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If you happen to’re in search of an uncommon Christmas market that can shock you, delight you, and make you’re feeling like a child once more — you’ll fall in love with the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market in France!
Situated within the coronary heart of the Alsace area, the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market is an interactive medieval market crammed with performers who make you’re feeling such as you’ve gone again in time.
It takes quite a bit to impress me, however the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market blew my expectations out of the water. Ribeauvillé (REE-bo-vee-YAY) is among the most lovely cities within the Alsace area of France, the German-flavored area that goes all out with Christmas decorations annually.
However whereas some Christmas markets will be less-than-impressive with the identical sausages and mass-produced souvenirs that you just’ll discover all over the place from Germany to Austria to Hungary, Ribeauvillé is the one which delivers.
Right here you may have full-on medieval decorations and actions, and performers in full costume who keep in character! From dwell floggings (jokingly carried out!) to giants on stilts to gaggles of geese being led by the road, you’ll be laughing with delight and having fun with the Christmas spirit.
And Ribeauvillé’s Christmas market solely takes place 4 days annually — which makes it all of the extra vital to time your go to fastidiously.
Let’s check out what makes this Christmas market so particular. (And make sure you learn my information to Alsace Christmas Markets, too!)
This publish was revealed in November 2025.
Christmas in Ribeauvillé: An Interactive Medieval Market
You’ve heard of Christmas markets. You’ve heard of medieval Christmas markets. However you’ve by no means seen a market fairly just like the one in Ribeauvillé.
First off, Ribeauvillé is definitely one of the vital lovely villages in France. Many of the city is a single highway that curves backwards and forwards, lined with colourful half-timbered homes.
In actual fact, Ribeauvillé was reportedly one of many inspirations for Belle’s village in Disney’s Magnificence and the Beast, together with the close by village of Riquewihr. However between you and me, Ribeauvillé is a lot prettier than Riquewihr!
Throughout Christmas, every kind of performers take over the city, and also you by no means know who may be coming from across the nook! Listed below are a number of the belongings you may see:
A hooded man with a sword throws individuals into the shares. And his assistant spanks them gently with a plank of wooden. And appears to take pleasure in it.
On stage, you possibly can take pleasure in animations of the market: perhaps one with a monk, a jester, and an angel, and they’re figuring out whether or not the poor man within the center will get to dwell one other day.
A large on stilts stalks the streets, employees in hand and antlers on his head, and you actually need to ask him, “Didn’t I see you on Yellowjackets?”
Time for a snack? Head over to a sales space for some freshly made apple rings. All the meals server are sporting pink and yellow medieval robes, and so they serve them with a smile.
A girl is attacked by THE DEVIL HIMSELF! Nevertheless it’s okay, she appears to be into it.
After which out of the blue, you hear shouting. A person is clearing a path by the group so his good friend can herd a well-behaved flock of geese by the streets. GEESE. The place else does this occur?
This market is simply a lot FUN. Check out the video under, which I shot throughout my go to to the Ribeauvillé Christmas market in 2024.
Ribeauvillé Christmas Market Dates
Ribeauvillé is exclusive in that its Christmas market solely takes place 4 days. This isn’t like the opposite Christmas markets in Europe which are open day by day.
You’ll want to plan your go to to Ribeauvillé fastidiously because of this. The worst factor could be climbing all the way in which right here and discovering no market ready for you.
In actual fact, I believe it is a good factor, as a result of I seen that virtually everybody working on the Ribeauvillé Christmas market was in an excellent temper. You don’t all the time have that optimism after working most days for a number of weeks.
2025 Ribeauvillé Christmas Market Dates and Opening Hours
In 2025, Ribeauvillé Christmas Market is going down on the next dates:
- Saturday, December 6, 10:00 AM-7:00 PM
- Sunday, December 7, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
- Saturday, December 13, 10:00 AM-7:00 PM
- Sunday, December 14, 10:00 AM-6:00 PM
Is Ribeauvillé Christmas Market Crowded?
Sadly, the worst factor concerning the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market is how terribly crowded it’s. It is a main downside in Alsace — on the weekends, many of the Christmas markets are overcrowded and troublesome to take pleasure in.
There are three important causes for this. The primary is that the majority French home tourism flows into Alsace in December; the second is that Christmas market tourism has develop into enormous on social media; and the third is that river cruises have grown enormously within the final decade, dumping increasingly individuals in the identical common spots.
And no, this isn’t restricted to the large cities. It occurs within the smaller villages too, like Riquewihr and Kayserberg, as a result of they’re common day journey spots for individuals basing within the larger Christmas markets cities.
For that reason, I don’t suppose it’s value visiting most Alsatian Christmas markets on the weekend.
