REIMS or STRASBOURG???

Lisa,

I was in Strasbourg not too long ago for a day trip (I was staying in Colmar). It's a LARGE city with lots to do and the Gothic Cathedral is magnificent. The boat tour was interesting (until that day, I didn't realize there's another E.U. Parliament in Strasbourg). Although I enjoyed the day, I found the city was packed with tourists and very "busy". I was glad that I had followed Rick's advice and stayed in Colmar.

I used the train to get to Strasbourg (the station is VERY distinctive), but I'm not sure what the parking options are.

Depending on how long you're going to be in Colmar, you could (for example) stop in Reims on the way from Paris, and then take a day trip to Strasbourg. That way you'd be able to see both.

Happy travels!

I did not enjoy Strasbourg except for the train station. It is a little gritty and a big city with big city problems. I just do not agree with RS on his recommendation for this city even for the day. the villages around thou are terrific and charming, if you have a car def inclu them. very picturesque towns.

We were in Strasbourg and Colmar both for two night stays in May. We liked Strasbourg a lot. Unlike Colmar and all of the smaller Alsace towns that we stopped in, it does not feel overwhelmed by tourists (at least in May). There is not a huge amount to do there -- the cathedral and boat ride are the two activities that you would want to pursue. The museums are not must-see (unlike the Unterlinden in Colmar which is awesome.) There is a lot of sprawl in Strasbourg but the part that is of interest to tourists is small. They have park and rides outside of the center and you can take a tram into town. For us a two night stay made sense because we flew into Strasbourg and the first day we were not in shape to do much, having come from the west coast.

On the other hand, I really wanted to go to Reims too -- unfortunately we did not make it on this trip. Reims is probably a lot easier to drive into, at least according to Rick the driving in that city is not bad.

If you would enjoy visiting the Champagne cellars I'd go with Reims. We spent two nice days there. We also liked Strasbourg but Colmar is perfect for your Alsatian visit. In Colmar we had great food and fun at the cafe across the street from our hotel, Hotel St Martin. Rick recommends it but I can't remember the name but it was something like Swindie. Absolutely love Alsace!

We went to Reims and loved the cathedral. But there is a lot of construction going on so walking around isn't much fun.