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Tentative Alsace plans

I am tentatively planning a solo trip to France in May. I usually plan my European trips for 14-15 days, but this would likely be for about 9-10 nights. I am thinking 5 nights in Paris (second visit) and 4-5 nights in Alsace (first visit). I do not plan to rent a car, would likely stay in Colmar, and would use public transportation and the Kutzig bus (thoughts on this?).

Assuming I have four full days (I could adjust if I have less time), what’s everyone’s thoughts on this itinerary. In no particular order:
1 day exploring Colmar
1 day trip to Strasbourg
2 days exploring smaller towns, wine tastings, etc. using Kutzig bus. If necessary, I could change this to one day and be more selective about which towns to visit.

FYI, I am a woman in my mid-60s. Walking in towns/cities is fine, walking between towns unlikely, not interested in biking. (I can’t remember the last time I was on a bike, and I do not want to assume how quickly I can re-achieve my biking skills while in the French countryside!)

Posted by
17528 posts

It looks pretty good to me. I'm also a solo female traveler.

In case you don't have a hotel yet, when I was in Colmar a few years ago I stayed at Hotel Saint-Martin which is right in the old city area and just charming. It's in the pedestrian area so if you take a taxi from the station they have to drop you a short distance away. I was there in an April and they had a "Spring/Easter Market" in the areas where they usually have Christmas market stalls. My opinion is they used the little chalets from the Christmas Market and just decorated them with eggs, chicks and bunnies, lol. It was so cute and I am NOT a shopper.

There was also a good DIY walking tour from the Colmar Tourist Information office and at that time each stop had a QR code where you could access more information about the site. I stopped by and picked up a paper map but here is an online link.

https://reservation.tourisme-colmar.com/medias/documents/documentation/documentation-PLANCOLMAR-UK.pdf

I had 3 nights there and just stayed in Colmar I liked it so much so no advice about seeing the area.

Time for a funny story? I sat down for lunch at one of the terrace cafes near the Unterlinden Museum. The waiter came up with a menu and started talking rapidly. I said, uh....Je ne parle pas Francais. He laughed and said...well, that was my German but I can do French if you wish or would you like English. Haha.....He was very sweet after that! In his initial firehose of language I had caught what I thought was "trinken" (drink) but it did not compute that it was German as a first tourist language. Or since it was just after Covid maybe most of their tourists were from just across the line. Anyway, gives me a funny interaction to remember in this delightful town!

Posted by
2673 posts

I spent a week solo in Colmar October 2022.

I did a wonderful one day small group tour with L'Alsaciette that included 2 private wine tastings and lunch. While the website only allows booking for a minimum of 2 persons, I contacted them by email about a month prior and asked if I could be added to a tour as a solo, giving several dates and my preferred tour choice. About a week prior, they confirmed my tour. We were a group of 3 and had a lovely day.

I also used the Kutzig bus on 2 days. In 2022 reservations were not offered and the buses were crowded. While some riders seemed to be hitting most of the villages in a day, I chose 2 villages to explore and enjoyed a leisurely lunch each day.

I also took the local bus to nearby Turckheim one day. It's a lovely walled village about a 20 minute ride away.