10 Best Christmas Markets In France

Are you looking for Christmas markets in France?

With its numerous brilliant and colourful Christmas markets, it’s easy to get into the Christmas spirit in France during the holiday season.

From Paris to Alsace, you will undoubtedly spend days and nights strolling through elaborately decorated streets and perusing various Christmas markets throughout the country.

The majority of the French Christmas markets (Marchés de Noel) are open from late November to the end of December. They sell a variety of regional culinary specialties, holiday decorations, crafts, and arts. There are also Christmas towns, carousels, and Ferris wheels to enjoy.

If you’re planning a vacation to France during the holiday season and want to spend some time in a Marchés de Noel, here’s our selection of the best Christmas Markets in France to visit.

10 Best Christmas Markets In France

1. Aix-en-Provence Christmas Market (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)

Aix-en-Christmas Provence’s market is open from the end of November through the end of December each year.

A beautiful ambience is created in the city by the artisans who adorn the renowned wooden chalets of this French Christmas market. It’s a great place to find unique items, local cuisines, and regional specialties from more than 50 local vendors.

You must visit the month-long markets on Cours Mirabeau in Aix if you’re staying in the city during winter.

If you don’t mind crowds, the week running up to Christmas is the best time to visit the market. Try one of the “thirteen desserts of Christmas” and buy a unique  Santon figurine from the Provence region while you’re there.

2. Béthune Christmas Market

Béthune’s Christmas Market, one of France’s most beautiful, is held from the end of November to the last day of December every year. Located in the old Grand-Place de Béthune, the Cité de Nol provides five weeks of enchantment to residents and visitors alike.

Browse the lavishly decorated wooden chalets manned by regional sellers who offer seasonal gourmet items and gift ideas for you to bring home to loved ones.

Watch out for Santa and his elves as they descend from the medieval Belfry of Béthune on December 24 for the market’s biggest show yet! All ages can enjoy this fascinating presentation, whether you’re a child or a kid-at-heart.

3. Christmas Market of Bordeaux

The Allée de Tourney Square hosts Bordeaux’s Marché de Nol Bordeaux, the city’s annual Christmas Market.

The markets, which contain 130 wooden huts, showcase the region’s unique products, handcrafted chocolates from Bayonne, and foie gras. Adults can sip Médoc as their children ride free sleighs around the square and visit Père Nol.

Please consult the official websites for tickets and the most recent information. Check out the map, which shows where the best lodgings are located in the area.

4. Lille, Hauts-de-France

With its merry and bright Christmas markets, Lille sparkles and glistens with joie de vivre even during the winter! s if, by magic, the city is transformed into a festive setting that welcomes you to a winter wonderland!

Lille’s historic Place Rihour is a hive of activity, with more than 80 chalets filled with gift ideas, nativity statues, Christmas decorations, and festive fare.

The stalls may also sell regional specialties in addition to crafts from Russia, Poland and Quebec as well as Native American artefacts and other collectibles.

5. Colmar, Alsace

When it comes to the best French Christmas markets, Colmar is at the top of the list every single year. Colmar boasts six distinct markets, all of which can be reached on foot from the town’s central square. Food and children’s toy markets are among the offerings at the markets.

White wine and sweet dessert wines from the Alsace area are well-known worldwide, and among the must-buys in the Colmar Christmas market. Many wine cellars are decked out for the holidays and even offer free sampling to passersby. Colmar has a lot to offer outside the markets, so plan on staying for at least two or three days.

If you want to experience more of the region’s Christmas markets, make a one-day excursion from Colmar to Strasbourg, which is only 35 minutes by rail.

6. Metz, Lorraine

The Christmas market in Metz, France, is among the most popular in the country. In this massive Christmas market, you’ll never run out of things to do because it spans five locations.

In addition to the main market, there is a Christmas village complete with a Merry-Go-Round and a 60-meter-tall Ferris Wheel.

A gourmet market, the famous Christmas pyramid, the Chalet of the Moselle Department, and an outdoor ice skating rink are among its many attractions.

The “igloos village,” the charming Sentier des Lanternes  (Lanterns Trail), and the magnificent Christmas tree in front of Metz’s picturesque train station are all worth seeing more than once. Set aside at least two days to make the most of your time here.

7. Montbéliard, Franche-Comté

Montbéliard, popularly known as “the City of the Princes,” is a town in Franche-Comté, close to the Alsace border.

This town hosts a German-style Christmas market every year during Advent. More than 120 stalls make up the Christmas market at the foot of the Temple Saint-Martin, France’s oldest Lutheran temple.

With more than 400,000 visitors, the Montbéliard Christmas market has been one of the most popular in France since it started 25 years ago. Due to its amazing illumination design for old town streets, this market has been a huge success.

Visitors are mesmerized by the Christmas lights which adorn volutes and arches that stretch from Place Denfert-Rochereau to the train station.

8. Nancy Christmas Market (Grand Est)

Several Christmas markets (referred to as “Villages de Saint-Nicolas”) set up shop in Nancy during the Saint-Nicolas celebrations, contributing significantly to the holiday’s ethereal ambience.

Nancy’s most significant holiday market, Le Grand Village de Saint-Nicolas, is situated between the covered market and the San Sebastian shopping centre on Place Charles III in Ville Neuve.

Visit its more than sixty wooden stalls, which are festooned with twinkling garlands and stocked with gifts, East of France’ seasonal specialties, and mulled wine.

9. Strasbourg, Alsace

The Strasbourg Christmas market, which dates back to 1570, is France’s oldest. Currently, the Strasbourg market is France’s largest, encompassing 11 marketplaces and containing more than 300 stalls.

Toy booths, handicrafts, and a merry-go-round are all part of the children’s Christmas village, which also features an area for local artisans and a book market.

An alternate market experience in Strasbourg is provided by Off Market, which sells antique holiday products, including vintage furniture, apparel, toys, and decorations.

Foodies will love the Alsatian farmers market, which has kiosks selling jams and jellies, gingerbread, hot wine spiced with cinnamon, apple cider, and honey that are all manufactured in the region.

10. Paris – Tuileries Christmas Market (Ile-de-France)

The Tuileries Christmas Market is one of the most popular Christmas markets in Paris for both locals and visitors. The Champs Elysées Christmas Market has been replaced with this one, which is located in a side lane of the ancient Tuileries Gardens.

With roughly 100 wooden stalls, the Tuileries Christmas Market has handicrafts, food, drinks, and other lovely presents for the holidays.

Festive lights and decorations cover the 20-meter Christmas tree at this French holiday market. There’s also an ice skating rink, funfair games and rides, a Ferris wheel, and more for both kids and adults to enjoy in addition to shopping and dining.