Critique my Christmas markets itinerary

I saw a post where Gengenbach was used as the base...

Freiburg definitely has more accommodations. But that does not mean that accommodations you might like in Gengenbach are not available for your dates.

Gengenbach offers the free KONUS card, so an outing by train to Freiburg and back - or to other Black Forest towns - is free of charge. Freiburg does not offer the Konus - any day trips from there will require normal tickets. Gengenbach's proximity to Strasbourg (only one 'U' in Strasbourg!) along with the KONUS card outings, on top of its "old-world village" atmosphere... these are probably the prime reasons G'bach is popular. Also, it's not far from other handsome Black Forest towns... Schiltach, Haslach, and others.

There is definitely no Freiburg > Colmar train - not without a very big detour that requires around 2 hours of train travel. If you were traveling Strasbourg > Colmar, the trip takes only 30 minutes. So you might want to reorder your stops... Freiburg > Gengenbach > Strasbourg or Colmar (then to the other) > Heidelberg. Colmar would be an easy day trip / side trip from Strasbourg (and vice-versa) if you prefer just one place to book in the French Alsace.

I suggest-
Fly into Zurich - the largest indoor market is in the Zurich main train station.
Go immediately to Basel, one night. Very cute markets are in this town.
Train to Strasbourg / Colmar markets, some of the most highly decorated markets I've ever seen- 2-3 nights.
Train to Stuttgart/Esslingen markets - incredible.
Misc German markets,
Onto to Frankfurt flight.
Have a magical trip- hope this helps. Do secure lodging asap, as hotels are often fully booked by June.
Safe travels.

Russ, thx for the tips.
Revised itinerary is 2 nights G’bach , with a side trip to Freiburg using the KONUS card.
Then 4 nights Strasbourg, with excursions to Colmar and Riquewihr, and finish up with Heidelberg.
and Pat, thx for the accommodations tip, will work quickly on that as well. Any tips on specific accommodations in G’bach, Strasbourg, and Heidelberg.

Agree with others’ comments to reserve your hotels ASAP. I had planned to go in 2026, but my adult daughter is available this year, so I suddenly booked flights & reservations two weeks ago. It was difficult to find a close hotel in Strasbourg, France that wasn’t very expensive, so we are just staying there one night.

Also, KGC gave me this very helpful information:

What markets do YOU want to see? i ask because there's a huge amount of experience with just about all of the major destinations available on this board, and usually you'll get more advice than you probably expect. If you're not sure where the markets are, here's a link to all of Europe: https://www.brunnvalla.ch/christmasmarkets/germany.html

I have to agree with the idea of flying in and out of Zurich if your going to spend most of the time in the Alsace/Baden-Wurttemberg regions. It makes a lot more sense as Freiburg, Strasbourg, etc. are all much closer to Zurich than to Frankfurt.

That being said, Heidelberg does have a good Christmas market. But so do Zurich and Basel. (Actually the market(s) are in several places in each of those cities.) The biggest one in Zurich is (as noted) in the train station. I'm not a fan. It's crowded with not only fest goers but anyone trying to haul their luggage to and from the trains. The best one I found, based on four days in the city last December, is the one inside the walls of the Landesmuseum, but that's only open later in the day.

I'd probably base out of Basel and Strasbourg to hit most of your list. Strasbourg in particular can take multiple nights to see as it's quite large and spread out. I spent 4 days there a couple years ago for the markets and never left the city. I think Strasbourg is probably the best holiday light show I've seen anywhere, and I've done a lot of Fashing fests.

Revised itinerary is 2 nights G’bach , with a side trip to Freiburg using the KONUS card.
Then 4 nights Strasbourg...

The KONUS card will cover part of the train trip to Strasbourg... G'bach > KEHL, a town on the French border with Germany.

You can find your complete G'bach > Strasbourg train connections at the DB page.

At the following page, click on the "cross-border" ticket link, then scroll down read about the Europass Family 24h mini. This ticket covers the tracks on your journey between Kehl and Strasbourg for 2 adults for €12.80.

https://www.cts-strasbourg.eu/en/online-store/fares/tickets/

German version: https://www.ortenaulinie.de/,Lde/startseite/fahrkarten/europass.html

This ticket can be purchased from a ticket machine in Gengenbach prior to your departure Perhaps also on the DB app. You will find regional train journeys (NO TGV or other high-speed trains!) with a change of train in Offenburg (where it is also possible to buy the ticket.) Trains from Offenburg to Strasbourg will STOP in Kehl, but there is no reason for you to get off there... your KONUS and the Europass ticket together cover every centimeter of the journey. And you can use local transportation that same day in Strasbourg after your arrival as well with the Europass.

This dated link for the Europass (French & German) version you need as well as other versions... it's complicated... has a map showing the coverage areas for the Europass in Germany and in France. Ignore the old prices.

https://www.ortenaulinie.de/site/OrtenaulinieRoot/get/documents_E1551867261/ortenaulinie/Dateien/Download/tgo_europass-folder_2022-vorab_web.pdf