Where to Stay in Strasbourg at Christmas: Why You’ll Want a Kitchen
(Especially if you’ll be there for Christmas Day!)
When it comes to travel, lodging is rarely the star of the show for me, but if you’re spending the holidays in France for the Strasbourg Christmas Markets, where you stay is pretty important. I won’t say it could make or break the holiday but…
Okay, it potentially could make or break the holiday! But never fear!
You have advance warning and time to prepare…
Festive, decorated storefront in Strasbourg, France at the Strasbourg Christmas Market.
First: Decide What Kind of Strasbourg Christmas You’re Having
If you’re coming to Strasbourg for the Christmas markets and leaving before Christmas Day, where you stay is mostly about the usual things: budget, walkability, how much charm you require from the view outside your window, and how far you’re willing to drag a suitcase over cobblestones. (We drug ours a pretty long way… I was glad I wasn’t in an hEDS flare at the time.)
If you’re staying through Christmas Day, however, I would choose very differently.
The Strasbourg Christmas Markets officially close at 6 p.m. on December 24, so Christmas Day is not another market day. The chalets are closed, the city is quiet, and many restaurants and shops are closed as well. The lights and decorations are still up, which means Strasbourg remains ridiculously precious, but December 25 has a different energy.
I actually loved that!
After several days of crowds, Christmas markets, vin chaud, shopping, sightseeing, and being aggressively festive, waking up to a nearly empty Strasbourg felt kind of magical.
But I was also very glad we weren’t spending Christmas Day sitting on two hotel beds staring at each other.
Which brings me to my biggest recommendation…
Staying Through Christmas Day? Get an Apartment or Aparthotel
This is one of those travel lessons I learned by accident and now aggressively pass on to strangers on the internet.
If I were booking Strasbourg for Christmas again with my kids, I would choose an apartment or apartment-style hotel with an actual living area and at least a small kitchen.
Not because I suddenly became the kind of woman who wants to cook elaborate meals on vacation.
Absolutely not.
It’s because on Christmas Day, your lodging becomes part of the holiday.
We wanted somewhere we could sleep in, watch Christmas movies, spread snacks all over the table, make Christmas cards, drink wine, and have a cozy family Christmas without needing the city to entertain us. A small kitchenette also gives you a lot more flexibility. We stocked up beforehand on charcuterie, cheese, fruit, vegetables, fresh bread and other good French things and turned our bounty into a very low-effort Christmas feast.
We did book a proper restaurant lunch for Christmas Day—and I recommend doing the same if a special holiday meal matters to you—but having food at the apartment meant the rest of the day required absolutely no logistics.
Which, after raising children and manufacturing Christmas magic for roughly a thousand years, was exactly what I wanted.
Why an apartment works especially well on December 25
You don’t need a massive luxury rental. You just want a few things that become much more valuable when most of the city is closed:
a living room or comfortable sitting area
a table big enough for snacks, cards, games, or whatever your family actually does
a refrigerator
a basic kitchen or kitchenette
enough space that everyone can exist without lying on a bed
When I looked at current Strasbourg Christmas lodging, I found quite a few highly rated one- and two-bedroom apartments roughly in the €250–€370-per-night range, depending on dates and availability.
That isn’t cheap, obviously. Strasbourg at Christmas is not where bargains go to reproduce, but for a family, an apartment in that range can make significantly more sense than paying for two hotel rooms—and you get an actual place to spend Christmas.
I’ve highlighted a few strong choices for every budget.
Lili and her boys taking silly Christmas pictures in Strasbourg France at the Strasbourg Christmas Market.
Where to Stay in Strasbourg at Christmas
Affordable (For Strasbourg at Christmas)
Chez Nina — This is one of the apartment finds I hunted down specifically for this guide. It’s a modern one-bedroom apartment with a living area and kitchen, plus easy tram access into the center. It’s not in the historic core, but that is part of why the price is more reasonable. For a couple or small family staying through Christmas Day, I like the tradeoff: more space, somewhere to lounge, and somewhere to assemble your Christmas snack feast without paying Grande Île prices.
La Maison Bleue — Another apartment-style option I found while digging through Booking.com. This one appealed to me because it gives you more of that “temporary Christmas home” feeling instead of just a place to sleep. If you’re staying through December 25, that matters more than you think.
Mid-Range
Citadines Kléber Strasbourg — Probably one of the most practical all-around choices for this particular trip. It’s right near Place Kléber, has apartment-style rooms with kitchens, and is only about a ten-minute walk from the train station. That means you get the convenience of staying central without giving up the ability to have breakfast, snacks, or an entire low-effort Christmas dinner in your room. Booking currently rates the location 9.5/10.
Aparthotel Adagio Strasbourg Place Kléber — Another very solid choice if you want the apartment setup without sacrificing location. It sits in the heart of the historic district, has well-equipped kitchens, and is about 100 meters from the Homme de Fer tram stop. The location also scores 9.5/10 on Booking.
Luxury Splurge
Hôtel LÉONOR – The Place to Live — If I were splurging on a traditional hotel in Strasbourg, this is probably the one I’d pick. It’s gorgeous, very central, and only a short walk from the Christmas market. Booking currently gives it a 9.3 guest rating, and this is the one that most appeals to me aesthetically if you want Christmas in Strasbourg to feel a little bit glamorous.
And if you’re staying through Christmas Day, I would still ask myself one question before booking even the prettiest hotel in town:
Am I going to be happy spending a good chunk of December 25 in this room?
Because that is really the whole game here. If the answer is yes, book it.
If the answer is, “Well…the lobby looks nice,” keep looking.
Looking for where to stay in Stuttgart, Germany or Colmar, France? I’ve got you!
