Day trip from Colmar

There is a bus from Colmar to Briesach where you can catch a train to Freiburg. On the the way, there is a prfect little octagonal Vauban fortress town of Neuf-Brisach. Its a UNESCO World Heritage Sight. Take the train from Breisach to Freiburg, and then return via train to Colmar via Basel. Interlaken Ost is 3 hours away with one change in Basel.

Don't bother taking a daytrip to Gimmelwald in December, especially from Alsace. First of all, it's a pretty long trip, probably greater than 3 hours each way. Second, it will likely be snowed in, and because the village doesn't cater to skiers, that means there won't be much of anything to see or do. Third, the weather in December is often overcast and gray. Would it be worth risking a 6+ hour round trip to see nothing but cloud cover? Fourth... maybe its just me, but I don't understand why Mr. Steves hypes this rather ordinary Alpine village (albeit, a village in an extraordinary location) so heavily.

Hi Where would you suggest for seeing snow/alps from Colmar in a day trip in December ? Thanks
Leanne

I wouldn't recommend the Alps as a daytrip from Colmar, especially in December. The Alps around Luzern would probably be the quickest trip, but even this is long distance away, and if you only budget one day, you risk not seeing anything if the weather doesn't cooperate... which is more likely than not in December. But if you want to see snow-capped peaks elsewhere, Colmar is within view of the Vosges mountains, and the high mountains of the southern Black Forest are close to Freiburg. Neither range is as high as the Alps, although they are still rather impressive. Both should have a a nice dusting of snow during your visit although, the same weather patterns that affect the Alps could block your view. What else do you have planned on this trip? Perhaps there's another point in your itinerary where a view of the Alps would be more feasible?

Itinerary - Amsterdam, Bruges, Paris (base), Alsace- back to Paris, fly to Venice - Trieste, Slovenia (5 nights), fly back to Paris (5) nights - home Australia (cheap accomm Paris). Have been to Paris before - but Montmartre our base thanks
Leanne

Perhaps someone who has traveled to Slovenia can comment more thoroughly, but with 5 nights in Trieste, it might be easier to see the Julian or Kamnik-Savinja Alpine ranges from there. That would certainly give you more flexibility than risking bad weather on a long daytrip from Colmar.

Instead of back tracking to Paris to fly to Venice, you can go by train from Colmar/Basel and travel through the Alps on the way. Use Innsbruck as a stop over and you'll be routed though Zurich, to Innsbruck through the Arlberg tunnel and then over the Brenner Pass to South Tyrol and on to Venice. Its an option. Again, seeing the Alps will be weather dependant.

leanne, To begin with, I definitely agree with the others that taking a day trip to Gimmelwald in December is not really feasible. As Tom mentioned, the trip is about three hours each way, with two or three changes. The activities in the area at that time of year will be focused on skiing (depending on how much snow they have). It will likely be cold and the days will be short. I was there in late September, and the nights were definitely "chilly". In addition to Freiburg and Basel, have you also considered a day trip to Strasbourg? It's a beautiful city, and the Cathedral de Notre-Dame is very impressive. I'm not sure if they'll be operating the boat tours in the canals at that time of year, but they provide an interesting view of the city, including the "other" headquarters of the European Union. As you'll be staying in Eguisheim, be sure to spend some time in Colmar. The Unterlinden Museum is a wonderful smaller Museum with some great exhibits. There are also some excellent restaurants there. Happy travels!