Things to Do in Kaysersberg, France 2026: Castle, Old Town and Christmas Market

We drove about 20 minutes from Riquewihr to Kaysersberg. The houses here are medieval too; the difference is the stream running straight through the village. Every facade was dressed for Christmas and it felt like walking into a storybook.

The stream is the Weiss. The stone bridge over it was once part of the town’s defences, which is why the tourist office calls it the fortified bridge (kaysersberg.com); it dates from 1501 (Wikipedia). For the classic photo, stand on the bridge: timber-framed houses line the water on one side and the castle rises behind.

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Want to stay nearby? Hotels in the village centre

The imperial provost Woelflin had the castle built in 1227 for Emperor Frederick II, to guard the pass between Upper Alsace and Lorraine. A town wall tied it to the village, and a round keep served as the lookout. After centuries of neglect it was patched up and protected as a historic monument (kaysersberg.com).

The silhouette of the château is now the emblem of Kaysersberg, and the hilltop looks over the Weiss valley and the village roofs. We didn’t climb up in the video and only saw it from below. The path leaves the centre and goes steeply uphill, so wear shoes with grip in winter.

The shopping streets are lined with small patisseries, places baking tarte flambée (the thin Alsatian flatbread) and souvenir shops. This side of the village is bigger and livelier than the other bank. The windows were full of cakes, but we’d had breakfast at the hotel, so we only looked.

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From the shops we turned into the back lanes. One thing stood out: everyone seemed to be out walking a dog, slowly and calmly.

Nearly every shop sells thick, quilt-like scarves, and they really are warm. They cost €30 each, and I struggled not to buy one. Two more patisseries sit next to each other on the same lane.

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Albert Schweitzer, the doctor, organist and thinker who won the Nobel Peace Prize, was born in Kaysersberg on 14 January 1875 (Wikipedia). His birthplace is now the Centre Schweitzer, with a permanent exhibition on understanding and preserving peace.

It opens Wednesday to Monday, 10:30-13:00 and 14:00-17:30, and closes on Tuesdays, through January, on 1 May and on 25-26 December.

Tickets cost €7 for adults, €5 reduced, and nothing for under-18s; everyone pays €4 on the last Sunday of the month, and the audio guide is €2 (centreschweitzer.org). We didn’t go inside on this visit.

Want to stay nearby? Hotels on the main street

Best for: market-weekend visitors who want to see the village lit up at night and walk the lanes in the morning before the day crowds arrive.

Keep in mind: most old houses in the centre have no parking of their own, and the 813 bus from Colmar doesn’t run on Sundays.

Best for: travellers with a car who want the Kaysersberg market in the evening and a calmer village at night. The Christmas shuttle stop for Kaysersberg is also on the Kientzheim side. We saw Riquewihr the same morning and drove on in 20 minutes.

Keep in mind: there is no direct bus between Riquewihr and Kaysersberg; a car or the Christmas shuttle is easier.

Best for: anyone arriving by train who wants to see Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim as day trips. The choice of hotels is far bigger, and the Christmas shuttles leave from Colmar station.

Keep in mind: Colmar is packed in Advent; if you want Kaysersberg after dark, check the time of the last shuttle back.

Hotel Le Chambard in Kaysersberg is the five-star address on Rue du Général de Gaulle, the main street it shares with the Centre Schweitzer. It’s the first place people look for a special night in Kaysersberg, and Advent weekends book up early.

Hotel KLE sits in the centre of Kaysersberg, a few minutes’ walk from where the Christmas market stalls go up. Handy if you want to stroll the market at night and walk back to your room.

A hotel named after the village ramparts, within walking distance of the centre. Good for those who’d rather sleep on a quiet side street away from the main-street bustle.

A small hotel with a spa on the upper side of the old walls. A good choice for warming up after a cold December day in Alsace.

The village and its neighbours have plenty of self-catering apartments and gîtes; for families touring the Alsace villages for a few nights they’re often more practical than a hotel. Booking.com lists no hostels in Kaysersberg itself.

A paper-thin base spread with cream and onion and baked in a wood-fired oven. A few places in the shopping streets make it. The classic recipe adds lardons (bacon), so ask for a version without it if you don’t eat pork.

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Potatoes are cut into round, chip-like slices, fried in a pan and covered in cheese sauce. It’s one of the things Kaysersberg is known for, and you’ll see it sold everywhere. We passed: it felt too heavy so early in the morning, and I’m not a fan of the cheese smell. On a cold afternoon it makes more sense.

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Two patisseries stand side by side on the main street, their windows full first thing in the morning. Kougelhopf, the Alsatian ring cake with raisins and almonds, takes pride of place. We’d eaten at the hotel and only looked; if you plan breakfast in the village, start here.

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Bredele, or bredala in local spelling, are small biscuits baked for Advent; the tourist office names them as the taste of Christmas in the village (kaysersberg.com). Aniseed, cinnamon and almond versions are sold by the bag at the market and in the bakeries, and they travel well.

We arrived in the morning: the houses were decorated, but the lights only really work once it gets dark. Plan to reach Kaysersberg in the late afternoon and spend the daylight hours in Colmar or Riquewihr.

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Line 813 from Colmar doesn’t run on Sundays (kaysersberg.com). For a Sunday visit, rent a car or use the weekend Christmas shuttle described in the Christmas part of this guide.

Unlike Riquewihr and Eguisheim, Kaysersberg runs its market on Advent weekends only; come midweek and there are no stalls. The four weekends and their hours are listed in the Christmas part of this guide.

Kaysersberg has no weather station of its own; the nearest long-term record is Colmar-Meyenheim. Over 1991-2020, December nights averaged 0.2 °C and days 6.3 °C (Météo-France data via Wikipedia). The thick scarves sold in the village really are warm; bring thermals, gloves and boots with grip.

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Kaysersberg is in France, so Schengen entry rules apply. Use the checker on France-Visas (france-visas.gouv.fr), the French government visa site, to see what your own passport needs for a short Christmas trip. Our Schengen visa guide  covers fees and documents.