Ribeauvillé is my one exception. This is among the finest Christmas markets in Alsace, if not the very best in all of France, and the crowds are value it as a result of the market is so particular and strange. (And likewise as a result of it solely takes place on two Saturdays and two Sundays annually.)
Lots of people will advise you to get to the market very first thing within the morning to keep away from the worst of the crowds. Properly, I really did that and it didn’t make a distinction.
I used to be on the very first bus of the day on the Navettes de Noël, getting there earlier than the stalls even opened, and it was nonetheless extremely crowded. And it wasn’t any higher at the moment for images, as a result of the solar forged shadows alongside the Grand Rue that didn’t look nice.
So sure. Be ready for the crowds, as a result of they’re sadly an inevitability. Simply drift. It’s value it.
What to Eat on the Ribeauvillé Christmas Markets
One purpose why I like the Christmas markets in Alsace is that French meals is so significantly better than the standard meals in German Christmas markets. (Sorry, not sorry!) There are such a lot of scrumptious issues on the market in Ribeauvillé.
Baked items. Between France’s croissants and Germany’s pretzels, there are such a lot of good baked items! When you stroll into city, you’ll see the above bakery stall in your left. I had a scrumptious tacky pretzel from right here.
These large gingerbread men-shaped brioches are known as manalas. They’re a particular deal with for St. Nicholas Day on December 6.
These mini bundt desserts are known as kougelhopf. They’re yeasted desserts and include totally different flavorings — some are made with vanilla, lemon zest, or chocolate.
Wild boar. It is a specialty in Ribeauvillé — consuming it’s so medieval-feeling and enjoyable! — and also you’ll discover that there are lengthy traces for it many of the day. The stand is on one of many important squares on the precise, shortly after you stroll in, and look out for the enormous spider! I like to recommend getting some earlier than midday to keep away from the worst of the queues.
Crepes. There’s a crepes stand on the identical sq. that sells the wild boar. You possibly can all the time rely on crepes wherever in France!
Tarte flambée. This may be essentially the most well-known dish in Alsace: a skinny flatbread topped with creme fraiche, bacon lardons, and onions. It’s so scrumptious, however eat it shortly — it will get chilly quick!
Fried apple rings. There are a number of meals stands on Place Berckheim, and one sells essentially the most scrumptious fried apple rings. They’re lined in cinnamon and sugar and so they make such a festive deal with!
Galettes de pommes de terre. Additionally offered on Place Berckheim, galettes pommes de terre are like potato pancakes — so hearty and scrumptious.
Cheese. There’s a cheese store on the left facet of the Grand Rue, shortly after you stroll into city. I consider it is a short-term store only for the Christmas season. You possibly can pattern cheeses and purchase, however beware — we purchased what we thought was a modest quantity of cheese and it ended up costing round 60 euros. YIKES.
And by then we felt too embarrassed to say, “Oh God, that’s an excessive amount of, put it again.” That they had already reduce it. So watch out!
And don’t overlook the native eating places. There are loads in Ribeauvillé.
What to Drink on the Ribeauvillé Christmas Markets
Ribeauvillé’s drinks on provide are good for the festive season. Listed below are a few of your choices:
Elixir de L’Arboriculteur. You’ll discover this nonalcoholic beverage on the market alongside the Grande Rue, with one stall proper earlier than Rue de l’Abbé Louis Kremp. This sizzling drink accommodates apple juice, cinnamon, and star anise. It’s as shut as you’ll get to American-style apple cider!
Vin Chaud. Vin chaud, or sizzling mulled wine, is the unofficial drink of the Alsace Christmas markets. Yow will discover it at stalls in every single place in Ribeauvillé! Whereas I’m extra of a pink wine particular person, I like to recommend you strive vin chaud with white wine, as they use very nice Alsatian white wines which are onerous to search out elsewhere.
Wine. After all — it’s France; it’s all over the place. However for those who’d like one thing particular, cease in at Domaine Jean-Sipp, a neighborhood vineyard within the coronary heart of city, the place you possibly can pattern one thing native. This vineyard has loads of native wines and crémants (Alsace’s reply to champagne) to strive. We loved stopping right here for a glass.
Beer. Sure, you’ll find beer on the primary sq. with the wild boar!
Espresso, cafe au lait, tea, and extra. Most of the stalls in Ribeauvillé are dishing up sizzling caffeinated drinks, together with Irish coffees, for those who’re into espresso with a shot of booze. I additionally loved a cappuccino at Cafe Paula, which was a pleasant place to heat up indoors.
