Day 4: Colmar - Obernai - Strasbourg at Christmas
We wake up again with the sound of the alarm clock at 6:30 in the morning and that is today we leave Colmar and we will enjoy Strasbourg at Christmas, where we will stay tonight.
But before, after checking out at the Ibis Center hotel where we have stayed these last two nights and have breakfast at a nearby bakery for 8 euros both, and resisting with all our strength to leave Colmar, this enclave that we liked so much and that has become the icing on the trip to Alsace at Christmas, we will go for a walk through the historic center, accompanied by a blue sky, which at this time of the morning looks impressive.
And we can not say that it is easy to say goodbye to this special place, much less at these hours when the streets look spectacular, with virtually no one.
Petit Venice first thing in the morning
It's 9:30 in the morning when we finally say goodbye to Colmar, we return to the car and we make our way to Strasbourg from Colmar, but with the idea of stopping before in Obernai, a town that we have been told also looks spectacular at this Christmas time. The path from Colmar to Strasbourg it will take us 47 kilometers and about 35 minutes.
The initial idea was to stop at Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, but Sergio de Viajeropedia, who was here a few days ago told us that on Mondays it closed, so we have modified the initial itinerary of this trip to Alsace by car and we have left this visit for tomorrow when we return to Basiela, changing it today for Obernai
It is 10:15 when we are entering Obernai, one of the least known enclaves of the route through the villages of Alsace, where we leave the rental car in Alsace on a street where you do not pay in the center, right next door of one of the parkings.
Obernai
In Obernai we enter a town that pleasantly surprises us, since we did not expect to find a town so ornate and quiet, at least at this time of the morning in which in any of the other villages we had already met many visitors .
Obernai Christmas Market
Dates: from November 18 to December 24 / from December 26 to 31
Hours: Every day from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday until 20:00 and on Sundays it opens at 09:00. On December 24th it closes at 4pm. The 25 closes and the 26 opens at 14:00. December 31 closes at 4:00 p.m.Every year the dates of the different Christmas markets change, so we advise you to look at them in the corresponding section of the website of the Tourist Office
Despite being quite small, at least its historic center, Obernai has 3 Christmas markets, one in the Place du Beffroi, where we find the Marché de la Gastronomie de Noël. The second one we found in the Place du Marché, called Clairière Enchantée and the third and last, in the Place de l'Étoile known as Marché de la volière.
Obernai
We start with the first of the markets, very small, located on the main street, then approaching the gastronomic market, with no more than 5 seats, but that delight any gastronomy lover.
From here and without being able to resist, as happened this morning in Colmar, we return to one of the most beautiful squares we have seen these days, which seems taken from a Christmas story and from which we do not want to say goodbye without taking a fair photograph.
Obernai at Christmas
From here we approach the Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, as the last stop in Obernai, a town that we strongly advise you from here and is that, although less known, at this time of the year, it is a real wonder, especially for being quite quieter than its companions.
It's 11 in the morning we decide that the time has come to leave for Strasbourg, located 25 kilometers and about 25 minutes from Obernai.
Today, thanks to Alsace Tourism, we will stay at the Graffalgar Hotel, where we have parking, something that is welcome and more at this time of the year in which it is not easy to park in the streets of Alsace.
The weather is still splendid in Strasbourg, with a sun that seems to resist hiding and a temperature that has exceeded almost every day since we reached 10 degrees and makes us go much less cold than initially expected.
We check in quickly, leaving our bags in the room and after having a quick coffee we go out to the streets of Strasbourg at Christmas, much more lively at this time of the morning than we expected.
We start our circuit on foot following the itinerary of what to see in Strasbourg at Christmas, a city that despite being larger than the rest, can easily be visited on foot.
A good option to know the history of the city and not miss anything important is to book this free tour of Strasbourg Free! with a guide in Spanish or this private tour in which you choose the itinerary.
Our itinerary initially takes us to the Cathedral, passing through the church of Saint Pierre le Vieux and following from here on the Great Rue until we reach the Place des Meuniers Market, a tiny Christmas market, where we find about 10 stands with a sample of Alsatian cuisine, highlighting one in particular, where they make a lemon juice with hot honey that we can not resist for 3 euros plus 1 euros of the glass, which will also go to our collection.
Christmas stall in Strasbourg of lemon juice with honey
Although before continuing we will make a brief summary of the Christmas markets in Strasbourg and it is that the city has nothing more and nothing less than 12 Christmas markets. Although do not be scared, all are located quite strategically and are accessible walking, since they are located in the historic center of Strasbourg.
