Ribeauville Christmas markets are the medieval Christmas festival you didn’t know you needed in your life! Here’s everything you need to know to get there this year.
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2024: the Ribeauville Christmas markets will be open December 7-8 and 14-15!
France’s Alsace region is known for its Christmas markets. If Strasbourg is the Capital of Christmas and Colmar is the cozy, small town version, Ribeauville is a magical medieval Christmas!
Ribeauville Christmas Market Logistics
It’s small, you only need one day. Go as a day trip from Strasbourg or Colmar. Or, if you have a car, start in one of those, drive and spend the day in Ribeauville, and then head to the other to sleep and see on the next day!
One unique thing about the Ribeauville Christmas markets is that it’s only two weekends in December, rather than some towns’ daily! That means it’s always going to be crowded. Use your common sense here: it’s less crowded if you go right at opening time (usually 10 am). However, if you want to get the full effect of street performers and musicians, plan to put up with the crowds in the afternoon and evening!
How to get there:
Driving
While I’m not always pro car rental, this is one of those areas where I recommend it. Like I said, it’s so close to Colmar and Strasbourg.
Alsace has beautiful countryside and is a wine region, so having the flexibility of a car is really nice around here. Additionally, there are tons of cute villages with Christmas markets that are tougher by public transport.
Because it’s popular and so few days, parking is a bit of a zoo. We started seeing cars parked along the main road about a mile out, but if you keep going, there are areas marked off for parking! It was free and complete with volunteers directing you to it, so pretty ideal. A 10-minute walk into the village, but the perk was you didn’t have to drive worrying about visitors not paying attention to the cars.
Guided Day Trip
This is an easy way, especially to visit multiple village Christmas markets in one day!
While it’s the most expensive way, it’s also arguably the most convenient: they drop you at the edge of the market and tell you what time to return, then take you to another!
I love GetYourGuide for all my guided trip days, so if I were going this route I’d pick this one that spends a day exploring a few of the small town Alsace markets!
Public Transport
Public transport is definitely the cheapest way to get around, but most time-consuming. But if you’re backpacking, that’s the trade we make, right?
If you’re staying in Strasbourg, you can take a train to Colmar and continue by bus to Ribeauville. Just take the Christmas shuttle – it runs a continuous loop and you buy tickets from the driver. You can find more details on the Alsace website!
This is one more reason I’d advise staying overnight in Colmar at least one night! Makes for less time in transit.
Ribeauville Hotels
While I don’t think you need to stay overnight in Ribeauville, here are a few hotels if you want to!
I’d recommend staying in Strasbourg and Colmar, so here are a few great options there:
Strasbourg
Colmar
What to See at the Ribeauville Christmas Market
Since it’s such a small village, there’s no need to break out individual sections! Here are my favorite bits and what to look for.
A few things to note as you walk in:
Grab a map from a volunteer! You don’t need the map, it’s literally one road. But it has a list of some of the “animations,” or entertainment, along the way. It’s all in French, but grab that Google translate and you’ll be good to go. I’ve included my favorites below as well!
Like a good Medieval Christmas market, the staff are all in period costumes! It’s so fun because it feels unique to any other European Christmas market I’ve ever visited.
Speaking of staff, keep in mind this is essentially a tiny village. Staff don’t necessarily speak English. They’re very patient with visitors, but please remember to be kind and maybe have the word for red (rouge) vs white (blanc) as you order your vin chaud (gluhwein)!
One note about gluhwein here: unlike the majority of Christmas markets, most booths don’t take their cups back. They charge a deposit for the first serving, but don’t offer refunds for cup return. So you end up with a little souvenir no matter what! So maybe pick your last serving based on the cup you like most? Every major drinks booth has their own cup design.
Odds are, you’ll start at the southeast corner of the market. It runs along Grand’rue (main street), so you’ll definitely see everything!
Start immediately at Place Gouraud. It was my favorite of the little squares!
If you’re lucky, they’ll be live music playing right at the entrance. We heard a band doing a mix of Norse, minstrel, and rock music – trust me, it was weird but good, and felt just right for this Medieval Christmas market!
There are a few food options here. One booth offers chicken sandwiches made with freshly roasted chickens, and the other has the classic Alsatian tarte flambé! Think of it as a flatbread with white sauce. It’s made to order, so you know it’s a good option.
They also have kiddo stuff here that’s fun to watch as an adult. There’s a mini farm menagerie, complete with llamas, which are always hilarious to watch. But the real show is the freshly pressed apple juice! The staff enlists the help of kiddo visitors to push the wheel and then operate the mill! It’s comical in the best way.
While you’re here, it’s worth sampling some of the juice! It’s delicious and a delightful alcohol-free beverage option.
One of the big draws of Ribeauville Christmas markets is the picturesque street. It’s something straight out of a storybook, in the same vein as Strasbourg and Colmar, but since it’s even smaller, it’s even more darling. You’ll recognize the style, but this one feels almost like a movie set because of its tiny setup.
Continue along the main road and you’ll find a section with bigger food options, the crowd lessens a bit. There are a few kid rides here. Normally I skip the kid-specific sections but they had what I can only describe as an old-timey carousel here that was truly hilarious to watch. It’s worth stopping by just to see that.
Closer to the far end, you’ll find the best artisan shopping in the open space in front of city hall. This is probably the best place to buy souvenirs if you’re looking. Keep your eyes peeled for “les Felfes d’art’Thémis,” the wandering creatures! They have features of forest animals and humans, on stilts, and they’re doing their own thing throughout the market! They’re happy to take pictures with you. One in particular looks like a Krampus, but they’re not all scary!
Planning Christmas markets and not sure where to go? The Alsace region has a ton of great options! Strasbourg and Colmar are the most popular, but others worth seeing are Riquewihr, Eguisheim, and Obernai! I have a detailed guide to Strasbourg available on Thatch as well if you’re looking for something easy to use on the go!
