My husband and I are traveling to France 3 weeks in September and staying a few days in Colmar. We really want to see the towns along the Route du Vin such as Eguisheim, Keysersberg and a few others through a tour. I would like to get some recommendations on what tour companies others have used. There is one that RS recommends that has now closed. We only have a few days and wonder if the castle is worth spending some time to see as well? It's hard to choose when you can't see it all. Thank you Kris
Posted by
Placitas, NM, USA
178 posts
HI Kris,
My husband and I spent 3 weeks in France last May/June. We loved everything about France. The people were wonderful, so kind and helpful and the country side beautiful. I'd go back in a heartbeat.
Will you have a car? We spent 3 nights in a Village along the Route du Vin in Riquewihr taking day trips out of there to Colmar. If you have a car I highly recommend staying in one of the villages along the route. FYI: We picked up our car in Bayeux (Normandy) and dropped it off in Strasbourg taking the train back to Paris so my husband wouldn't have to drive in Paris, it worked out great.
We really liked Riquewihr but I could have been very happy staying in Eguisheim or Keyserberg both charming villages, gosh, they were all darling. I liked being able to go back to our B&B in the evening and being able to walk to a cafe at night for dinner. Riquewihr can be a bit "touristy" during the daytime but we had the morning and evenings there before the tour busses showed up.
My father served with Patton during WWII and he came through Colmar so I wanted to see the area. There is a lot of WWII history in the area if you're interested in that. Colmar is not a village but a large city, very pretty. We spent a day there, went to a market, had lunch and saw the sights a half day would have been enough for me, but we went with a German couple that we met at our B&B and they drove so we spent more time than we would have other wise.
Have a wonderful trip!
Sue
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
784 posts
The smaller towns are really quite easy to visit by car from Colmar. Some are very small, so you won't want to spend too much time; others might be very crowded, so you also may not want to spend too much time, as well. My Mom and I did this trip in 2000 and I drove. We loved the area. There was a parking lot not too far from our hotel (St. Martin, if I recall correctly) and it was easy to get in and out of town. There is also a lot to see in Colmar itself, but it is very walkable. Have a wonderful trip.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Bus service is an option, if it comes to that. Are you saying that Regioscope has closed? I can't tell from their web site.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you everyone for the good feedback. We are going to take a tour through Les Circuits d'Alsace I checked they are how operating again. They have a good day trip going to all the villages and castle along with wine tasting. I have just a out everything scheduled along with all the hotels. Thanks again-Kris
Posted by
Maurice, Louisiana, US
46 posts
This is a question for Sue: Did you go directly from the airport to Bayeux? If so, how did you get there? I like the idea of picking up a rental car there instead of Paris, but I'm not sure how to get from the airport to Bayeux.