The BEST Christmas Market in Europe: COLMAR, FRANCE || European Christmas Market Tour 2025 Part 3

The BEST Christmas Market in Europe: COLMAR, FRANCE || European Christmas Market Tour 2025 Part 3

Good morning, guys, and welcome to Kmar, France. This is my third Christmas market this year. I've come up from Basil, Switzerland, and then I entered into France, and I'm doing a few markets in the Alsace region, which is one of the best places for Christmas here. here. I was just came from Moleh House and now I'm in Kmar and then tomorrow I'm going to be heading up to Strawburg just checking out some of like the most beautiful and epic Christmas markets here in central Europe. So yeah, and I'm very excited to do Kmar. I have never done Kmar before. I did Strawburg a few years ago and it was one of my favorite Christmas markets. And Kmar here is like a small town just south of Strawburg and it's frequently voted one of the best small town Christmas markets in Europe. And I've just gotten here this morning. I've walked around a little bit and I can see why already this whole little village. I mean, it's such a cute village already with all of these Alsace houses. It just feels like a fairy tale town walking through these little winding streets with these really colorful and picturesque houses and these little like row homes and it's just a really really beautiful small town. And then during the Christmas season on all of the storefronts you have so many Christmas decorations and then all of the streets are just filled with beautiful, beautiful Christmas themes and it's just an amazing little town. And then throughout the town of Kmar, you have about six of these little Christmas market squares. So I'm going to take you guys around showing you guys those six main squares. But then also one of the best parts about Kmar is just walking the streets of Kmar. these beautiful cute little row homes and then all of the Christmas decorations that are lining the streets here. So yeah, anyways, I am starting on the edge of the old town here and we're going to head into Plaste Dominican, right in front of one of the main cathedrals here in Kmar. [music] I have just entered the old town of Kmar here and the first little square we're seeing is the place de Dominicans which is right in front of the Dominican church built in the early 14th century and we kind of entered from the back there and as we entered you went through this little like row of chalet and as you entered you just entered this magical Christmas village There's so many beautiful Christmas decorations. There's like a little ride. There's all of these chalets that just like line the entryway into the plaza. And so I'm going to work my way around the plaza here. And I think in front it opens up a little bit more. And there's going to be an even more like open wider village. Probably about 50 chalet or so. So yeah, let me show you guys the [music] first little Christmas market here in the place that I'm [music] So, [music] [music] I've just gotten a coffee and And I've been strolling around the place Dominican here. Again, right in front of this very beautiful church. And you have the main little plaza there. And then again, the market kind of goes along the sides of the church down these little rows. And they've built like a whole village here. You [music] have these wooden chalets that are just so beautifully decorated. The first little bit when we first entered was kind of like some tacky Christmas stuff. But then once you get in here, you have some beautiful Alsatian crafts and you just have some amazing like hot wine places and some food stalls and then you have this little circle with a Christmas tree in the middle surrounded by the markets and yeah, just a beautiful vibe. And it's only like 11 in the morning and it is so packed with people. Again, this is the first weekend of the Christmas markets here, so it is very, very busy, very, very touristy. but lots of energy and just like a really cool vibe. And then again just surrounding the market here, like even the little cafes just have such beautiful decorations and like teddy bears and stars and garland and just really really Christmasy vibe everywhere. So anyways, we're going to weave our way through the old town here to the Plast Cathedral just a few blocks. And yeah, I don't know if there's a Christmas market there, but they might have a weekend market there. And it's a plaza in front of one of the other major churches here in Kar. [bell and music] [bell] [bell and music] [music] >> [bell] [bell and music] [bell] >> We have just come to Plaste Cathedral which is this big open square right in front of St. Martins's Cathedral, which unfortunately is mostly under scaffolding. And it looks like in this plaza this year, they don't have so much of a Christmas market, but it's more of like a flea market here, so you can buy some like coats and some winter hats and gloves and everything. But yeah, not