Methods to Get to Ribeauvillé for the Christmas Markets
If you happen to’re coming to the Alsace area from far-off, your only option is to get to Strasbourg first. Strasbourg is residence to a small airport, and has direct trains from Paris. The town can also be well-connected by bus — there’s even a direct bus to my residence metropolis of Prague, which takes about seven hours.
If it’s too furry to fly into Strasbourg and also you’re not doing Paris, I like to recommend taking a look at flying into Frankfurt, Germany, or Basel, Switzerland. Frankfurt is among the greatest air hubs in Europe, and Basel, although not as massive, has extra flights than Strasbourg.
From Strasbourg, you possibly can e book direct trains to Colmar, which take about half-hour.
It’s best to get to Ribeauvillé from Colmar, although there are alternatives from different locations. Right here you go:
Possibility 1: Navettes de Noel. The Navettes de Noël are the Christmas shuttles that run in a loop from Colmar. One of many routes runs from Colmar to Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, and Kayserberg-Vignoble, in each instructions.
I booked the Christmas shuttle buses in 2024, and it was a clever determination. The buses had been comfy, ran like clockwork, and the drivers and employees couldn’t have been nicer.
The shuttles go on sale in mid-November. Examine the web site for particulars. Guide instantly as a result of they will promote out inside hours! In addition they launch just a few last-minute tickets three days forward.
Possibility 2: Drive. Driving is an choice, however you’ll discover that parking is troublesome. There are seemingly unending traces of vehicles parked main as much as Ribeauvillé, and there are not any parking garages.
The excellent news is that now there’s a Park and Trip situated within the close by city of Bergheim. The tackle is 22 Route de Colmar 68750 Bergheim, and it’s off exit 20 from the A35 motorway. Shuttles run each 20 minutes throughout market hours.
Do understand that for those who’re driving, you gained’t be capable of indulge within the wine and different alcoholic drinks.
Possibility 3: Tour from Strasbourg or Colmar. There are organized, guided excursions that depart from these two cities. Notice that these excursions don’t assure visiting any explicit metropolis, so please double-check with the operator that they’re visiting Ribeauvillé that day!
You possibly can e book this tour from Strasbourg, or this tour from Colmar. Each of the excursions go to a number of villages with Christmas markets in Alsace.
The place to Keep in Ribeauvillé (or Close by)
In terms of planning a Christmas journey to Alsace, that you must e book as far forward as potential. And that is much more vital on the 2 weekends of the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market, that are the busiest weekends of all.
Do you have to keep proper in Ribeauvillé? You possibly can, for those who’d like. You’ll get to expertise the small city at night time, after many of the day trippers have gone residence.
Nonetheless, there isn’t a lot lodging out there in Ribeauvillé, and subsequently costs are excessive. Plus, you don’t essentially must spend a number of days in Ribeauvillé when there are such a lot of markets in surrounding cities.
If you happen to select to remain in Ribeauvillé, listed here are the top-rated locations to remain on the town:
- Prime-Rated Luxurious Lodge in Ribeauvillé: L’Hôtel & Spa Ribeauvillé — Costly and well worth the splurge with a pleasant spa, hammam, and indoor pool.
- Prime-Rated Mid-Vary Lodge in Ribeauvillé: Hôtel Le Ménestrel — Very near the primary avenue, comfortable rooms and nice worth for cash.
- Prime-Rated Finances Lodge in Ribeauvillé: Lodge Spa Au Chevalier Blanc — Not tremendous funds, however the least expensive first rate rooms on the town.
Discover offers on locations to remain in Ribeauvillé right here.
So for those who don’t need to keep proper in Ribeauvillé, the place is the very best place to remain? I like to recommend staying in Colmar or Strasbourg. These two cities have a lot of accommodations and extra intensive public transport choices.
I stayed in Colmar on my journey, and I discovered it to be a superb match for Christmas time in Alsace. Colmar is residence to the primary cease of the Navettes de Noel Christmas shuttles, giving you quick access everywhere in the area.
There are additionally different excursions that depart from Colmar, just like the Alsace Wine Area tour, and the three-country Christmas market tour to Christmas markets in France, Germany, and Switzerland.
I stayed on the Ibis Finances Colmar Centre Ville, which I extremely advocate.
- Prime-Rated Luxurious Lodge in Colmar: Lodge Le Colombier — Beautiful rooms and a lot appeal, within the coronary heart of the Le Petit Venise neighborhood.
- Prime-Rated Mid-Vary Lodge in Colmar: Paul & Pia Welcome House Lodge — Actually cozy and cozy rooms, near the practice station and walkable all over the place.
- Prime-Rated Finances Lodge in Colmar: Ibis Finances Colmar Centre Ville — I stayed right here! Very fundamental, however first rate rooms, personal parking, and it’s strolling distance from all markets.
