This blog may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy for more info.
Heading to Strasbourg this winter? We’re here to help!
Strasbourg is truly magical in the winter months. Its half-timbered houses and famous Christmas Markets make the city feel like something out of a fairytale – or a Hallmark movie! And you only need a few days to really soak it all in, so we’re here to help you do exactly that.
We’ve crafted the perfect 2-day winter itinerary for Strasbourg to help you make the most of its markets, museums, and historic sites. And of course, we’ve included plenty of hearty food and mulled wine along the way. So grab your gloves, wrap up warm, and let’s explore the best of Strasbourg together!
Don’t Miss Out On Our Top Choice!
The tour we loved the most and suggest booking ASAP is this one!
Our personal FAVORITE thing we did was this food tour! This was the best way to get to know Strasbourg’s culinary scene, historic buildings, and the city’s culture, all led by a fun local guide.
Itinerary Overview
Strasbourg is famous for its Christmas markets, so December is one of the most popular times to visit. If you’re coming at this time, be sure to book tours and accommodation well in advance!
Once you’re here, getting around Strasbourg is pretty easy. It’s a compact city and you can walk to most places, although you can use Uber for longer distances, or local trams and buses.
Day 1: Start your Strasbourg winter escape with a guided walk through the picturesque heart of the city. Then, either dive into a museum or two, head out on a food tour, or visit the famous Christmas markets.
Day 2: Today is your big day out exploring the Alsace region. Visit Colmar, Eguisheim, and Riquewihr with a private driver so you can explore each village at your own pace. After returning to Strasbourg, settle in for a traditional Alsatian dinner and a cozy nightcap to wrap up your trip.
Day 1
Morning – Explore Strasbourg with a local guide
For us, this private walking tour is the ultimate way to get to know Strasbourg! So for your first morning here, book the 9 am tour, which lasts for 2 hours and wraps up at 11 am.
We loved exploring with our guide, Gabriel, who brought the city to life with personal stories and fascinating historical insights. Since this is a private tour, it’s customizable, which means that you can tailor it to your liking. For example, you can spend some extra time warming up inside Strasbourg’s stunning Notre Dame Cathedral. If you’re here before Christmas, I also recommend asking your guide to take you to see the Grand Christmas Tree at Place Kléber.
We really enjoyed wandering through the charming streets of the old town and seeing the city’s trademark half-timbered houses at the quaint Saint Etienne Square. We also learned about Place Broglie’s role in Strasbourg’s history, and this is also the heart of Strasbourg’s Christmas market scene in December!
What really makes this tour special is how personal it is. You can tailor the itinerary to your interests to make sure that you get the most out of Strasbourg during the winter months, which is so much better than booking a tour with a cookie-cutter itinerary.
Read 100+ 5-star reviews and book this private walking tour here!
Afternoon – Food tour or Christmas markets
Strasbourg’s Christmas Markets are the main draw for winter tourism, so if that’s why you’re here, then the rest of the day is yours to be festive! I’ll leave some more information about the markets at the end of this section to help you make the most of them. But if you’ve already done the markets or are visiting after the Christmas season, then I suggest checking out a museum and then enjoying your fill of winter comfort food on a guided tour.
Lunch – Aux douze apôtres
This morning’s tour wraps up at 11 am, so grab an early lunch at Aux douze apôtres. This is a chic little spot located right where the tour ends, and it overlooks the cathedral. This is a great place to try flammekuchen (Alsatian flatbread pizza) or sauerkraut!
One of this afternoon’s museums doesn’t open until 2 pm, so take your time here and then go for a wander around Petit France. This is a charming and historic part of the city that’s just a 10-minute walk from the restaurant, and I definitely think it deserves more time to explore.
Afternoon – Hit a museum
On a winter’s afternoon, spending a few hours in a museum is the perfect way to escape the cold and learn something new at the same time! Strasbourg has some excellent museums, so see which one sparks your interest and head there to cozy up for a while.