necessarily like a Christmas market fulltime. I think it's just on the weekends, too. So, it's just some tents, but you have some nice Christmas trees, some nice decorations in this open plaza. But we're going to carry on to check out more of the Christmas markets in Kmar. We're going to go to Joan de Ark little plaza which is just a block from the cathedral plaza here and that one has like a traditional Alsaceian Christmas village. So yeah, let's head there and check that out. [music] [music] >> [music] >> Unfortunately, it has started raining in that little block that we've walked from the cathedral place to June Day Arc Plaza. But this is a little parking lot here that they've turned into a little Alsatian Christmas village with like the wooden beams. And yeah, I'd say you probably have about like 20 30 little stalls in this little area. But then in this plaza, you're just surrounded by some real Alsatian architecture. Just some beautiful storefronts that are surrounding this plaza. So yeah, let's uh go for a little walk through the market here and show you this second market here. [music] [music] [bell] [music] [bell] >> [music and bell] [music and bell] [bell] [music] >> So, that was the Gan Day Ark Market here. And yeah, nice little plaza. Again, you're just surrounded by this beautiful architecture. And then I love how the market itself, the little chalet try to like emulate the Alsatian architecture here. They just blend in with this square. And again, you have about 20 maybe 25 different booths here. They're selling some like local crafts. There was a place, you know, selling candles, some gourmet wines and beers and like food items and yeah, a couple food stalls as well. But yeah, cute little market here in this like little square and just really beautiful. You have this amazing Christmas tree decorated with some nice golden ornaments and teddy bears as you're walking in. Anyways, we're going to continue the circuit around the edge of the old town here. Just a few blocks is the gourmet market which has this big ferris wheel and about nine different booths. Let's walk through the cute little streets of Oldtown to get there. >> [bell] [music] >> We have just come to the edge of the old town right near where Petite Denise [music] is, one of the little canals that goes through the town of Kmar along these beautiful colorful homes. And we have this open park area. And this is the Maré Gourand or the gourmet market. So you have about nine local restaurants that are like cooking in these little stalls here. You have a covered tent area. You have this huge ferris wheel. It has a little bit of a carnival feel to you. You have these other rides and a couple other like little food and drink stands. So let's head into the gourmet market. Fortunately, it's covered because again it's still raining a little bit. And let's try out some of like the good food here in Kar. >> [music] [bell] >> Heat. [music] [bell] Heat. So, that was the gourmet market there. And yeah, really good food. It doesn't really have like the cuteness of the old town here, but if you're looking for some more like craft meals, that was really good. I got like a pasta with some Alsaceian mushrooms on it. And yeah, really fun. And then it had a little bit of like a festive festival feel out there with a few of the rides and the ferris wheel. And then there was like one little food stand out there that had a nice little like look to it, but under the tent was kind of not the best like Christmas vibes to be honest, but some good food. So anyways, from here we are right along the canal which will take us to Petite Venice, which is one of the most scenic and most beautiful parts of Kmar here. So let's walk along the canal, take in some of the beautiful views of the Alsashian architecture with these like colorful row homes. And then there's another market at the other end of Petite Venice. So yeah, let's uh go for a very beautiful walk here along the canal. [music] [music] [bell] >> [music] >> I've just [music] walked halfway along the little Venice Canal here and this is just such a beautiful part of Kmar. Just like this picture perfect fairy tale kind of setting. You have all of these colorful town homes with all these wooden beans going through them and then you have this little canal and that's why they call it Little Venice. And you can actually get boat rides up and down the canal. And I'm at the Poisoner Key, which is this bridge halfway across. So, you're crossing over the canal. And you're just looking along all of these colorful buildings. And they have a few different like patios and porches that you can dine on out above the canal. And all along these colorful buildings, you have some beautiful Christmas decorations. And it's just very, very vibrant. And even along the bridge, they have some beautiful Christmas decor. We have some swans in the canal here. And this is just like the picture perfect small village in France here. So