Riquewihr Christmas Market 2026: Day Trip from Colmar

Riquewihr is a wine village first, with vineyards running right up to its walls, so the glass to order here is a local Riesling or crémant rather than another mulled wine. The Riquewihr Christmas Market is compact enough to pair with a neighbouring village on the same day. It looks its best after dark, when the half-timbered facades are lit.

Riquewihr Christmas Market 2026

Dates

Status: Confirmed
Riquewihr dates: 27th November to 20th December 2026
Last checked: October 2026

Update: Dates were announced in January. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified of changes.

Source: Verified by Ultimate Christmas Markets via Visit Alsace.

Plan Your Visit

Location and Times

Location: Riquewihr Old Town
Opening times:
Monday to Friday: 10am to 6:30pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10am to 7pm
Christmas Day: Closed

Travel and Accommodation

Recommended Tour: guided walk with optional wine tasting
Parking: Please take public transport to help limit congestion. You can take the shuttle from Colmar to Ribeauvillé, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr markets.
Where to stay: Hôtel De La Couronne is a popular option.

Amenities and Attractions

Admission: Free.
Lights: No switch-on date announced. The lights are switched off at 10pm each evening to save energy.
Santa: No.
Ice skating: No.
Reason to visit: Traditional crafts, regional goods, authentic Alsatian wines and cider. Plus Medieval half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets.

Dietary Options

Vegetarian: Yes, plenty of options.
Vegan: Yes, plenty of options.
Gluten free: Yes, but limited.
Food specialities: Alsatian wines, pastries, cheeses, traditional sausages and flammekueche.

Accessibility

Accessible: Partially
Pet-friendly: Yes, but not recommended during busy periods.

Convenient Hotels

To be central, you’ll want to stay in the Centre Ville area, the historic heart of the Old Town. This is near the market and the beautiful old half-timbered houses. I recommend the Hôtel De La Couronne in this area as it’s popular and highly rated.

Read our complete guide to the French Christmas Markets or our popular Alsace Christmas Markets list.

Recommended Tours

This is the only tour that starts in Riquewihr itself rather than busing in from Colmar or Strasbourg. Two hours through the village with a guide, and a tasting on the wine route at the end if you want one. Take the guided walk late and stay on once the coaches have gone.

Visitor Feedback

What Visitors Loved

• The medieval streetscape is the real draw, and visitors find the Dolder gate and the side lanes as memorable as the stalls.
• Wine lovers single it out, because the village wine houses pour Riesling and crémant alongside the usual mulled wine.
• It is compact enough to see in a few hours, so many visitors pair it with Ribeauvillé or Kaysersberg on the same day.
• Decoration hunters love the year-round Christmas shops, Féerie de Noël above all, for the sheer range of ornaments.

Common Complaints

• Weekend afternoons get very crowded, with the main street close to shoulder to shoulder once the coach groups arrive.
• Parking fills early on Saturdays and Sundays, and drivers who arrive late often end up walking in from well outside the village.
• At peak times the Christmas shops have queues to get in and to pay, and several visitors found their prices steep.

The Bottom Line

Crowds are the main thing to plan around here, and a weekday visit makes the biggest difference. If a weekend is your only option, arrive at opening time or use the park and ride rather than driving into the village.

Event Location

What to Expect

The stalls follow the main street, the rue du Général de Gaulle, as it climbs from the town hall towards the Dolder, the 13th-century gate tower at the top of the village, and spill into the small squares on either side. Riquewihr is a wine village first, with vineyards running right up to its ramparts, so many of the most interesting stops are the wine houses and cellars along the street rather than the chalets themselves.

After dark, the lights pick out the carved beams, painted shutters and oriel windows of houses that have stood here since the 16th century. Give yourself time for the side lanes too, where the crowds thin out quickly.

Regional Specialties

• Bretzels: Usually, you’ll find them both salted for those who want a savoury treat and coated with sugar for a sweet variation.
• Vin Chaud: Hot mulled wine served in collectible mugs. In Alsace it also comes as a white version made with local wine.
• Crémant d’Alsace: The region’s sparkling wine, and a good alternative to another mulled wine.
• Flammekueche: Also known as tarte flambée, this is a local speciality resembling a thin-crust pizza.
• Choucroute Garnie: A generous serving of sauerkraut accompanied by various types of meat, often including sausages and pork. It’s a filling dish that pairs well with the local white wines.
• Männele: Small brioche figures shaped like little men, studded with chocolate or raisins.
• Kouglof: This Alsatian brioche is often baked in a distinctive circular bundt pan.
• Pain d’épices: A rich, spiced bread.
• Alsatian wines: The Alsace region is renowned for its exceptional wine production, particularly for Gewürztraminer and Riesling.
• Bredele: Small, bite-sized cookies typically made with almonds, spices, and aniseed.

Gifts and Stocking Fillers

• Alsace pottery: Plates, vases, serving dishes and kouglof moulds, from the colourful glazes of Soufflenheim to the blue and grey stoneware of Betschdorf.
• Local textiles: Scarves, tablecloths and bags in Alsatian patterns, including the traditional checked cloth known as kelsch.
• Wine: Local bottles are available in gift boxes.
• Hand-blown glass: Christmas baubles and vases.
• Alsatian cookbooks: Look for local recipe books, both traditional and contemporary.
• Year-round Christmas shops: Féerie de Noël stocks thousands of ornaments all year, so go early in the day to beat the queues.

Sustainability Tips

• Ride the Christmas shuttle from Colmar: Lines 1 and 2 of the Christmas shuttles (navettes de Noël) link Colmar with Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg on market Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, and children under 12 ride free.
• Park outside the village: On market weekends the NaturOparC car park near Hunawihr runs a shuttle into Riquewihr every 30 minutes, and one fee per car covers everyone in it.
• Take the regional bus on a weekday: Line 816 connects Colmar, Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, which suits a quieter midweek visit when the Christmas shuttles aren’t running.
• Respect the quiet street: With around 1,000 residents and hundreds of thousands of December visitors, the village has signposted a quiet street (rue du silence) where visitors are asked to keep their voices down.
• Pick up a pocket ashtray: The village hands them out free so cigarette butts stay off the cobblestones.