My daughter, Kalie, is a guest blogger sharing about her recent trip to Christmas markets in Europe last month. She and her college friend, Cassie, visited 24 Christmas markets in Germany, Switzerland, and France over the course of five days. Click here to read part one.

Here is their itinerary:

Day 1: Fly into Frankfurt, explore markets in Frankfurt
Day 2: Take a train to Heidelberg (1.5 hours), explore Heidelberg markets, return to Frankfurt
Day 3: Take a train to Basel, Switzerland (2.5 hours), explore Basel for 4 hours, take a train to Strasbourg, France
Day 4: Explore markets in Strasbourg (no trains!)
Day 5: Explore markets in Strasbourg in the morning, take a train back to Frankfurt (2 hours), visit markets for dinner
Day 6: Fly back to the U.S.

Thank you for tuning in for the second part of my adventure to European Christmas markets. In part one, I talked about our visit to the German Christmas markets in Frankfurt and Heidelberg. Now, I will share about the other countries we visited on our trip – Switzerland and France. We visited three countries in five days, so we did not have much time in any location, but it was a really unique opportunity to experience several cultures. 

Basel, Switzerland

Basel was added to our itinerary because we wanted to see what Swiss markets were like. It was about a 2.5-hour train ride from Frankfurt and we arrived in town around noon. There were two main markets in Basel – the Christmas Market on Barfüsserplatz and the one on Münsterplatz.

We took a tram to Barfüsserplatz and took turns shopping while the other person sat with our bags. This market had really unique food and many neat items to purchase. They had a Basel mug that was sold at all of the gluewein stalls, so we had to get one of those. I tried an orange punch that was delicious. I also bought some Swiss chocolates and gingerbread, a nutcracker, and some ornaments. We ordered raclette, which is a traditional Swiss cheese dish, and Cassie thought it came with bread. However, when we received the plate, it was just melted cheese, about five small potatoes, pickles, and pickled onions. It was still delicious but pretty funny! 

We then drug out bags up a hill to the Münsterplatz market. There were many people out on that Sunday afternoon and musicians lined the walkways playing music. We got to the market and it was breathtaking! There was an amazing Christmas tree beside the Basler Münster red-sandstone cathedral. It was built between the 11th and 15th centuries and was influenced by the Romantic and Gothic styles. The market was right next to it and had so many wonderful booths.

By this point, we were exhausted from pulling our luggage so we did not purchase anything, but we enjoyed looking! There was also a gorgeous outlook at the back of the church that had wonderful views of the city. The markets were really unique and this is definitely a city I would love to come back to again to spend more time exploring. 

Our final mission for Basel was to stand in three countries at one time. Basel is located at the tip of Switzerland, Germany, and France all come together. We took an Uber to the border triangle. When we got out of the car, we were not sure we were in the right place. It was right on the Rhine river, and at a port where Viking cruise ships were docked. There was not much around but we let our Uber driver leave us and we went downstairs and walked a little bit to find the monument. It was a really unique experience and we were glad we did it!

Then, we took an Uber back to the train station to take another train to Strasbourg. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the tracks between Basel and Strasbourg that night and no trains were going north into France. We needed to get there that night, so we talked with a nice Swiss train agent and she helped us find another route through Germany and a short train ride from Offenberg to Strasbourg. 

Strasbourg, France

Our final city of the trip ended up being our favorite. From the moment we stepped out of the train station, we were greeted by sparkling Christmas lights and ornate decorations. We knew immediately there was a reason this was known as the Capitale de Noël (Capital of Christmas).

As we walked the pedestrian street to our hotel, we were overjoyed with all of the lights and festive decorations adorning the shop windows. We stayed in the center of the city, and while prices were heightened due to the time of year, it was worth it to be so close to everything. 

There were 10 markets in the city and we were able to visit nine of them. The markets date back to the Middle Ages around 1570, making it the oldest in France and one of the oldest in Europe. The big Christmas tree at Place Kléber Square was magnificent. At night, the tree had a light show that coordinated with Christmas carols and it was delightful. 

The Carré d’Or Christmas Market, near St. Thomas Church, had my favorite vendor, Vois Là, who made hand-drawn designs and printed them on various textiles. I got a table runner and a torchon (kitchen towel) that featured unique designs from Strasbourg like cross-timbered houses, pretzels, storks, gingerbread, and the Strasbourg Kouglof, a traditional Christmas bread/cake.

The Christkindelsmärik is the oldest market, located just north of the Kleber market, and features rows and rows of Christmas decorations and delicious-smelling food. This was one of the last markets we stopped at and I was able to find my final unique gifts for my family. 

Another one of our favorite markets was Place de la Cathédrale, at the base of the Cathédral Notre-Dame, which is an amazing church that was built between the 15th and 17th centuries. It features an astronomical clock, which is a sight to behold on it’s own. Inside the church, they had a beautiful nativity display that chronicled the birth of Jesus from Mary’s visit by the angel to the wise men. 

Right outside the church, at the Place de la Cathédrale market, we found two stalls to buy mugs, which was rare in Strasbourg (most just had plastic cups). I had some delicious hot chocolate and was excited about the red Strasbourg mug, which was my favorite from the trip. I also bought my favorite souvenir here, a handmade glass Christmas tree with small glass ornaments. I love it so much I might leave it out all year! 

Strasbourg offers a unique blend of French and German cultures since it is right on the border and has been occupied by both countries and different times in its history. We enjoyed dinner one night at an amazing French restaurant where we sampled cheeses and had the best French onion soup ever. 

Petite France is a charming part of the city, with cross-timbered houses lining the water. We saw swans swim down the canal one morning and loved seeing it lit up at night. There was a small market on an island, Le Village de L’Advent, that we stopped by on Monday night. The OFF market at Place Grimmeissen was another unique market with many local artisans featuring goods in shipping containers and igloos. Cassie found some beautiful pottery, which was one of her favorite souvenirs of the trip. 

Strasbourg was a beautiful city and we loved our time here. I have read about other towns nearby with really beautiful Christmas markets as well. I hope to plan another trip to visit more magical areas in this part of the world! 

If I were to rank the cities we visited on this trip, I would say Strasbourg was my favorite, then Frankfurt, Heidelberg, and Basel. Each city provided unique experiences and I am so glad we went to all four places on this trip. I highly recommend a trip like this if you have never visited Europe during Christmastime. Even if you do not want to shop much, it is still a wonderful time to experience unique cultures, try new foods, and enjoy bundling up for chilly winter strolls through the cities. I hope to go back again in December 2025! Stay tuned!

Follow along with Cassie and me on our travel Instagram @travelswithcassandk.