- Palais Rohan: This complex is one of Strasbourg’s grandest buildings, and it was once a residence for prince-bishops. Now, it’s home to three different museums (the Archaeological Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts, and the Museum of Fine Arts), so you can visit them all or choose just one. Get there for 2 pm, when it reopens after lunch, and if you’d like to visit all three museums, then I suggest getting a full-day pass to save money.
- Strasbourg Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art: If you’re more interested in art than history, this museum is the perfect place to spend an hour or two. It’s home to a small but impressive collection of modern and impressionist art, including works by Monet, Picasso, and Kandinsky.
Evening – Taste your way through the city on a food tour
One of the best ways to keep warm in Strasbourg during the winter is to indulge in its hearty cuisine, so rather than heading to just one restaurant tonight, explore a few of them on this top-rated food tour!
The tour runs from 5 pm to 8:30 pm, and it starts at Place d’Austerlitz, which is just an 8-minute walk from Palais Rohan or 20 minutes from the Contemporary Art Museum. We recommend booking this tour at least a few weeks in advance, as it’s one of the most popular tours in the city and winter is an especially busy time for tourism here!
The tour kicks off with a tasting of fresh bretzels, and then you’ll enjoy a charcuterie selection alongside a glass of local beer or wine. You’ll also try choucroute garnie, which is Alsace’s signature dish and a great winter warmer. Along the way, you’ll also do a cheese tasting and learn all about how French and German influences combine to make Alsatian cuisine so unique.
One of the best things about doing this tour in the winter is that for dessert, you get to try pain d’épice! This is Strasbourg’s soft, spicy gingerbread, and it tastes ten times better when it’s cold outside. It literally tastes like Christmas!
Read 500+ reviews and book this popular tour here before it sells out!
Info about the Christmas markets
Strasbourg is Europe’s self-proclaimed “Capital of Christmas”. The Christmas markets here are collectively known as Christkindelsmärik, and this annual tradition dates back to 1570. Not bad!
The markets are spread across various squares and they typically run from the last week of November until Christmas, from 11:30 am until 9 pm. The best way to explore the markets is to simply walk around and take in Alsatian Christmas culture. Place Broglie is the center of it all, so we recommend starting there. And while 13 Christmas markets might sound like a lot to cover, one day really is enough to enjoy them and soak in their festive atmosphere.
The markets are great places to shop for Christmas decorations and festive souvenirs, but for us, the biggest highlight is the food! Personally, I recommend trying spätzle, Alsatian egg noodles or dumplings served with a creamy cheese sauce, and bredeles, which are traditional Christmas biscuits.
Day 2
Full day – Visit Colmar, Eguisheim, and Riquewihr with a private guide
Strasbourg is a pretty small city, so today, get out and explore the beautiful Alsace region with this private full-day tour! It’s more of a self-guided experience, but it makes it so easy to explore the Alsace region without the stress of planning or driving yourself. Your dedicated driver will handle all of the logistics while you choose how to spend your time at each stop.
The tour departs Strasbourg at 9:30 am and lasts for 8 hours, so you’ll get a full day to explore the region’s top destinations at your own pace. Your first stop is Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, an impressive hilltop fortress where you’ll have a full hour to explore the ramparts and take in the sweeping views.
Next up is Colmar, which is the biggest draw for many visitors. It’s a picturesque medieval town that’s famous for its pastel-colored, half-timbered houses – they’re a must-see in the Alsace region! And the town is known as “Little Venice” because it’s centered around scenic canals, and you can even use your time here to take a 25-minute boat ride along them.
Next, you’ll visit Eguisheim, which is often called one of the most beautiful villages in France. It’s said to be one of the villages that inspired “Beauty and the Beast”, so I’m not exaggerating when I say that it feels fairytale-esque.
The final village of the day is Riquewihr, where you’ll have another hour to explore its cobbled main street, colorful medieval buildings, and family-run wine shops, many of which offer complimentary tasting sessions when you buy a bottle – cheers!
