The Riquewihr Christmas market is perfect for you if you loved Strasbourg or Colmar and want to try their village equivalent with fewer crowds!
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2026 update: the Riquewihr Christmas markets will be open November 27 – December 20!
Everything You Need To Know for the 2026 Riquewihr Christmas Markets
Dare you to say this name right on the first try!
It’s a tough one, especially if you’re like me and French pronounciation usually baffles. Think of it like “reek-veer” with a gentle “r” at the end.
The Riquewihr Christmas markets reminds me a lot of Ribeauville, but not a medieval market.
It’s also less crowded that Ribouville and wayyyyy less crowed than Colmar or Strasbourg, Riquewihr’s more well known neighbors. There are still crowds, but not as insane as some of them get, and I noticed less English speaking tourists.
Riquewihr Christmas Market Logistics
Hours: Monday to Friday 10am – 6:30pm; Saturday to Sunday 10am – 7pm
Exceptions: November 28 10am- 8pm
How long? While I’m almost never. proponent for zooming in an out of a city for their Christmas markets, I do think that this is one that you can spend a lovely day or afternoon exploring, get a taste of the city, and then move on.
The way I’ve done it is to base your time in the region (Alsace) and do several. I have used both Colmar and Strasbourg as a home base and they were great. You can then easily add on Christmas markets in Basel, Stuttgart area, or the Black Forest!
Currency: France is part of the EU and uses Euros. Easy.
Language: French. But English is very common at the markets especially; almost everyone staffing the booths will at least speak some. Everyone’s very gracious when we try to figure it out! Greet people when you walk up (bonjour) – that goes a long way!
Getting there: Riquewihr doesn’t have a train station. There are buses you can take, and they run more often during the Christmas markets, but I highly recommend renting a car and driving. The buses get crowded and having a car opens you up to exploring the many smaller markets in the region!
Like many small town markets, they’re not built for traffic. So if you’re driving, expect to park just outside of town along the vineyards. Be patient, and wear shoes you’re okay getting muddy. But you’ll find a spot!
Riquewihr Hotels
Day trip-able as the town may be, one of the perks to staying overnight here is that you’ll get to see it in the quiet, when the tourists have left!
Staying a bit longer is a great way to take advantage of the local wineries in the area without booking tastings in advance – quite a few have shops or tasting rooms in the old town, so you can try a few without driving!
If you stay, there are a few cute historic buildings turned into boutique hotels! I like the looks of La Maison Bleu and La Chambre des Trois Eglises – both have lovely rooms with historic touches and modern amenities.
Riquewihr Christmas Market Specialties
While Riquewihr’s specialties don’t differ much from the other Alsace Christmas markets, the city itself is known for two delicious baked goods! You’ll see a ton of coconut macarons and kougelhopf. Both are regional specialties and not only in town, but this is a great place to get some. Look in the permanent shops more than the Riquewihr Christmas market booths – there are several shops offering fresh-baked ones still warm from the oven!
The Alsace region is known for a few bites that are perfect for a Christmas market. You can’t miss the pretzels; it’s in the region’s logo! It’s worth pointing out that this region has changed is country nationality between Germany and France a bunch in the past several centuries, so the food, culture and language reflects both.
Another is tarte flambee, also called flamekuchen in German. These look like flatbread pizzas, but with a completely different flavor profile. The crust is thin, alsmot crackery, and the traditional toppings are are onions, lardons and sometimes potatoes over a creamy base. They also mix is up quite a bit, but that’s the traditional flavors!
Munstiflette is another local favorite: it’s a potato casserole with lardons, onions, and cheese melted on top. An important distinction for us foodies out there: the signs call this Munster cheese, but they do not mean American style muenster – that’s a different flavor and texture. This cheese is softer and creamier but with a stronger flavor. I love it and it’s worth ordering this dish just to try the cheese!
You can’t talk about the Alsace without bringing up wine! It’s a great wine producing area, and you should definitely try a glass while you’re here. I love a vin chaud (French for mulled wine) but here I’m choosing the local grapes every time.
French Christmas markets in general love to offer oysters at the markets! So if you’re an oyster fan, there’s always at least one booth specializing.
Where to Find the Riquewihr Christmas Markets
The Riquewihr Christmas market is pretty built into the city. Booths are tucked into alleys and corners. This is mostly because it’s a small village, but it makes it feel even more integrated into town!
If you arrive and want food right away, start with the main street through town! Head up rue du Général de Gaulle. There are a few food stalls pretty quickly after you enter town. Or keep going for options like tarte flambee, oysters, and more, especially if you want sit down options at the market.
The local restaurants and shops show out as well! There are plenty of restaurants along the main road if you’re feeling like a sit down meal as well as wineries with shopfronts for a tasting or a glass.
We ended up eating a crepe right away to curb the lunch hunger, then sharing a tarte flambe, ham baguette and spatzle with local munster cheese.
Be quick to turn down the picturesque side roads: they often lead to smaller squares with more stalls or decor!
There’s also an area almost entirely for drinks! Whether you want vin chaud (mulled wine), beer, or try a locally made spirit, there are a few drinks booths tucked on cour de Berckheim.
Make sure you go all the way to the end to see the town’s clock tower and the medieval city wall it’s attached to.
Like all the great Christmas markets in Alsace, the town is picturesque year round but goes all out on decor. Look up as you walk, most of the decor is above you!
Remember those booths you probably skipped at the beginning? Head back to those for browsing. Ideally, do it with a glass of wine from one of the booths with locally grown options!
I liked that the booths here had a good variety of souvenirs. They weren’t cookie cutter versions of what you find at other markets. My mom got an iron bird feeder as a Christmas gift for a friend as a unique souvenir she’ll see all year!
If you need to confirm something, also check the official website – it’s usually the most up-to-date information available!
You could spend a ton of time in this part of Europe for Christmas markets. I also recommend Ribeauville, Eguisheim (guide coming soon!), of course Colmar and Strasbourg, and also dipping into German for markets like Mainz and Esslingen (guides publishing soon)!