yeah, I actually came here earlier in the morning before I even started the Christmas market tour to get this with a a lot less people in it, but now it is just swarmed with people on a Sunday afternoon. So yeah, anyways, we're going to continue along the canal along these colorful buildings to the market that's at Petit Venice on the other side. [bell] [music] Heat. [bell] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> So I've just walked along the little canal of Petite Venice and it's just one of the most beautiful areas of town here. Just have all of those colorful row homes, the Asalian architecture and so many Christmas decorations, a lot of cute Christmas shops as well as you walk through the canal and then you walk through these like little narrow alleyways. And then we came to another bridge. And one of the things that you can do here during the Christmas time is you can take a little canal ride on one of these like wooden boats that'll take you up and down the canal here along these beautiful buildings. And now we've come to a little market plaza here in Petite Venice. And this is kind of like the kids area. And it also has like a Santa's workshop [music] North Pole kind of feel. You have some kids rides. And then behind some of the rides here, you have another little market. So let's stroll through our fourth market here in Kmar. Heat. Heat. N. [music] [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> So that is a little walk through the petite Venice market and just honestly some of the most beautifully designed booths and really cool crafts. Again, I thought it was a bit more of a kids area only, [laughter] but there's only just kind of like a few of those kids rides and then there's a few stores as you're entering that are just targeted for kids, like some wooden toys and everything. But then the rest of the market, there's like some really nice like craft alcohol stands. There's a couple like pretzel stands as well and just amazing displays of the products that they're selling here. Just a really cool place. And then of course, like all the markets, you're just surrounded by this beautiful architecture. But then even to the side there's this hotel with this incredible facade here with these polar bears and Santa like sledding and all of these beautiful bells and everything. And yeah, then a lot of just the Alsatian architecture surrounding here too is just really really stunning. And of course you're just right next to the canal where you have those boats going up and down the river there. So really really beautiful. This might be one of my favorite markets so far. Um but they're all so beautiful. So anyways, we're going to have another beautiful walk here, heading back towards the center of the old town here. And there's two more markets to check out. One's like an indoor market, which will be good on a rainy day like today, and then another outdoor market near the canal again. So yeah, let's head back and walk through these beautiful streets of Komar. [bell] [music] [bell] [music and bell] >> [bell] [music] [bell] >> We have just walked down this very picturesque street just lined with amazing Christmas decorations and these beautiful little shops and facads. And then we've come to this other little plaza right in front of the Kifouse which is the old customs house. And in here we have an indoor Christmas market. So yeah, let's head in. >> [music] [music] >> I've just walked through the first floor of the koi house and it was just a small little room there and you had about like 20 artisan tables, but it was like a much more like higher quality craft. You had some like really nice metal working and glass blowing and some beautiful like really nice gifts if you wanted to shop for some like local artisan crafts there. But I've just come out through the other side of the koi house and this is probably one of the most magical iconic views of Christmas and Kmar here. just have this alleyway with just lit up with all these beautiful lights and all of these different Christmas displays. And it just like really really shines Christmas here in this little like plaza right outside the koi house. And above the koi house, you can go up these little stairs here and I think just get like an elevated view of that iconic look of the Alsace Christmas here. So yeah, let's head up the stairs and get that viewpoint. [music] >> [bell] [music] [bell] >> They've just walked up those stairs and gotten a quick viewpoint of that. There's someone that's ushering you through there to not clog the stairs there. But yeah, really cool. And then we're going to go on the other side of the koi house for the last Christmas market. But before we do that, let's just walk down this lane here that's just full of magical lights and Christmas. It's just like this road that just begs you to walk down it. [music] So, I've just walked down this little narrow alleyway. And this is just like the most romantic