This tour is a fantastic way to enjoy the beauty of the Alsace region in just one day. Each place has its own personality, and we love that you get the freedom to explore each destination as you see fit.
Book this awesome Alsace tour here and explore your way!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
Dinner – Maison Des Tanneurs
Today’s tour will drop you off back in town at about 5:30 pm, so I recommend heading back to your hotel to freshen up before dinner. Make a reservation at Maison Des Tanneurs for around 7:30 pm. It’s located in Petit-France, so leave yourself enough time to walk there or call an Uber if you don’t feel like walking in the cold!
This is a traditional Alsatian restaurant that sits right on the canal. It’s housed in a medieval building, so expect wooden beams and wonky walls! We think this is the ideal place to enjoy Alsatian classics like choucroute garnie (slow-braised sauerkraut, smoked meats, and sausages) and guinea fowl. If you have room for dessert, I highly recommend their chocolate fondue cake.
Evening – Enjoy a cozy nightcap
For your last evening in Strasbourg, stay warm indoors and have a drink to cap off your time in the city. If you’re looking for a cocktail bar, Code Bar is a very trendy spot that’s known for its creative drinks, and it’s a 10-minute walk from Maison des Tanneurs.
However, beer is big in Strasbourg, so if you feel like something a bit more laid back, I recommend heading to L’ARTICHAUT to try some local brews. They often have live music here, too, and it’s just a 2-minute walk from the restaurant, so you won’t have to walk far in the cold!
Related Read: If you have a few more days to explore the area, see our best things to do in Strasbourg blog for some of our favorite tours, activities, and more can’t-miss sights!
Where to Stay in Strasbourg, France
Strasbourg is a beautiful city with plenty of great places to stay, no matter your budget or travel style. Whether you’re looking for luxury, comfort, or affordability, there’s something here for everyone. All of these hotels are super central and are actually within a few minutes’ walk from one another. After all, you want to be close to everything when you’re only here for a few days!
To help make your decision easier, I’ve put together a list of the best places to stay in Strasbourg this winter, so you can just focus on enjoying everything this amazing city has to offer!
Luxury – $$$
Hotel & Spa REGENT PETITE FRANCE is the grand dame of Strasbourg. It’s set in a converted medieval mill in the heart of the Petite France district, so it offers an atmospheric stay in a top location. Despite its historic exterior, the rooms and suites are modern and either overlook the canal or the scenic half-timbered houses of Strasbourg.
There’s a wonderful wellness center on site that offers a sauna, hammam, and massage treatments. Perhaps best of all, there’s a glamorous champagne bar onsite that offers over 20 different types of champagne – ooh la la!
Rooms start at around €500 per night in the run-up to Christmas, although prices drop significantly in January. See all the options and book your stay here!
Mid-range – $$
Hotel Les Haras is an upscale hotel set in a beautifully restored 18th-century building in the heart of Strasbourg. Once a historic horse stable, it now offers elegant rooms, a state-of-the-art spa with a sauna and indoor pool, and a gourmet French brasserie. The blend of heritage charm and modern sophistication makes for a refined and relaxing stay.
With impeccable service and a prime location near Strasbourg’s Old Town, it’s an ideal choice for a winter getaway. Prices range from €200 – €400 per night during winter, and start at €350 in the weeks before Christmas. Secure your stay over at Booking.com!
Budget – $
HANNONG Hotel & Wine Bar is a stylish mid-range option in the heart of Strasbourg, perfect for travelers seeking comfort and convenience. Just a short walk from the city’s main attractions, this charming hotel offers elegant rooms with modern amenities and a cozy wine bar featuring a curated selection of local and international wines. Guests can also enjoy the welcoming lounge, a daily breakfast buffet, and a prime location near Petite France and Strasbourg Cathedral.
With great service and a warm atmosphere, it’s an excellent base for exploring the city.
