Visiting Colmar - a picturesque dream in France

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Writer: Helena Bergström

Have you visited, or thought about visiting Colmar in France? Located along the Alsace wine route, this picturesque half-timbered town is a popular destination for tourists. No wonder! This is perhaps the most charming and fairytale-like town we've seen ever.

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Colmar in France

The French town of Colmar is considered the capital of Alsace wine. What's more, the town centre offers an amazing half-timbered idyll that makes you feel like you're walking through a fairytale. Historically, the town has belonged to both Germany and France, and during the Thirty Years' War it was even held for two years by Swedish troops.

Colmar is located in the Grand-Est region, which includes the historic region of Alsace. The city is located near the border with Germany, 73 kilometres from the French city of Strasbourg and 60 kilometres from the German city of Freiburg im Bresgau.

Visiting Colmar

So, what is it like to visit Colmar? Well, it's a great destination for anyone who loves super picturesque towns with charming alleyways, canals and outdoor cafés.

Of course, you have to be prepared to be crowded with many other tourists. We were here in early May and found it quite crowded. I guess it can't compete with the number of tourists during high season anyway.

Charming alleys in Colmar

The first thing you notice when you enter the historic part of Colmar is all the charming alleys and beautiful half-timbered houses. At first, we photographed almost every facade we saw. Then we realised that the charming alleys go on and on and on...

The houses are a bit crooked and windy, painted in beautiful colours and filled with lots of personality.

If you look up at the facades, you can see everything from beautiful signs to creative decorations that spread lots of joy.

Boat trips, tourist trains and horse and carriage rides

The most famous photos from Colmar show images of charming houses located next to the canal, at The Fishermonger's District and Little Venice. It is nice to just stroll here, and watch the boats gliding by. If you want to, you can of course book yourself on a small boat trip.

It is also possible to get around the city by small tourist trains, in different colours, or by horse and carriage.

Restaurants and cafés

There are endlessly many restaurants and cafés in Colmar. At least that was our feeling. It's particularly popular to eat tarte flambée - a thin crispy pizza-like base topped with, for example, onions, bacon and crème fraiche.

For us, it was first a good ice cream in the sun, and a little later a cold beer on an outdoor terrace. Not bad at all!

Shopping in Colmar

Want to go shopping during your visit to Colmar? There are lots of cosy little shops selling souvenirs, toys, accessories, delicacies and other things that tourists might like to buy.

If you like food and delicacies, you can take a look at Covered Market. In this building, originally built in 1865, you will find, for example, meat, fish, cheeses, pastries, spices, vegetables and fruit.

Historic buildings

There are also a lot of sights, in the form of special historic buildings, to check out in Colmar. Here are a few examples:

• Former Guardhouse, a historic building dating from 1575.
• Pfister House, a burgher house from 1537.
• St Martin Collegiate Church, from the 13th to the 14th century.
• Tanner's District, a historic area that has been restored.
• The House of Heads, a Renaissance building from 1609.
• The Koïfhus, Gothic/Renaissance building from 1480.

Museums in Colmar

If you have time to see more when you visit Colmar, there are also a number of museums to check out. Here are some of the most interesting ones:

• Bartholdi Museum, the birthplace of the Statue of Liberty.
• Chocolate Museum & Alsace Wine Museum
• Hansi Museum tells us about the artist Jean-Jacques Waltz.
• Natural History & Ethnography Museum
• Toy Museum
• Unterlinden Museum is a history and art museum.

Easter decorations and ... annual Christmas market

When we came to visit Colmar, the town was decorated to the nines. It feels like this is a town that is usually decorated and decked out, but in addition, there were a lot of Easter-related decorations in place.

We immediately thought that this must be a perfect place for a Christmas market and we have now heard, via social media, that it is just that. Colmar is also a destination for those who want to experience a cosy Christmas market.

Wine in Alsace

We didn't delve into wine at all during our visit to Colmar, but perhaps it's worth mentioning. The Alsace wine region stretches from Strasbourg to Mulhouse, and Colmar is often described as the capital of Alsace wines. The area produces mainly white wines and is home to wine routes, vineyards and wine festivals.

Where to stay in Colmar or with a motorhome?

So, where can you stay in Colmar? There are both hotels and bed & breakfasts. There are also several campsites and caravan parks in the area.

We stayed overnight with our motorhome at a caravan park called Onlypark Colmar. There are plenty of places - but it can certainly still be full in high season - and you have walking distance into town. We paid about 200 SEK / day in early May and that included garbage collection and emptying of tanks. Electricity, water and washing machine are available at extra cost.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

In the area around Colmar, you can follow a wine route if you wish, and visit various vineyards. There are also other nice towns around. Places that we have been advised to visit, but didn't get round to this time, include Eguisheim, Riguewihr and Kayserberg in France and Freiburg in Germany. If you are travelling even further in Germany, we can recommend visits to the ancient German spa town of Baden-Baden.

Have you visited Colmar?

Have been to this city? How was your experience? What are your top tips for someone who wants to visit Colmar?

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