Christmas markets: Frankfurt, Strasbourg, Cologne 12/1-12/9

STRASBOURG:

We decided to get breakfast at the train station instead of at the hotel. We took a tram to the HBF (there’s a stop right outside the hotel). Plenty of food options in the train station. The ride to Strasbourg required one connection. This was our first trip by train with luggage: a checked bag, two carryon bags and two backpacks. Yes, I know that’s a lot of luggage. But we planned to shop! Believe me, I will never travel with so much luggage again.

The DB Navigator app was invaluable for the train journeys. It gives you all the info you need, including last minute platform changes. It shows you which letter on the track your train car will stop at. And it gives you maps of the stations so you can see where elevators and escalators are(hopefully they’re operating!). Super helpful.

We arrived in Strasbourg around 1 and took the tram to the only team stop open on the central island during the markets: Homme de Fer. This stop is right at the Kleber market. Our hotel was about a minute away, along a side street: Citadines Kleber. We were staying 4 nights, so I really hoped our room was a bit bigger! I had requested a quiet room on a high floor. We were not disappointed. Our room faced a courtyard and was very spacious. It included an entryway with kitchenette (small fridge, sink, stovetop, microwave, kettle and dishwasher); a closet with safe, ironing board, iron (what a luxury!), and tower fan; a toilet room; and separate room with bath/shower & sink. There was a door that lead to the bedroom area where there was a king size bed and a desk and tv on the wall across from the bed. In between the bed and the desk was about 10’x10’ open space. Again, what a luxury. We could strew luggage anywhere we wanted! There was also a seating bench along a wall. No drawers, though.

Off we went to explore the market. OMG. At 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon the Kleber market was shoulder to shoulder and the mass of people was barely moving. I started to have a little panic attack. If this is what they’re all like, it’s going to be a long week, I thought. Thankfully that congestion cleared once we passed the food stalls. Whew! I could breathe again! But, boy, there are crowds and then there are Saturday-Christmas-market crowds. If you’ve been to Disneyland on New Year’s Eve, that’s what I’m taking about.

We just kind of followed the crowds and discovered various markets along the way. It was difficult to see a lot of the stalls due to so many people. We would try to walk up one side of the aisle and come back down the other. No zig zagging. That became our strategy. But it’s hard to not get distracted.

The cathedral is absolutely stunning and a wonderful backdrop for the market.

We continued to wander, stopping to snack on crepes and pretzels, until about 3:30. Then we went back to the room to rest a bit. A short nap turned into a longer nap, darn jet lag. Then back out around 6 to see the markets all lit up.

This time we headed toward the Petit France area and saw several smaller markets along the way. It wasn’t crazy crowded at the small ones. We stopped for a sausage and some spaeztle at the Zix market, where they had picnic benches to sit at. This was very rare. Most markets have standing tables, no place to sit. A welcome rest.

We wandered back to the cathedral market. The streets are so gorgeously decorated with brilliant light displays. Just so lovely! We realized that we saw all but two markets on our first day. What a surprise!

STRASBOURG DAY 2:

This was a Sunday, and we were off to Ribeauville and Kaysersberg. We used the Alsa + Group Journee day pass. For 39€, up to 5 people can travel on regional trains, trams, and buses. Weekends and holidays only. We bought the pass at the kiosk at the tram stop, then took the train to Selestat. Then the public bus to Ribeauville, arriving around 9:50, when the market opened at 10. This is about an hour before the first Christmas Shuttle bus would arrive from Colmar. But tons of people were already streaming in to town.

The setting was breathtaking. There was ice on the treetops all along the hills surrounding the town, and a dusting of snow on the roofs. But no snow or ice on the ground. I really wanted to cry, it was just so perfect. We wandered through the medieval market as the crowds poured into town. There are lots of stalls set up off the Main Street. The market spans the whole town and has a medieval theme, with vendors dressed in costume, blacksmiths working, shepherds herding sheep through the town, jugglers, and a Viking village. We loved this market and town! We stopped for a wild boar sandwich and a pretzel, then headed to the bus stop to catch the Christmas shuttle.