Christmas Markets Strasbourg
Dates: from November 27 to December 31
Hours: from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Monday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday until 9:00 p.m. On December 24 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. On December 25 from 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. From December 26 to 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and December 31 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.In Strasbourg we find 10 Christmas Markets in different locations:
- Traditional market in Broglie Square: This is the most important market in the city, with more than 100 booths where we can find handicrafts, wooden toys, Christmas items ...
- Market of the Cathedral Square: here we can find different crafts.
- Market of the guest country at the Place Gutenberg: Strasbourg dedicates this market each year to a different country. This year is dedicated to Belgium.
- Market of the Delights of Alsace in the Place d'Austerlitz: Typical market where you will find all kinds of gastronomic delights typical of the region.
- Alsace products market in Place du Meuniers: dedicated to local Alsace products
- Market of the Mayans at Place Benjamin-Zix
- Carré d'Or Market at the Place du Temple Neuf
- Market Place du Corbeau
- Place de la Gare Market
- Le village du partage: Here different charities organize events in which the collection goes to various charities.Every year the dates of the different Christmas markets change, so we advise you to look at them in the corresponding section of the website of the Tourist Office
After this stop on the first mStrasbourg Christmas Eve We continue along the Grand Rue, arriving at the following Noël Market, located on the Benjamin-Zix Place, where we find exceptional markets, especially in relation to handicraft products and where we take the opportunity to buy an incense carrier that we have loved nothing more to see it, which represents a typical Alsatian ceramic house.
Strasbourg handicraft at Christmas
Right in this area of Strasbourg we also begin to find the first canals, surrounded by beautiful colorful houses, which show us a face of Strasbourg that surprises us at every step we take.
Petit France Strasbourg at Christmas
We just entered Le Petit France, one of the best preserved neighborhoods in the city, where fishermen originally lived.
At the moment and despite being one of the most tourist areas of Strasbourg, we have to say that we do not find many people, we imagine that being an area much larger than the towns we have visited these days, people move quite a lot and It is much more pleasant to walk through its streets and Christmas markets.
Petit France Strasbourg at Christmas
It's already one o'clock at noon, so we decided that it's time to eat and more taking advantage of the fact that there are several restaurants in the area to choose from. In the end we end up at Le Petit Alsace, where we ask for a 22-euro menu that includes the already ubiquitous Tarte Flambée and Tartiffletes plus dessert and a scallop with garnish, more water and coffee for 48 euros.
Eating in Strasbourg
In honor of the truth we have to say that we have not finished finding the 10 to this place, so it is not too recommended by us, although one thing we must say is that the dishes are not blunt, if not the following.
It's after 2 in the afternoon when after a table accompanied by 2 coffees we get lost again in this area of Strasbourg, which every time seems more beautiful, taking advantage to approach Pons Couvert, where formerly the city walls were.
Strasbourg at Christmas
Pons Couvert
From here we arrive at the Saint Thomas Church, crossing the canals, where in its square we should also find another market and say we should because in the end, no matter how many laps we take we can't see it 😉
From here we follow the itinerary heading towards the Place Gutenberg, where Strasbourg locates a Christmas market every year, dedicated to a different country and where this year it has touched on Belgium.
Strasbourg at Christmas
From here we enter the Rue Merciére to reach the Strasbourg Notre-Dame Cathedral, one of the most famous points of the city, where there is also one of the liveliest and of course the most important markets.
Strasbourg Cathedral
Right in front of the Strasbourg Cathedral We found the Tourist Office, where we have to enter to pick up a pair of Strasbourg Pass that the Office has given us to enjoy its advantages.
Strasbourg Tourist Office at Christmas
Unfortunately, they explain to us that you cannot go up to the Cathedral platform for security after the attacks in Paris, so we were left wanting to have that perspective of the city, assuming that the day we return to this area of Alsace, sure, we can enjoy it.
Christmas Market of the Cathedral
At this time of the afternoon we see that there is a lot of queue to enter the Cathedral, so we decided to come tomorrow morning and today do the rest of the visits that we have targeted what to see in Strasbourg at Christmas, starting with the Maison Kammerzell, today a hotel-restaurant, which also has a small Christmas stall at the door, offering foie tastings.
Maison Kammerzell
From here we have no choice but to get into Carre d'Or, maximum exponent of the Christmas in Strasbourg and why not say it, in Europe.
Christmas decorations in Strasbourg
After walking around the street, we leave the point to visit again tonight, when the street is lit and we can live the authentic Christmas atmosphere.