Discover offers on locations to remain in Colmar right here and Strasbourg right here.
What about staying in different cities within the Riquewihr area, like Riquewihr or Kayserberg? I don’t advocate it. These cities have the identical issues as Ribeauvillé — means too many vacationers in too small of an area, making parking and getting round troublesome, with restricted public transportation out and in.
I believe staying in these cities could be extra of a headache than you’d need for a enjoyable Christmas market journey.
Exploring the Different Alsace Christmas Markets
There are such a lot of great Christmas markets in Alsace! If you happen to’re coming right here, you need to make an effort to see as many as potential.
My absolute prime piece of recommendation is to see each market apart from Ribeauvillé midweek for those who can. The weekends are simply too loopy. Attempt to keep away from them, or use the weekends for barely much less common markets like Mulhouse and Obernai.
If you happen to’re seeing Ribeauvillé with tickets on the Christmas shuttle (Navettes de Noël), the opposite stops on this route are Riquewihr and Kayserberg-Vignoble. Full disclosure — these cities are simply as crowded as Ribeauvillé, with out the enjoyable medieval characters.
Talking personally, I didn’t discover a lot worth in visiting the Riquewihr Christmas market — whereas it was tremendous crowded, many of the gadgets on the market had been the identical mass-produced tchotchkes that you just discover wherever, and there have been surprisingly few meals choices.
Kayserberg is a little more attention-grabbing. They’re well-known for his or her glass-blowing and artwork traditions, and you’ll find loads of cool crafts on the market. And the surroundings there may be very good, particularly the half-timbered homes by the river.
You’ll nearly definitely cease by Colmar, which has a number of totally different Christmas markets and a number of the finest Christmas decorations in all of France. I cherished their carnival with the carousel bar on the Champs de Mars, and so they additionally placed on a superb culinary market with scrumptious meals.
Strasbourg is the large metropolis of the area and lots of of their central Christmas markets are typically crammed with the identical belongings you see all over the place else — however I like to recommend dropping by the choice OFF Marketplace for uncommon gadgets made by native artisans.
If you wish to go a bit additional afield, the Christmas markets in Mulhouse and Obernai are alleged to be good, and so they aren’t fairly as crowded because the others talked about. And when you have much more time, I hear town of Metz is absolutely underrated at Christmas!
Learn Extra: The Drawback with Alsace Christmas Markets
What to Put on on the Alsace Christmas Markets
Packing for a Christmas market journey is totally different from what you may ordinarily pack for a winter metropolis break in Europe. You’re going to be outside and standing nonetheless for many of the day. It’s vital to decorate for heat.
Listed below are my favourite necessities for Christmas market journeys:
Base layers (thermal underwear). I’m an enormous fan of the Uniqlo heat-teach scoop-neck prime and leggings, that are very heat, inexpensive, and I put on on a regular basis. I discover that base layers are important for Christmas market journeys in winter or any winter journey the place you’re exterior a lot of the day as a result of they offer you an additional layer of heat.
Heat sweater. Sweaters (or jumpers, Brits!) make the proper mid-layer between your base layer and your outerwear. Do you know that Uniqlo makes inexpensive cashmere sweaters in a ton of colours?
Heat winter coat. If it’s not waterproof, that’s okay, however be certain to convey a journey umbrella.
Boots. Waterproof winter boots are supreme, as anybody who’s stepped right into a deep slushy puddle can let you know. You won’t want them, however they’re merchandise to have in your wardrobe for winter journey. If not, you possibly can follow sneakers, which I did for this explicit journey.
Heat socks. I’m an enormous fan of merino wool socks, which I put on in the course of the winter and for climbing year-round.
Hat. I’m not a hat particular person; however, I rocked a beanie all through this chilly winter journey.
Speakeasy journey provide scarf. I like these scarves, which are available in quite a lot of patterns and supplies, and so they include a hidden zip-up pocket that’s good on your valuables!
Is Ribeauvillé Christmas Market value it?
YES, YES, YES, it’s so value it! Ribeauvillé Christmas Market is my favourite Christmas market in Alsace, and considered one of my favourite Christmas markets in all of Europe. It’s so totally different and particular and vigorous.
If you happen to’re planning a visit to Alsace for the Christmas markets, I extremely advocate you time your journey to one of many weekends of the Ribeauvillé Christmas Market, simply so you possibly can expertise it.
I hope you may have a beautiful time on the Christmas markets this 12 months!
Extra on Christmas Markets in France:
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Extra on France:
Have you ever been to Ribeauvillé at Christmas time? Share your ideas!
