Strasbourg or Colmar- that is the question?

Hey - If I were you I would delete your personal email from your post. People on this forum can reach you by sending a personal message. In the words of my mother, who died before the internet took off, "The nuts are out".

We loved Strasbourg, spent four nights. We found it charming. Then we moved to one of the wine villages, Riquewehr, for several days. We went to Colmar for a day and did not like it at all. It seemed to lack the charm. The beacon we visited it was because of Rick Steve’s’ recommendation.
If I were spending a month it would be Strasbourg. I happen to love being in cities.
Or if I found the right property in one of the wine villages I would consider it, like Kaysersburg.

I agree with the others. I loved Colmar and it's great for a stay of up to a week, but any more than that and I would want to be in a larger city with more options and better transportation connections.

We’ve stayed multiple nights in both cities. For your purposes, I would choose Strasbourg. It a bigger city, so the ere are more options of things to do, more restaurants, and it’s a transportation hub for the area. We easily traveled to Obernai, Gengenvach, Colmar, Ribeauville and Kaysersberg from Strasbourg. With 3-4 weeks, you’ll be able to visit many places easily.

Thank you all for your input. Great advice. Much appreciated.

I always stay in apts and usually do not move around much. Just spent a month in Paris in one apt. Will go to Provence in March, a week in Aix, week in Arles and 2 in Avignon to take public transpo out from each city. No one says you have to stay one month in one place. 3 in Strasboug, 1 in Colmar and travel out from each???

What Colmar has going for it (aside from its beauty and the very good Unterlinden Museum) is that it's a lot closer to the little wine villages many people like to visit. Transportation to those little burgs isn't great, but what there is, is more likely to originate in Colmar than in Strasbourg.

Certainly Colmar is small for a 3- or 4-week stay--but so is Strasbourg. I'd absolutely split my time if I were in your shoes.

Unless you want to completely relax without doing too much extra, neither location is large enough to spend 20 or so days in. We once spent 3 weeks in Riquewihr. We had a car, made many day trips, hiked alot from our base and other locations.

I like both, but love Strasbourg. It's a metropolitan city, though, with many more things to do. Colmar, to me, felt a little like Disney World. But it is beautiful. It depends on the sight seeing that you want to do.

Strasbourg has many more day trip options than Colmar.
The northern Alsace wine region around Obernai and Barr is very easy to explore by train and bike or even on foot between stations. Colmar is, of course, an option, as well as anywhere further south up to Basel.

Towards Germany, Baden-Baden is easily reached. Freiburg im Breisgau is also OK for a day trip from Strasbourg. Perhaps even Heidelberg but don't take my word for it.

To the west, both Metz and Nancy are feasible. You could even try Reims if you are willing to take the TGV to Champagne-Ardenne TGV, but that is perhaps a bit of a stretch.

Don, It's probably best if you start your own new thread.

We preferred Colmar to Strasbourg, but I can’t imagine spending more than a few days in either. There is no bad choice.

Strasbourg would be better as you'll have more choices. But I don't know that I'd want to spend 4 weeks there. Why not split the time and spend 2 weeks not too far away; like Nancy? That would give you enough time to get the feel for both places and offer a huge amount of daily options.