At the end of him Carre d'Or, we find the Carré d'Or market in the Place du Temple Neuf, where we return to the Christmas atmosphere again. And it is that in Strasbourg, at this time of the year, it is like being in different Christmas stories, each one more beautiful and impressive.
Christmas markets in Strasbourg
From here we go to Place Kléber or Le village du partage place in which different charities organize events in which the collection goes to various charities. But not everything ends here and this is where we find the giant Christmas tree of Strasbourg, another symbol of the city at this time.
Christmas tree in Strasbourg
If at first glance it may seem like a Christmas atmosphere, we will tell you that we who do not like Christmas, we have not been at all heavy and that there are not too many people in Strasbourg, the spaces are large and the markets are small, so they visit quickly and do not do anything loady.
From here we go to the Hotel de Ville and to the Broglie Square where we find the most important market in the city, with more than 100 stalls, where we can find everything from handicrafts to wooden toys to countless Christmas items.
Christmas stalls in Broglie Square
Strasbourg Markets
Here we take advantage of eating some chocolate balls with a kind of meringue inside that are a delight for all the senses that help us keep the stomach at bay at this time of the afternoon, in which it seems that it begins to tighten again the hungry.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Alsace
- 10 essential places to visit in Strasbourg
- 10 essential places to see in Alsace
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Alsace
- The best free tours in Strasbourg for free
After this technical stop, we follow the route what to see in Strasbourg at Christmas passing through one of the most beautiful squares in the city, with beautiful little houses and a couple of coffee shops that are the perfect decoration and more at this time of the afternoon, that the sun has already set and the city looks with its best clothes .
Corner corners in Strasbourg
From here we continue until we reach the Cathedral Square where we take the opportunity to enter since there are not many people. They close at 17:45 and tell us that today the entrance is free for both the Cathedral and its astronomical clock, considered "french historical monument"and one of the reasons for the reasons for this visit.
Astronomical Clock Strasbourg Cathedral
After the visit, we have to say that this is one of the most spectacular cathedrals that we have seen in our trips and that without a doubt, it is worth spending some time of your day, since surely, you will not regret it.
After this last visit of the day, we take advantage of the fact that we are in the most central area of the city to have a coffee that gives us the energies to continue with one of the days that we have walked most of this trip to Alsace at Christmas.
It's 7 p.m. when our stomach is starting to let us know that the time has come to start paying attention to it and the truth is that after these days tasting the Alsatian cuisine, very good but too blunt and more at night, we decided that we should change third, looking for a Japanese restaurant that we have seen recommended in several forums: the Yonako, considered the best in Strasbourg. We ordered 3 kinds of rolls plus some makis and some flamed salmon nigiris, all washed down with a bottle of water, for 48 euros.
Japanese dinner in Strasbourg
We have to say that we were delighted with the choice, and we already needed to eat something lighter after being these last days based on tarté flambée.
It's after 8 when we leave the restaurant ready to go in search of the images of the Strasbourg at Christmas at night, including his famous poster "Strasbourg Capital of Noël".
The first stop we make is at the Cathedral, where we are at this time with the markets about to close, but still rushing its last minutes and we cannot deny that we all resist ending the day in Strasbourg.
Night falls around the Strasbourg Cathedral
Christmas markets at nightfall in Strasbourg
From here and how could it be otherwise, we approach Carre d'Or, at this time of day one of the most spectacular streets we have seen at this time of year.
Carre d'Or. Strasbourg at Christmas
Christmas showcase in Strasbourg
And so, between lights, hot wine and cinnamon smell we are getting lost in the streets of Strasbourg, surrounded by one of the most Christmas environments we have ever lived.
Strasbourg at Christmas
It is 8:30 at night when we finally pass through the famous Strasbourg cartel, where we have just confirmed that this is the Capital of Noël, without a doubt.
Strasbourg, capital of Christmas
But we still can not finish the day and we still have to approach the markets of the Place du Corbeau and Place de la Gare, both little ones, without many posts, but where we find a small branch of the famous Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop that we visited yesterday in Riquewhir.
Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Store
We follow the street until we find ourselves face to face with the Plaza d'Austerliz also known as the Alsace Delight Market, a typical market where you will find all kinds of gastronomic delights typical of the region and the last of the Christmas markets in Strasbourg.
Alsace Delight Market
It's almost 10 at night when we finish this amazing day in Strasbourg at Christmas, returning to the Hotel Graffalgar where we expect a fluffy every time to dream about this incredible trip to Alsace at Christmas.
Day 5: Strasbourg - Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle - Basel Airport - Barcelona