There are restrooms right at the bus stop. We arrived about 10 minutes before the shuttle was scheduled (around 12:30). There were about 20 people in line in front of us. We all got on the bus. Next stop was Riquewhir, but we stayed on until Kaysersberg. We had visited Riquewhir and on a previous trip, and chose to return to Kaysersberg of the two.

Boy, were we glad we chose NOT to drive. There were cars parked along the narrow roads and in the vineyards for a mile in every direction, by noon. At at least 40 tour buses parked along the road outside the towns. Crazy. We typically rent cars, but in this case I was very glad to let someone else do the driving.

Next stop: Kaysersberg. This town had fewer craft/gift stalls and more food stalls. We just really like this town. We spent more time just exploring. It’s a bit more open than the others, as far as the street design. So felt less congested. It’s beautifully decorated also.

We took the 2:40 shuttle to Colmar train station, and the train back to Strasbourg around 3:30. We would see Colmar the next day. Went back to the hotel for. Little rest, then back out to the markets in Strasbourg around 6. What a difference a weekday makes. It’s sooooo much less crowded. Much more pleasant. We were able to really explore the vendor stalls and enjoy the ambiance. When you’re in a crush of people, you can’t really see what’s around you.

We happened upon the Kleber market at 8:00 and saw a beautiful light/music show at the Christmas tree.

We were debating about a purchase just before 9. The vendor said, very nicely, “It is 1 minute to 9. We’re not allowed to make sales after 9.” Thankfully we had another day to return. At 9, vendors just close up the stalls. They’re outta there! The food stalls seem to stay open a little later.

STRASBOURG day 3:

Colmar day! We stayed in Colmar for 5 nights over the summer, and we were excited to see it all decked out for Christmas. We took a bus from the train station to the Vauban stop and walked a short ways to our first market at Place Jeanne d’Arc. On the way, we stopped at the cutest bakery just across from the market for a croissant, an eclair and a millefeuille for breakfast (for 6.20€). By this time giant snowflakes started falling. We sat on a bench across from the market as vendors opened their stalls, with Christmas music playing and snow swirling around us. It was like living in a snow globe. Again, I wanted to cry because it was so perfect.

We just wandered and wandered, exploring the carious market and collecting treasures along the way. Around noon we decided it was time to grab some lunch and warm up a bit indoors. But every restaurant we tried had a sign saying they were full. We finally found a sports bar that had a table open. But they were only serving drinks, no food! Oh well. We warmed up a bit and wandered some more, finding ourselves at the covered market at a stall with a counter and two open seats. I could see they were serving soup, and that sounded great to me. My husband ordered the burger. What we didn’t realize is that this place was a vegetarian place! So his burger was a bit of a let down!! He is most definitely a carnivore (specifically a pork-ivore!) and was a little perturbed at a wasted meal with no pork! We just had to laugh.

We made our way to the Champs de Mars in pursuit of a specific mug. Success! By this time it was about 3, and we had seen everything we wanted to see in Colmar. We were ready to get off our feet, so we hopped on a bus back to the train station and went to Obernai.

We arrived around 4:30, explored the cute, tiny markets. Ate the BEST rochers ever. OMG. I will dream of them forevermore. Then found a super cute restaurant for dinner. This time my husband had choucroute with 5 or six kinds of meat. And I had potato pancakes with a salad. I guess you can tell I’m not much of a meat eater! Meals in this part of the world are sometime challenging!

Back to Strasbourg for a bit earlier of a night. That’s the wonderful thing about being someplace for several days. You don’t have to be going-going-going every minute! So nice to just relax now and then.

STRASBOURG day 4:

This morning we decided to go to a laundromat and do a load of laundry. It took about 1.5 hrs and cost 13€. Easy peasy.

Then we went back to several markets around Strasbourg. We stopped at a restaurant called Tonneau just around the corner from the apartment as soon as they opened around 11:45. At first they said they were full, then she looked at a table that said reserved at 1, and said we would need to be done by 1. No problem. Husband had steak frites and I had a burger & fries. Good food and reasonably priced at 42€ including a soda and glass of wine.

Then back to the hotel for a nap. And back out to the markets for the last bit of shopping and just soaking up the atmosphere. We really enjoyed the city, the lights, the decor. Just everything. Next stop: Cologne. I don’t think it can compare, can it?

