Christmas in Strasbourg & Colmar: A Winter Journey Through Alsace
Rarely do we suffer our calculated risks - we always regret the ones we didn't take.
It’s December 2021, and my husband is returning to France. The poignant almost-regrets of Covid still lingered. While travel, even inter-country, remained a risk, I knew we had a unique opportunity to discover Strasbourg without the usual crowds. Rarely do we suffer our calculated risks - we always regret the ones we didn't take.
In these photos and videos, you'll see a lot of masks. Last December, Strasbourg retained and enforced its mask policy even when cities like Paris did not. It was a blatant reminder of the potential congestion of this experience.
The Largest Christmas Tree in Europe
This risk became our reward as Strasbourg and Colmar welcomed us with relatively empty arms. The apartment I chose was unique for this location and not for convenience - four flights of stairs later (the last flight being practically vertical), the view was worth every centime. Every night we opened the windows wide to fresh Alscasian air and a view of the largest Christmas tree in Europe.
Estimated Travel Times
Train from Paris to Strasbourg - 1hour 45 minutes
Strasbourg train station to Place Kléber by foot - 15 minutes
Train from Strasbourg to Colmar - 20 minutes
Walk the entirety of Strasbourg old center quai - about an hour
It wasn't just Père Noël that I was in search of - I was looking for the beauty of living in France. Much like the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, my previous year in France was tinged with fear of a pandemic reaching our front door. We celebrated small, quietly together and were grateful for our health. But spending a holiday season hiding from a virus is no way to ring in the new year. Our trip to Strasbourg was about being present because we weren't sure what future ghosts would bring us.
The magic of Christmas came back to me childlike in Paris - soft, slow, with eyes wide and heart open. The gradual build, with a new window here, and a new installation there, was delivered without personal responsibility, gift wrap, or budget. I received the gift of a Parisian Christmas, arms wide open.
OLD AND NEW
Explore outside of old town.
Arriving in Strasbourg, it felt more commercialized, western, and fabricated. It was like the scene where Buddy the Elf decorates the department store. And yet, it was what I wanted and needed at the time. When my heart years for the glory of a childlike Christmas, I will return to Strasbourg and Colmar.
To find the new Strasbourg, Ascatians working and crafting in this area, go outside the touristic center. Strasbourg's accessibility to Paris makes this location uniquely strategic- especially for those in tech, as the town is near Geneva, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Germany. Small and easily walkable, I encourage you to discover a youthful, vibrant, and creative city outside the immediate old town.
Vibrant & Modern
At one point, we found ourselves at a natural wine bar. The shop felt like equal parts Marais, a Grandmother's living room, and Alscatian comfort. The wines were spectacular examples of what a well-curated natural wine program could and should be. And on the other end of the spectrum, we visited the Stork Club, a modern art deco retro space. The space was a tremendous, open, and vibrant club, with great music, food in a constant stream from the kitchen, and a magnificent 360 bar. It was magical, transporting you to another space and time.
Colmar
A trip to Strasbourg is only complete if you visit Colmar. A thirty-minute train ride from Strasbourg, Colmar's historic and idyllic centre ville is a fifteen-minute walk from the train station. The approach was rather anti)climatic, but once inside old town, I was unprepared for the enormity of what Colmar offers.
