Basel at Christmas: Markets, Day Trips and Winter Tours

Basel at Christmas means one big market in the Old Town, a ferry dressed for the season, cold short days, and Alsace's markets a short train ride away. This guide covers where to go, how to reach the markets over the border, what the weather does and which tours still run. The chocolate walks, the warmest way to spend a cold morning, are on Basel food tours.

Where are the Christmas markets?

Basel's Christmas market is on Barfüsserplatz, in the Old Town, next to the Stadtcasino and the Tourist Information office. Basel Tourismus lists it as the city's Christmas market, with stalls of Christmas food and seasonal things to buy.

Over the border, Colmar in Alsace is famous for its markets, and it is 40 minutes away by train. Freiburg, in Germany's Black Forest, has its market in the old town. A single day can reach all three countries.

When does the season run?

The market runs in Advent, the weeks before Christmas. Its 2026 dates are the city's to announce, so check them before you book a trip around a date. The canton lists the stalls on its own market page, and the Tourist Information office on Barfüsserplatz can tell you in person.

Plan around closures too. The Kunstmuseum is closed on 24 December 2026.

What is on Barfüsserplatz?

Rows of stalls in front of the Barfüsserkirche, a former Franciscan church, which now looks out over their white roofs. Basel Tourismus promises Christmas delicacies and the things you only see at this time of year. Try Läckerli, the city's spiced biscuit, while you are here; the audio-guide bus hands one out on board.

The square is a short walk from the Minster and the Rhine, so the market fits into an evening walk. Go after dark, when the stalls are lit. The Tourist Information office sits on the same square, in the Stadtcasino, so you can ask there about the season's events.

What is the Christmas ferry?

During the Basler Weihnacht, the city's Christmas season, the Klingental ferry, the Vogel Gryff, is turned into a Christmas ferry. Like the other three ferries, it hangs from a cable across the Rhine and is carried over by the current alone, all year round.

Cross on it from Grossbasel to Kleinbasel and back. It is a few quiet minutes on dark water between two lit banks.

Is a chocolate walk worth it in December?

Yes, and it is the one tour that suits the cold best. The chocolate walk spends two to three hours in the Old Town and stops at three chocolate shops, so you are indoors often. It starts at the red Town Hall on Marktplatz, costs $108, and sells a shared or private option.

It runs through the winter: travellers wrote about it in November and December. One wished for time to sit down with the chocolates, so keep a bag free and enjoy the rest later with a hot drink. The cheese and chocolate walk from the Kunstmuseum, at $115, is the other tasting walk, and it starts at 9:45am.

Can you see Colmar's market in a day from Basel?

Yes, by train. The Colmar Christmas day meets in the hall at Basel SBB and rides 40 minutes to Colmar. You then spend about two and a half hours in the old town with a guide, and about an hour and a half free for lunch, for $261.

In the Christmas market season, the day changes. The wine tasting at an organic producer is dropped, and you taste at the market instead, including hot wine. The listing's Christmas version runs in the afternoons, so check the start time when you book.

It crosses into France, so bring your passport. Up to 20 people join each day.

Three markets, three countries?

There is a day that does exactly that, but it starts in Colmar, not in Basel. A minivan of eight at most leaves Colmar at 10am for Freiburg's market by day, Basel's by night and Eguisheim, one of the villages of Alsace, for $154.

If you are staying in Colmar, it is the easy way to see all three. If you are staying in Basel, it does not suit: you would need to reach Colmar first. Travellers found the order of the stops can change, and one wished for more time in Eguisheim. Bring a passport or ID card; lunch and dinner are extra.

Can you do Colmar on your own?

Yes. Colmar is 40 minutes from Basel SBB by train, the same ride the guided day takes, and the market is in the old town. On your own you choose your hours and skip the fare.

What the guided day adds is the two and a half hours of history on foot, the market tastings paid, and someone to get you back on the right train. If it is your first time in Alsace, that is worth having. If you have been before, go alone and stay into the evening. Bring your passport either way, since Colmar is in France.

How cold is it?

Cold, grey and short. The Basel/Binningen normals for 1991 to 2020 give December an average high of 5.7 °C and a low of 0.4 °C. January is colder, at 5.1 °C and -0.5 °C.

December is also the darkest month, with about 54 hours of sunshine in the whole month and rain on 11 days. Frost comes on about half the nights, so dress for an evening outdoors: layers, a hat, gloves and shoes with grip on wet cobbles. Plan your evenings around the cold rather than the rain.

What should you wear?

• Layers, since you move between cold squares and warm shops all day.
• A hat and gloves for the evening at the market and on the ferry.
• Waterproof shoes with grip, for the Old Town's slopes and steps in the wet.
• A small bag for what you buy, since the tasting walks keep you on the move.

On a day trip, add a warm layer for the train and a passport for France.

What runs in winter?

None of the city tours is sold as a summer-only listing. The Rhine cruise sails in all weather, with indoor decks. The chocolate walks spend much of their time in shops.

Two things change. The Pilatus day includes its cogwheel railway only from mid-May to mid-October, so in December ask what replaces it. And the Alpine days depend on clear skies, which December has fewest of. Before you book, open the calendar on each tour and check that your dates are offered.

What comes after Christmas?

Basel Fasnacht, two months later. It begins on Monday 15 February 2027 with the Morgestraich, before dawn, and runs for three days. The Kunstmuseum closes from 15 to 17 February 2027 for it. If you can come back, it is the other great date in the city's winter.

It is a different trip from Christmas. Fife and drum clubs parade through the Old Town in masks, with lit lanterns, for three days. If you plan to come, book your room early, set an alarm for the small hours of the Monday, and read our best time to visit page for what else the calendar holds.

How should you plan a Christmas visit?

Give yourself two or three days if you can. Spend your first evening at the market on Barfüsserplatz, when the stalls are lit. Use your first morning for the chocolate walk, when you will be glad of the shops. Take a day for Colmar by train, and you will be back in Basel for dinner.

Book your hotel before you book the tours, since your hotel booking brings you the free trams. Then book the tours you most want, as early as you like: you can cancel them up to 24 hours ahead. Keep one afternoon free for the weather, and spend it in the Kunstmuseum if it rains. If you are here on 24 December, you will find the museum closed.

How do the winter tours compare?

Here is what runs in the season, and what changes.

Want the months side by side? Our weather page runs through the year.

Frequently asked questions

Tours for a Christmas visit

From Basel: Colmar Christmas Market & Wine Tasting Small Group

Forty minutes by train from Basel SBB to Colmar, about two and a half hours on foot with a guide and time for lunch. In the Christmas season you taste at the market; the rest of the year, at an organic wine producer.

From $261 per person

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From Colmar: Christmas Markets Across 3 Borders

A day that starts in Colmar at 10am, not Basel: a minivan of eight at most takes you to three Christmas markets in three countries, ending in an Alsace village. Bring a passport or ID card; meals are extra.

From $154 per person

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Swiss Experience: Chocolate Tasting and City Tour of Basel

Two to three hours on foot from the red Town Hall, with chocolate tastings at three local shops in the fare. The walk takes in the Minster, the market square and the lanes, and your guide knows the families behind the shops.

From $108 per person

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