Colmar or Strasbourg?

I stayed in Colmar for 2 nights this past July and really enjoyed the 'feel' of the town. I was able to see the Unterlinden museum, stroll the streets of the old town area and visit the Little Venice area with its canals and lots of restauants and shops. I also took the train (< an hour) to Strasbourg for a few hours to see the Cathedral and also to stroll the main square and see their canals. So, I guess it doesn't really matter where you stay you can see a bit of both if you're interested, it was very easy to do. In Colmar I stayed at the Chez Leslie B&B that is recommended in the RS book. It was in a more quiet residential area but only a couple of blocks from the train station (I arrived by train and did not have a car) so quite convenient. They were very pleasant and helpful, room was quite nice and reasonably priced for high season.

Thanks! Whichever one we choose, we would stay there and not visit the other one. Maybe one night is enough?m we will be traveling by train so not visiting the surrounding area, unless we rent bicycles, but I haven't looked into bike paths yet. I am leaning toward Strasbourg as that makes our travel day to Munich shorter and easier. So I guess my real question is, are there compelling reasons for choosing Colmar over Strasbourg, that would trump the convemience?

You will love Colmar - smaller than Strasbourg it is easier to navigate and far more charming I think. We stayed at the Best Western Grand Hotel Bristol - it is right across the street from he train station and very lovely.

Agree tha Colmar is nicer place to visit than Strasbourg. Sorry no recommendations on places to stay.

Two nights in Colmar in July-we loved the town; and think you'd want/need two as well. We stayed at Chez Leslie, enjoyed it, but it is west of the train station, in a quiet residential area,(20 min walk to the center of things. Send p.m. if you'd like food recs.

Maybe I've just a big Rick Steves fan, but one of the many things he gets right is preferring the smaller cities to the big ones. Arles not Avignon, Beaune not Dijon, and Colmar not Strasbourg. It's a point of view and the other is certainly arguable (after all, Paris, Lyon), but I think he's right about this.

Lola, we also stayed 2 nights in Colmar in 2002 and loved it. The Hotel St Martin is in your price range and definitely has character. Dinner and breakfast there were delicious too!

Visited both Colmar and Strasbourg in Dec. and I liked both of them equally well, but for different reasons. Both have fabulous architecture, a canal area, and a beautiful cathedral. Colmar isn't small enough to really be called a small town in my opinion, but it is pretty easy to walk around in. The canals are pretty in the evening and I liked their indoor produce hall. If you like fachwerk buildings, Colmar has tons of them. Strasbourg has lots of fachwerk buildings too, but also more of the magnificent, turn of the century type stone buildings. The cathedral there is very, very lovely and I spent a couple of hours there. Both cities deserve a visit so why not spend 2 nights in Colmar, but leave early the next morning so you can spend a few hours in Strasbourg?

Lola, I've been to both and my suggestion would absolutely be to stay in Colmar. It's a beautiful smaller town, and the scenic canals provide a wonderful ambience especially in the evenings. Some of the restaurants have patios beside the canals for those that want to enjoy a riparian dining experience. I really enjoyed visiting the Unterlinden, and can see why it's often called one of the best small Museums in Europe. Colmar is very walkable and there are some nice restaurants. I enjoyed a fine hot meal at Le Maison Rouge one night. It was a bit of a splurge, but I certainly enjoyed it. Strasbourg is also nice, but much larger and more crowded. The Cathedral is magnificent! If you had more time, staying in Colmar and taking a day trip to Strasbourg would be ideal. I'm sure Strasbourg also has it's "charms" but frankly I was glad to get out of there and back to Colmar. I stayed at Hotel Rapp in Colmar, and would definitely recommend it. The room was clean and comfortable, the staff were great, it's in a convenient location and they provided a good breakfast. The restaurant in the hotel is a bit "upscale", but the food was wonderful! There's also an indoor pool on the lower floor (not large enough for laps, but one could certainly have a refreshing swim after a hot day of touring). Happy travels!

