From Colmar: Alsace Christmas Villages Tour to Eguisheim, Kaysersberg & Riquewihr

Every Advent the wine villages along the Alsace Wine Route dress their half-timbered houses in greenery, lights and red ribbons, and several hold Christmas markets that feel very different from the big-city versions. This half-day trip from Colmar visits three of the best known, Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr, by minivan with a local guide, and brings you back to Colmar in time to wander its own markets after dark.

The first stop is Eguisheim, built in concentric rings of lanes around the castle and chapel of Saint-Léon and traditionally named as the birthplace of Pope Leo IX in 1002. During Advent around thirty artisans and producers set up in its squares and alleys, and the tight circular streets make it easy to explore in an hour. The market is open daily from 27 November to 30 December 2026, except 24 to 26 December.

Next comes Kaysersberg, at the mouth of the Weiss valley beneath a ruined castle, with a fortified bridge over the river and the house where Albert Schweitzer was born in 1875. Its Christmas market fills the Cour de l'Arsenal and the area behind the Église Sainte-Croix, but only on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the four Advent weekends: 27 November to 20 December 2026, from 10:00 to 20:00. On weekday departures you still walk the decorated old town, but the market huts are closed, so pick a Friday to Sunday date if the Kaysersberg market matters to you.

The last village, Riquewihr, is timed for dusk, when the lights come on along the main street that climbs to the Dolder, a 13th-century gate tower. Its market runs every day from 27 November to 20 December 2026. Your guide buys you a cup of vin chaud, the hot spiced wine that Alsace makes from red or white wine, or a hot apple juice, and points out local specialities such as bredele Christmas biscuits, pain d'épices and kougelhopf.

Back in Colmar at around 18:00, the guide walks you from the drop-off on Place Rapp to the Koïfhus, the old customs house, and leaves you among the city's six Christmas markets, which run from 23 November to 29 December 2026. They stay open until 19:00 from Monday to Thursday and until 20:00 from Friday to Sunday, while the gourmet market and the Ferris wheel stay open until 22:00 and continue to 3 January 2027.

Alsace is cold and often foggy or damp in December, with temperatures near freezing by late afternoon. Bring a warm coat, hat and gloves, and wear shoes with good grip for cobbled lanes and the gentle climb up Riquewihr's main street.

Expect about 3 to 4 km of easy walking in total, spread over the three villages. The minivan seats a maximum of eight guests, so there is room for small shopping bags but not for large luggage.

Kaysersberg's market huts open only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 27 November to 20 December 2026. On Monday to Thursday departures you will see the decorated village but not the market.

Village markets are very busy on weekend afternoons and traffic into Riquewihr and Kaysersberg can be slow; the guide may change the order of the stops to keep to the schedule.

Vin chaud is served to guests aged 18 and over. Colmar's old town is closed to vehicles during market hours from 23 November to 29 December, which is why the tour starts at the railway station and ends on Place Rapp. Carry some euros in cash for small stalls.