I'm really enjoying this report, thanks!
And I'll mention that I was just watching a Jacques Pepin video where he shows how to make potato pancakes and a salad for a light lunch - just as you tell it above.

Love your report and looking forward to reading about Cologne.

I'm really enjoying your report, especially as I consider whether to plan another Christmas Markets trip for myself. The giant snowflakes in a snow globe sound perfect... on a weekday!

Great report……thank you!

Grrrreat report! So looking forward to the next chapter.

Oh, my! Sounds wonderful. I, too, loved the delightful snow globe description. I want to go!

COLOGNE:
Our journey to Cologne started with a quick lesson on train travel, and why everyone always says to travel light. Knowing that we would be disregarding that advice, when I booked our train tickets 3 months in advance, I selected seats next to the luggage racks. Except for this journey, we had a connection. I was able to view the seat map only for the second leg. The seats for the first leg were chosen blindly by the computer.

As a result, of course we were on a train with two stories, and our seats were upstairs. So we had to haul too much luggage up three steps to get to the first floor of the train, then up a very tight semi-spiral staircase to the second floor. Thankfully we are young-ish and strong. We saw lots of people not so young and not so strong struggling. My husband helped several people with their bags. Getting them up into the shelves above seats is a bit harder than loading them into overhead compartments on airplanes: they are a little higher and narrower.

There were lots of folks on the train from Strasbourg headed to Cologne. In our connecting station we had about 17 minutes before the next train. We all made our way down the escalator, over to the stated platform, up the escalator. My husband and I were very militant about watching the boards. Sure enough, about 5 minutes before the train arrived, there was a track change. Down the escalator, over a couple tracks, up the escalator (thankfully they were working!). Whew! Just as the train pulled in. I imagine there were people who missed the train if they weren’t paying attention.

Arriving at the train station in Cologne, you step out and are greeted by the massive cathedral. Wow! Stunning! Our hotel was close to the cathedral, on the other side. But when I mapped it out, the shortest walk included lots of stairs and walking through the Christmas market. So we took a taxi. A 14€ luxury, although when we got out, the driver said “Train station 300 meters there.” Dumb tourists!

Our hotel, CityClass Alter Markt, was right above the Heinzels market. We arrived around 1 and the room wasn’t ready, so we dropped our bags and went to the market.

We had been to Cologne 20 years ago, just for a day. I knew we weren’t going to have the cute half-timbered buildings like in Strasbourg. I was a bit worried we would be disappointed. I shouldn’t have been! The Heinzels (gnome) market was absolutely adorable. The stalls are all heavy wood theming, with playful gnomes everywhere. It wasn’t crowded, so we were able to peruse the stalls easily. We stopped at a place selling pork skewers for about 7€. The lady handed my husband two, saying “Can I give you two? One is a little small.” Um, yeah! He was in pork heaven.

Our food strategy going into the markets was this: there will be more delicious things to try than we will be able to eat. We won’t feel guilty about sharing or not finishing what we order, so we can try multiple things. That went right out the window with those pork skewers. My husband ate both of them, and described it as a religious experience. The best food so far. Cologne was off to a great start!

After an hour cruise around the market, we went back to check on the room. It was ready! Again I had asked for a quiet room on a high floor. We were given a big room (506) facing the Dom. WOW! Talk about a room with a view.

I had read reviews about some rooms being small. Ours was not. We had a king bed, desk area, mini fridge, and closet. The roof was slanted, so getting to one side of the bed could be treacherous in the dark. Thankfully that was my husband’s side :). The bathroom had a shower only, with toilet and sink in the same room. We paid for the 15€ breakfast on our last morning only. It was a nice buffet including eggs, sausage, all kinds of ham, cheese, yogurt and baked goodies. On the other days, we went to local bakeries and spent about 10€ total on breakfast.

Wow, what a great TR and a fantastic trip!

What a great trip report! Thanks.

I did quite a few screenshots of your report. We are headed to Strasbourg in December for 4 nights. Thank you for sharing!

Thank you! We are headed to several of these markets later this year! Loved reading your trip reports.