Marché de Noël de Strasbourg
Running since 1570, the Christkindelsmärik in Strasbourg is widely credited as Europe's oldest Christmas market and transforms the city's grand squares into a glowing, mulled-wine-scented wonderland every year from late November. With over 300 wooden chalets spread across eleven sites, it is far bigger and more atmospheric than most of its imitators.
Navigating the Eleven Sites
The main cluster of chalets rings Place Broglie and Place de la Cathédrale, where artisans sell hand-blown glass ornaments, carved wooden nutcrackers and the region's signature bredele shortbread cookies in tins shaped like stars and hearts.
Don't miss Place du Château for the village des enfants (children's village) and Place d'Austerlitz for a slightly less touristy, more locally frequented set of stalls where prices are noticeably kinder.
A free printed map of all eleven sites is available at the tourist office on Place de la Cathédrale — pick one up on arrival to plan a logical route and avoid backtracking.
What to Eat and Drink
Vin chaud (mulled wine) is served in a souvenir ceramic mug you keep as part of the price — the Alsatian version uses local Pinot Noir spiced with cinnamon, star anise and orange peel and is noticeably more fragrant than generic versions elsewhere.
Look for flammekueche (tarte flambée) cooked in wood-fired ovens at several stalls: a wafer-thin flatbread topped with crème fraîche, lardons and onion that is the Alsatian answer to pizza and is best eaten folded in half, standing up.
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