A Week In The Alsace-Lorraine

We love having travel experiences that deviate from the traditional, so it was only a matter of time before we went ‘all-in’ on visiting the Christmas Markets by spending Christmas in Europe.

For our first visit to the Alsace-Lorraine region of France, we decided to hit three cities, two of which had major holiday markets and one having an entirely different reason for visiting. For visiting the Christmas Markets, we made our plans based on the time frame for our visit (you can read more about the “Christmas” portion of our trip HERE).

Where to Stay and Go

For our purposes, we stayed in Colmar, located just 40 minutes south of Strasbourg and just 45 minutes north of Basel Switzerland (the nearest international Airport). Colmar is very conveniently situated for quick access to many towns along the rail line as well as by bus. If you want to stay put, Colmar is also a charming place with plenty of ways to spend several days soaking up the charm of the area.

Day Trips

Taking the train, we spent one full day in Strasbourg, though in hindsight, I would recommend spending at least three days investigating the many attractions the city has to offer, if not more. We went to the Christmas Markets, catching the last full day before they shut down for the season, but we also paid a visit to the Galleries Lafayette (which are shopping destinations that are not to be missed).

In addition to Strasbourg, we also took a 30-minute bus ride (departing from a stop right next to the Colmar tourist office) to the town of Kaysersberg-Vignoble. If you’ve been following our past travels you’ve probably seen me refer to Anthony Bourdain on more than one occasion but Kaysersberg also has a connection to Mr. Bourdain (although very macabre).

Kaysersberg is a charming town, much smaller than neighboring Colmar, tucked away in the Alsatian hills and surrounded by vineyards. A combination of the slightly more remote location, the smaller size of the town, and the marginal increase in elevation from that of its larger neighbors leave you feeling much further away from the hustle and bustle of daily life than just 30 minutes.

Perched above the town, but only a short, easy walk, is a partially restored ruin of a 13th-century castle. If you walk up, you’ll be charmed by the beautiful views of the town below, the vineyards that seem to stretch on forever, and the only sounds being the chatter of your fellow walkers and the sound of the raging waters of the Weiss River that cuts through the town. You may choose to climb the steps of the restored castle tower for a further elevated view of the surroundings.

Back in town, you’ll find a long main corridor of shops, boutique hotels, and restaurants. Cars are relegated to the outskirts of old-town, so feel free to absentmindedly meander your way from charming shop window to shop window. We were visiting just after Christmas (December 27th), the vestige of their small holiday market still on site but now shuttered. I can only imagine how romantic it must be to stay in this town when the market is open.

We visited many shops, most still selling holiday decorations, but one being decidedly different. Verrerie d’Art de Kaysersberg was a local artist studio featuring a glassblower workshop and attached gallery. We stood and watched as a man spun the hot glass in the oven, working quickly but patiently in front of a small crowd gathered to watch his work from behind the barriers set up for this purpose. We visited the gallery of beautiful glass baubles and unique holiday ornaments, one of which we purchased and then invoked the favor of the gods to get home without breaking.

Our final stop in Kaysersberg was to peak through the windows of Le Chambard Restaurant and adjoining hotel, the location of which was the last dining location and accommodation of the aforementioned Anthony Bourdain. Why we felt compelled to see this place, I couldn’t tell you, but as travelers and ardent admirers of his sage travel advice, it felt like an oddly necessary pilgrimage.

Where we Stayed

As previously mentioned, we selected Colmar as our home base from which we explored the surrounding areas. Visiting the holidays also drastically narrowed the scope of what we saw, but I would venture to say that it would also serve as an excellent base during the warmer months of the year.

Colmar offers a wide array of shops, restaurants, hotels, and activities, but being that we were there primarily for the Christmas markets, endeavored to stay in a classic example of the half-timbered architecture for which the area is famous, in addition to being near the Christmas markets. We ultimately booked an Airbnb in the Tanneurs district of the old town, a fifth-floor walk-up apartment that, fortunately, was worth the huffing and puffing (bags in tow) involved with each trek up and down the stairs.

Old Town feels more like the set of a movie than that of a real place. Winding streets lined with half-timbered houses, buildings with ornamented slate and tile roofs, each window bordered with shutters and flower boxes, overlook the cobblestone (car-free) streets below. Small canals wind through the town, though mostly disused, some are still in partial use for shuttling tourists around on small wooden boat tours (which I highly recommend).

As with most cities in Europe, a church (or two) typically anchors the center of the city, and given that we were there over Christmas, we decided to take the opportunity to attend a service instead of just passing through and taking pictures. No one in our party spoke enough French to understand what was being said during the service, however, the experience was still very special.

Our Seven Day Itinerary

Day One -

Arrived in Zurich and then boarded an SBB train from the Flughafen rail station (below the airport) bound for Basel Switzerland. Change trains in Basel and continue to Colmar (total train travel time was roughly two hours). After arriving in the Colmar, get checked into our Airbnb and then take a preliminary look at the neighborhood where we were staying.

Day Two -

Took the train from Colmar up to Strasbourg (roughly 40 minutes), went shopping at Galleries Lafayette, explored the Christmas Markets, then took the train back to Colmar.

Day Three (Christmas Eve) -

Did a photo shoot with a local photographer that I found on Instagram (we try to do this at least once on each European vacation), followed by grocery shopping, visiting the Christmas markets, ridding the Ferris Wheel (set up at one of the Christmas markets), and finally, attended a midnight service at the nearby cathedral.

Day Four (Christmas Day) -

Slept late, made breakfast at home, followed by shopping at the Christmas Markets (they were the only things open). Made dinner at home.

Day Five -

Final day of shopping at the Christmas Markets, took a boat tour of Little Venice (in old town), ate dinner at Bord'eau, a Michelin star restaurant along the canal.

Day Six -

Boarded a local bus and went to Kaysersberg-Vignoble for the day.

Day Seven -

Take the early train to the Saint-Louis train station (a town just outside of Basel), and catch the airport shuttle that runs to this station (you’ll need to run to catch it but comes every 30 minutes if you miss it as it’s timed to the train arrival schedule). Board flight at Basel International Airport and depart.

Summary

Here are a few of my thoughts about the places we went, based on my recent experience:

• The Food - Do not expect that since you are in France, you will be eating French food in the Alsace. We were lucky to find a couple of bakeries that offered a small number of croissants each day, but the cuisine here leans more heavily German than French. That said, this is Alsace first and French/German second and third, so the food reflects that tradition.

• The Shopping - We were here during the holiday market frenzy and made them our priority but Colmar and Strasbourg have tons of shops worth visiting, whether you’re a fashion-minded person (like my husband and me), a home-goods motivated person, or even antiques, there are tons of shops across a wide spectrum of tastes and price points.

• What would I do again? I would 100% do the boat tour in Colmar again, but (a word to the wise) there are at least three different boat operators in Colmar with all three leaving from different launch points. Save yourself from waiting in lines by booking in advance, but know exactly which one you’re heading to before you waste a bunch of time at the wrong place and then panic running to the correct one.

• Would I recommend going during the holidays? This is a tough question because I had an amazing time, but the crowds were overwhelming. Gone are the days of social distancing, and being crammed against wall-to-wall people is a drag. If you don’t need a lot of personal space, or if you only plan to visit a few holiday markets, I say go for it!

• Would I go back to the Alsace? Absolutely! I would love to see more of the area, visit a few of the vineyards, and spend more time in Strasbourg.

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