Historic Christmas Markets -- Colmar, France
Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 10:33AM As the air chills once again here in Chicago, I’m reminded of last December when I was sipping hot spiced wine and catching whiffs of roasted chestnuts while walking around the enchanting city of Colmar, France with Mr. Galavanting. We were also shooting an episode of Galavanting TV on the Alsace Region of France, which will be out in November 2009. It was a magical time and I’m so glad we decided to spend some time in this area during the historic Christmas Markets.
This year the Colmar and surrounding village Christmas Markets will be open from 25 November to 31 December, 2009. Tons of details can be found on the city’s website dedicated to the holiday season.
We flew into Basel, Switzerland and drove up to Colmar, which was very convenient. Travelers can also easily reach Colmar via Strasbourg which also gets pretty decked out for the Christmas holiday. I have a deep love for the city of Strasbourg and its enormous cathedral is one that should not be missed. However, the charming village of Colmar is the epitome of quaint and was the perfect way to experience the seasonal markets.
Here’s a peek at my trip last year and more information on the Christmas Markets:
The best way to describe Colmar is this: GORGEOUS. It drips with charm and oozes history.
Its Christmas Markets have been running for centuries and there are four city squares filled with separate markets. In-between them are interesting museums, cozy cafés, and plenty of things to see beyond the Christmas theme.
For the last ten years or so, the markets have run from late November through December 31st, making it one of the few rare places in Europe that are actually a good place to visit in the days between Christmas and New Year’s. B&Bs and restaurants stay open during this period to accommodate visitors and the markets themselves are bustling with activity from 10am to 7pm each day.
Here’s a copy of some rough little video clips we showed during a live broadcast from Colmar on Monday, which was both a learning experience & very fun! (Thanks Boingo for sponsoring it!)
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Kim Mance is editor-in-chief of GoGalavanting.com and host of Galavanting.tv She’s based in Chicago, IL and also does freelance writing for various outlets. Some of her other writing can be found in places like MarieClaire.com’s Travel Diaries, The Huffington Post, Babble, AlterNet and Women’s Voices for Change.
Reader Comments (7)
Cool pics! I am a lover of coffee and pastries, so of course I am particularly fond of the one with crepes on the menu.
That market looks like fun, and the mulled wine always makes it go with a swing. I like your little video too.
Isn't Colmar and that area sweet and charming? Most Americans miss it, but we were glad to visit there in October and saw lots of Christmas markets even then. Looks like you had a blast like I knew you would! Great pictures and video!
This looks like a lot of fun! The closest we've gotten to one of these European Christmas markets was going to Chicago's Christkindlmarket a while back. I'd love to visit the real thing. Thanks for the little virtual tour.
I loved the live broadcast! Your blog is great, too! The pictures are fantastic, but the video really lets people experience Colmar vicariously through you.
Thanks guys, it was so much fun, we're working on the full episode about the Alsace region now. It's such an awesome place to visit and soultravelers3 is right, it's an area a lot of American's miss...but shouldn't!!
Colmar looks like an amazing place! I might have to put this on my list of 'must visits one day'.