Prices start at €125 per night during the winter months, or at €400 in December. Check availability for your travel dates on Booking.com!
Renting a Car in France
France is a dream to explore by car—think lavender fields in Provence, medieval villages in the Dordogne, and coastal drives along the Côte d’Azur. While the train network is excellent, having your own wheels lets you uncover those hidden gems at your own pace. Plus, French drivers are generally courteous, making road tripping here a breeze!
We always book with Discover Cars and can’t recommend them enough. It’s super easy to compare prices, check company ratings, find automatic cars (which can be tricky in Europe!), and add affordable full coverage insurance. If you want a full breakdown, check out our Discover Cars review here.
Tips for Renting a Car in France
- Know the local rules: In France, they drive on the right-hand side, and some intersections follow priorité à droite—meaning cars from the right have the right of way, even if you’re on the main road. It’s also mandatory to carry a reflective vest and warning triangle in your car.
- Insurance is essential: I highly recommend adding full coverage insurance to your rental. Whether it’s a ding in a parking lot or a chipped windshield on a rural road, having full protection gives you peace of mind. Plus, it’s super affordable with Discover Cars!
- Pick the right vehicle: Most rentals in France are manual transmission, and automatic cars are limited—so book early if that’s what you need. Also, a compact car is great for narrow village roads or tight city parking. We love how easy it is to filter for exactly what you need on Discover Cars.
- Watch for restricted zones (LEZs): Many major French cities (like Paris, Lyon, and Marseille) have low-emission or restricted driving zones. These areas often require special permits or advance registration, and driving into them without authorization can lead to fines. Always check ahead if you’re planning to drive into a city center.
- Be prepared for toll roads: France has an extensive network of toll roads (autoroutes). Tolls can be paid by cash or card, but it’s worth checking if your rental car comes with a toll transponder for convenience.
What You Need to Rent a Car in France
- A valid driver’s license from your home country.
- If you’re from outside the EU, an International Driving Permit (IDP) is recommended. Some rental companies may require one.
- A credit card in the driver’s name is typically required for the security deposit.
- Most rental companies require drivers to be at least 21 years old, with a young driver surcharge applicable for those under 25. Some companies may have higher age requirements, so make sure you double-check.
Ready to hit the road? Book your car with Discover Cars here and discover the freedom of exploring France on your own terms!
AIRALO e-SIM Up To 15% Off With Code “DTRAVEL15”
What’s an eSIM?
An eSIM is a digital version of a SIM card. Instead of buying a little plastic chip and swapping it into your phone, you just download it. It connects your phone to a local network in whatever country you’re visiting — no stores, no waiting, and no fiddling with tiny cards.
In simple terms, it’s the easiest way to get data and stay connected while traveling.
We’ve tested a bunch of eSIMs in North America, and after a few frustrating experiences, we’ve found our favorite — Airalo. It’s fast, reliable, and incredibly easy to use. You can set it up in minutes (even my mom managed it solo on her first try!), and the prices are some of the best out there.
🔥 Hot Tip: Choose the Europe-wide eSIM! It works across multiple countries, so you can hop from France to Italy to Spain without ever losing connection. One download, endless adventures.
💡 Bonus: We’ve got an exclusive 15% discount for our readers. Use the codes:
Thanks for reading!
Whether you’re here for the iconic Christmas markets or simply a cozy winter getaway, this two-day Strasbourg itinerary hits the highlights! We had so much fun exploring the city and the region as a whole, so stick to our recommendations and you can have a stress-free vacation.
If you need help planning more of your travels, see all of our France blogs here! We’ve traveled to some amazing destinations all over the country and have resources to help decide where to go and what to do, for all seasons and travel types. You can also browse some of our other popular travel guides to inspire your next destination and plan a memorable trip.
How to Spend THREE DAYS in Reykjavik, Iceland in the Winter: The Best 3-Day Itinerary