little place I've seen here in Kmar. The plaza turns into these like really narrow streets that weave through these Alsatian houses and you have all of these Christmas decorations up and down these colorful houses with these wood beams going through them and then it turns into this like even more narrow alleyway that takes you back to the cathedral square there. So, we got really beautiful, magical little alleyways here. Very Christmy, very fun. So yeah, anyways, we're going to head back to the quite house there. And then under that there's the Ancient Dwayne, which is another plaza. And that's going to be the last Christmas market we're checking out here in Goldar. [music] [music] I've just come under the koi house here and we are in the ancient Dwayne the circular plaza and there's a fountain right here in the middle and so you have all of these chalets surrounding the plaza here and then as we've come through the koif house we're looking back and the koi house is just so decorated. The banister up there has all of these amazing like Christmas decorations up there. And then the market is in this circle, but then it looks like it spills over into some of the streets over there. And there's like a Christmas tree and these colorful colorful town houses here. So yeah, let me show you the last Christmas market here in Kmar. [music] So that is the sixth and final market here in Kmar, the ancient Dwan. And yeah, it starts in that little circle around the fountain, but then it spreads both ways down the winding streets of Kmar here and right past like all of these beautiful row homes. And then you also have this other like smaller little canal that's like trickling through along the streets here. And they have these beautiful decorations that they've laid over the canal there on these little like archway bridges. And then again, you just have such beautiful Christmas decorations on all of these colorful als. So yeah, anyways, it's about 4:30. The sun is starting to set and we're starting to get that magical like twilight glow through all of the streets of Kmar here. But those are the six main markets that I wanted to show you guys throughout Kmar. There's a few other things that you could obviously do. Some museums and then there's another like almost like theme park ride in one of like the main parks just outside of the old town here. But yeah, those are going to be the main markets here. And I've just loved exploring here. And I'm actually pretty excited because I'm coming back in 2 days with my family and we'll be just relaxing and enjoying some of the markets here in Kmar and the Alsace region. And tomorrow we'll be heading up to Strawburg, actually, one of the bigger cities in the Alsace region, and checking out some of the markets there and seeing a little bit more of the way they celebrate in this region of France. Yeah. Anyways, this is just such a beautiful, cute town. Like all year round, this would be amazing. But during the holiday season here with all of the Christmas decorations, I mean, I've loved checking out the markets obviously and like there are just some really cute chalets and like little market stands and some good food, but also just as you're walking through the village, just in between all of the markets, the streets are just these winding colorful old cobblestone alleyways that are just so stunningly beautiful. And there's so many other like cute little cafes and places that you can eat along the canal and through these like little town squares. And it's just a really, really magical town, especially during this time of year. So, unfortunately, the weather was not too good being rainy most of the afternoon here. If it was a couple degrees colder, it would be this beautiful, magical snowfall, but it was kind of rainy the rest of the afternoon, but that's all right. So, anyways, that's Christmas and Kmar, one of the best Christmas markets here in Europe. I'll see you guys in the next video when we do Strawburg, just about an hour north of here. [music]

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The most wonderful time of the year has returned, and with it, my journey to Europe’s Christmas markets—this time, through the heart of Central Europe. I set out to explore how different cultures celebrate the season, visiting five markets across five countries in just a few weeks. My adventure continues in Colmar, France, where the magic of Christmas truly comes to life, and here’s how it went…

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See last years Christmas Market videos:
Heidelberg, Germany: https://youtu.be/NIsZMDhRSMw?si=1LQGZPUj7fW9_4Eb
Strasbourg, France: https://youtu.be/ycpw0RYfmGc?si=ql0bOh-ba578tL1L
Luxembourg City: https://youtu.be/0J1kd_-xHN0?si=zuQVIdKwTLDi74k_
Liege, Belgium: https://youtu.be/xT-_elLS0Do?si=Sa6Ntrb4MgY_RpBp
Valkenburg, Netherlands: https://youtu.be/E1d9COhetME?si=LhQ9V4AQRPrfPAa5

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