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Smaller towns in Alsace or Colmar? I need some help

Posted by (Mesa, AZ, USA) on

This is typical me....I make a quick decision and everything goes well, or I can agonize over another decision and get lost in the details. I have 3d maps, up, every website I can conjure up on my browser, and I'm hunched over my laptop like some madman...my wife is like: "JUST MAKE A DECISION!"

I am having a hard time deciding between staying in Colmar or some of the smaller towns on the route between Colmar and Strasbourg. Compensating factors:
1. We have my wife and I, our 17 year old, her 16 year old friend, our 7 and 4 year old. In addition, we are being joined by our 17 year old foreign exchange student Sophie, from Bavaria. So we will have 7 total.
2. We will be in Alsace for 4 nights.
3. Because of the group size and economics, we don't stay in hotels, we only stay in vacation rentals, so as to cook breakfast and have a more relaxed atmosphere.
4. I will be driving a large passenger van that fits 9. I've driven one before, even deep into the walled city of toledo, Spain.(I think I am still a little freaked out about that)
5. The 3 teenagers are very fond of cities, and since we are going to be in the countryside and small towns all of their visit(the girls leave earlier than my wife and 2 smaller children because of school), I thought it might be nice to stay in a larger town or small city(Colmar) for them.
6. The vacation rentals we would want to stay in are in the center of Colmar, Kayserberg and St Hippolyte. They sleep up to 9 people and are all about $225 nightly.

I am not sure what to do, does it even matter?

Posted by
21154 posts

Well, they don't come any prettier than Kaysersberg. If you don't want to haul out the big van, there is frequent bus service to/from Colmar.
A nice day trip would be to Chateau Haut Koenigsbourg, a restored medieval castle about 10 or 15 miles north. You'll see it up on the mountain outside Selestat. Besides the castle there is a primate zoo and an eagle sanctuary on the road up to the castle. They do falconry shows there daily.

Posted by
784 posts

Staying in Colmar would be more interesting for the teens with more to do in the evenings. You would also be well situated to visit the neighboring towns and villages. The biggest challenge would be parking if your vacation rental doesn't have a spot.

Posted by
2916 posts

Now there's a dilemma I wouldn't mind having. It would be tough to go wrong unless you run into a parking issue. We stayed a week in Riquewihr, but it was w/o a car. There is essentially no car traffic allowed inside the walls, but there was parking just outside the walls. It was a beautiful place to stay. We also spent a week in Dambach la Ville, with a car. Also worthwhile. And the suggestion of Kaysersberg is also good. But I think the poster's suggestion of Colmar is a good one, because there will be more for the children to do.

Posted by
101 posts

Given the makeup of your group, I'd stay in Colmar. We've stayed there twice and in Eguisheim twice. We like the village atmosphere, but we're in our 60s. Teens will enjoy the livelier atmosphere of the larger town. There are plenty of vacation rentals there, but you might also consider a budget accommodation like the winery/chambre d'hotes like Maison Martin Jund. I don't know how you break down your room assignments each night, but you could easily rent four rooms there for a about the same as your vacation rental price. Some of the rooms have kitchens. They're right in the center of Colmar and used to have access to a parking garage across the street. Regardless of what you pick, you can't really go wrong in the Alsace. It's a great place for an extended stay.

Bruce

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