Christmas in Kaysersberg: the market, and a gîte 3 km away
Kaysersberg hosts one of the most renowned Christmas markets in Alsace, on the four weekends of Advent. The gîte is 3 km away, in the neighbouring village of Sigolsheim: a five-minute drive, your parking space in our courtyard, and peace and quiet for the night.
- 27 Nov – 20 Dec2026, the 4 weekends of Advent
- Fri, Sat, Sun10 am to 8 pm
- 3 kmfrom the gîte, parking in the courtyard
- Freefree entry
Why Kaysersberg's market
The Kaysersberg market has stayed small and selective: some thirty chalets in the Arsenal courtyard and behind the Sainte-Croix church, run by craftspeople chosen on application — santons, wooden toys, decorations, candles — plus a farmers' market on place de la Mairie with foie gras, cheeses, bredele biscuits and mulled wine.
The setting does the rest: the half-timbered houses and Renaissance façades of Albert Schweitzer's birthplace, the fortified bridge over the Weiss, and the castle keep towering over it all. At nightfall, around 5 pm, the illuminations come on and the village becomes the most photographed in Alsace.
It is also, by far, the busiest market in the valley: on Saturday afternoons you shuffle along the main street. Hence the point of sleeping next door rather than driving in from Colmar or Strasbourg through the traffic.
Staying at the gîte during the market
The gîte is in Sigolsheim, 3 km from the market. By car, five minutes; on foot, about forty minutes along the path through the vineyards between Sigolsheim, Kientzheim and Kaysersberg — a lovely walk, but bring a torch for the way back after dark.
Your car sleeps in our closed courtyard, behind a remote-controlled gate: no paid park-and-ride, no shuttle to wait for. You can go to the market in the late morning, come back to warm up, and head out again for the illuminations.
The gîte sleeps 2 to 4 people and has a fully equipped kitchen for the evenings when you prefer a home-made choucroute to full restaurants. The Advent weekends are the most requested of the year: they book up months ahead.
The 2026 programme
Dates and events as announced by the Kaysersberg valley tourist office. Check the times just before you come: they can change.
Source : kaysersberg.com – Christmas in the Kaysersberg valley (opens in a new window)
The other markets, a few kilometres away
From the gîte it is easy to string several markets together: Colmar and its six markets (10 km, open daily), Riquewihr (5 km), Ribeauvillé and its medieval market (8 km), Eguisheim (15 km). The Christmas shuttle bus links Colmar, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim at weekends.
In the valley itself, two more intimate events open and close the season.
Our locals' tips
Friday is the quietest day; Saturday afternoon the busiest. If you come on a Saturday, arrive before 11 am or after 6 pm, when the lights are on and the coaches have left.
On weekdays the market is closed, but the streets stay decorated and illuminated, almost empty: the best time for photos. Colmar and Strasbourg, open every day, can then be visited without the weekend crowds.
Dress as for the mountains: it is often around 0 °C in the evening in December, and you stay outdoors. Mulled wine and bredele help. During Advent the valley's winegrowers also open their Christmas cellars: see our Winegrowers and tastings page.
The market in pictures
Click a photo to enlarge it.
2026 programme according to the Kaysersberg valley tourist office, consulted on 1 November 2026. The dates of later editions are published each autumn: they are always the four weekends of Advent.