I do have one more question concerning Colmar and daytrip transportation.
My wife and I are staying in Colmar for 6 nights and are planning daytrips to
Eguishem, Kaysersberg, Riquewihn, Ribeauville and Selestat. Are we better off
traveling to those towns by car, train or bus. We do not know which types of
transportation are available in order to visit those towns. It would be nice if we
didn't have to rent a car. Thank you!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
A geography lesson: Alsace is a long valley, north to south, with the Vosges mountains to the west, separating it from the rest of France, and the river Rhine to the east separating it from Germany. Click here for map.
There is one main rail line, north to south along the valley bottom: German border - Strasbourg - Sélestat - Colmar - Mulhouse - Basel, with connections east to Paris at Strasbourg and Mulhouse.
The vineyards, and the pretty wine villages are along the foothills of the Vosges "at the left side" of the valley.
You can get from Colmar to Sélestat and Strasbourg by train, but to visit the wine villages (all the other places you list), you really need a car.
Map of wine villages here: http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/medias/pdf/brochures/alsace-vineyard-cycleroute-2013.pdf
Posted by
3440 posts
If you don't want to rent a car, Ophorus Tours offers small group and private day tours from Colmar and we were very happy with them in 2014. Their website is being upgraded right now, but it should be up and running shortly. The current reviews on TripAdvisor are consistent with our experience.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
We stayed in Riquewihr for a week w/o a car, and used the buses occasionally. From what I remember there was decent service. One day we walked from Riquewihr to several other towns, and then at the end of the day took a bus back from Riquewihr. I believe there is bus service from Colmar to Riquewihr, for example, since I think that's how we got to Riquewihr in the first place.