Christmas market Colmar

The morning of departure promised to be cold and wet – typical for winter. But that didn't dampen our spirits in the slightest. After all, we were on our way to one of the most beautiful Christmas markets in France, and if the weather doesn't want to play along, so be it.

We made our stopover at the travel centre in Windisch, where we could fortify ourselves with delicious croissants and coffee for the journey into France. Once all our fellow travellers had trickled in from every corner of Switzerland, we boarded the coach and were transported to Colmar in relaxed fashion.

At the hotel we were already welcomed by friendly staff, who offered us gingerbread and other sweets. As our rooms were not yet ready, we left our luggage at the hotel and immediately took the opportunity to explore the little town in peace. As winter greeted us here too with its cold, we soon made a stop in a warm café for hot chocolate.

From the very start, Colmar promised plenty of charm and variety. As the six Christmas markets were spread across the small town, the crowds did not gather in one place and there was enough room to stroll through the narrow lanes and be delighted by the different decorations. Despite the cold outside, we couldn't resist looking at every little stall, trying a bit of gingerbread here and a mulled wine there. Of course, we also bought some gifts – where else can you bring your loved ones something so special?

We stopped for lunch at the Collégiale St-Martin, where for once we chose a restaurant over the market. Not only our legs but above all our hands were grateful, as after a while the wind went right through even the thickest gloves. With a typical Alsatian tarte flambée and a citron chaud we were soon warm again, and, fortified, we continued our exploration of the little town.

In the late afternoon we returned to our hotel to check into our rooms, stow our purchases and rest for a while. The rest did not last long, however, as hunger soon made itself felt again and drove us back out into the Advent cold. In a small restaurant we enjoyed, this time, not an Alsatian speciality but Indian cuisine. We ended the eventful evening with a warm mulled wine and were then very glad to finally get some sleep.

In the morning we were greeted with a delicious breakfast at the hotel. After coffee and orange juice we felt fortified enough to spend a second day at the beautiful Christmas market – albeit in the cold.

This time we headed towards Le Petit Venise, where we stocked up on the typical pain d'épices so we could show off at home. We also bought some sweets, jam and delicious Alsatian honey, because who knows when we will next be here? On the way back we discovered the Marché Couvert, which, to our surprise, did not just belong to the Christmas market but is open all year round. To suit the wintry charm, though, people there also sold all kinds of Christmas baking, which suited us just fine. After all, we could treat ourselves there to delicious madeleines and enjoy a tasty lunch – tarte flambée again this time.

We spent the afternoon first in a few small shops around the Christmas markets, before rounding it off in the warmth of a café with hot punch and coffee and a delicious vermicelles. After all, we had been on foot for almost the whole two days – so we could allow ourselves a little rest.
Right on five o'clock our coach arrived to drive us back to Switzerland in peace. We were lucky with the traffic and were over half an hour early at the travel centre, which was no problem. So we could calmly eat a small snack and run through our experiences once more.

It was a lovely experience to discover Colmar in the Advent season. An absolute must for everyone!