strasbourg is compact. To walk from one end of the historic city center to the other takes less than 30 minutes and there is Alsatian charm everywhere you look!
Be sure to check out the city’s official website before your visit to stay in the loop on all things related to the Strasbourg Christmas markets. Au revoir!
If you love European Christmas markets, check out our post on Exploring Christmas Markets in Munich!
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I want to know what kind of place to stay while there during christmas time, thats not too far to walk. Is the best western hotel good spot for 4 days there?
Hi Linda! There are 2 rivers that circle the city center. I would recommend staying within that circle, because it will make walking to each market much easier. Also last year, entry points into the city center were subject to search for safety reasons. If you stay outside the circle, there is a chance your belongings will be searched each time you enter, which could be a little bit of a hassle. It looks like the Best Western falls just outside of that zone. There are lots of reasonably priced AirBnbs in that area, which is the route I took. Here is a map of the Christmas Market layout from 2018, and it gives a good overview of the area I recommend staying: https://noel.strasbourg.eu/documents/1356039/1389026/plan-marches-noel-2018.jpg/e0b1b85d-b709-31c9-563d-23c913265b38?t=1540917225842
I am sure this year’s layout will be nearly identical. I hope you have a wonderful trip! Let me know if you have anymore questions:)