We visited our daughter who studied in Strasbourg so perhaps we are prejudiced, but we really enjoyed the larger city! If you are leaning toward a 2 night stay, then try Stras-the canal ride, the EU parliament buildings, The cathedral and Little France were all wonderful. Google Petite France for images and you will be charmed! We really enjoyed Colmar as well, but it is definitely a much smaller town-very picturesque but I'm not sure I'd stay there more than 1 night. We visited for a few hours in the afternoon and it was very quaint. I also liked the University town feeling of Stras-lots of young people, lots of Europeans there for various reasons. You'll get a good feeling for the Alsace region no matter which place you stayed. We would love to return.

Thanks again, everyone. Hotels Bristol and St. Martin were my picks in Colmar, so I am glad to see that confirmed. I will take a look at the others too (Hotel Rapp and Chez Leslie). But I won't be in a big hurry as we decided they both sound well worth a visit and we shouldn't choose between them but visit both. So we will put Alsace at the top of our list for our next trip, and give the area the time it deserves. We would like to include some cycling around there too, and I found a bike trip that starts at one and ends at the other, visiting some smaller towns on the way.

I've stayed in Strasbourg a few times and really enjoyed it (although Colmar is great too). I'd heartily recommend Hotel Guttenberg: http://www.hotel-gutenberg.com/uk/hotel-charme-strasbourg-site-officiel.php

Can I throw a spanner in the works? I agree with the comments above, especially Jo's and Ken's, we love both places but for different reasons... I'd suggest two things - one, given your inclination to walk you might get to a smaller village like Riquewihr (oh, Nigel spell it right) and walk to another nearby. The villages are fairytale-like. But you may not have enough time. The other is a strong suggestion not to shortchange Basel. We absolutely adore the place. Assuming you fly into Basel you will likely take the number 50 trolleybus into the centre and the Hbf. You might have a ride around on a tram or two - it is a lovely city. We like walking along the river and watching the swimmers. I'm sure you 'll have a wonderful time in the Alsace and vicinity. We do.

Thanks for you comments, Nigel and James. We do want more time for Basel as well,mwhichnis whynI have decided to put Alsace and Basel on our next trip rather than squeezing them into 3 days on this trip. We want to see the university and the crazy kinetic sculpture museum at Basel, along with some art and architecture. And if there are swimmers in the river, you can be sure my husband will be among them. He swims in the Limmat when we fly into Zurich, and he would love a chance to swim in the Rhine. I will take a look at Riquewihr and some of the smaller Alsatian villages, but I am thinking they are not served by train. If we do the bike trip that would get us there, if I remember the itinerary right. As for Strasbourg, the cathedral is the main attraction, but I would also like to get my French-speaking husband someplace where he can take charge, instead of having to rely on me with my German. But maybe a week in Suisse Romand, somewhere on Lac Leman would serve as well. So I am already thinking of the next trip, and the 2013 one is still way off in September!

Hi, Both Strasbourg and Colmar are interesting places to be in, have stayed in both. The area around the Strasbourg train station has numerous small hotels, chains too, and large ones of different price ranges, esp on rue de Marie Kuss. Thoughts on which one to choose, I choose Strasbourg. As for a small Alsacian town day trip r/t not inundated with tourists accessible by train and close to Strasbourg, I suggest Obernai...very quaint.

The real secret here is that Colmar and Strasbourg are quite similar. While Strasbourg is a big city, the old city doesn't feel particularly more modern or "big" than Colmar. And Colmar isn't a quaint village, it's a small city (or very large town) that, like Strasbourg, has a historic center. Given that, Strasbourg is far more convenient by train and there is more to see/do there. I would say like others suggested that if you really dig small villages, stay elsewhere. Riquewher is the Rothenberg of the Route du Vin, though - which I guess is good for some, bad for others (like me). I wouldn't dream of staying there in the summer. It is THE villiage everyone goes to, while many other equally charming places apparently stay nearly empty (of course in November almost everything was completely empty, including Colmar) I think Strasbourg is great, but I'm a gothic cathederal fanatic and really appreciated the dom and the museum for it beyond what a casual tourist probably would.