Three Days in Colmar

bill, I found Colmar to be a beautiful smaller city, and one that I really enjoyed staying in for a few days. It's a very walkable town and there are some nice restaurants. I quite enjoyed visiting the Unterlinden Museum,; it's something that can be easily toured in a few hours. While staying in Colmar, I took a day trip to Strasbourg via train. While it's also a beautiful city and the Cathedral is magnificent, I was really pleased that I had chosen to stay in Colmar. Happy travels!

We visited that area last year about this time. It's a pretty area and you can spend whatever time you want there, especially if you do some wine tasting! We especially liked the villages of Turckheim, Kaysersburg, and Riquewihr. Just enjoy driving around, stopping in the little villages, sitting outside at the cafes, and watching the people.

I wouldn't spend an entire day in Strasbourg; you can easily do it in part of a day on your way to or from Colmar (although the cathedral is quite impressive and warrants at least an hour or two). The museum in Colmar is stunning, and it's a great town for wandering.

Take some time to explore the nearby Vosges mountains. Although they're not as high as the Alps, they're still pretty impressive. Personally, I think a full day is more than enough for Colmar.

Hi Bill My parents and I did this in late May and loved it. We spent two nights in Strasbourg and two nights in Kientzheim, a small village outside Colmar up in the foothills. We looooved staying in Kientzheim and visiting nearby Kaysersberg; we also visited Obernai and Mont Ste-Odile, where there's an old monastery. We also of course visited Riquewihr but honestly didn't love it as much as "our" village and Kaysersberg (although most people say Riquewihr is the single most beautiful village in the region. Maybe we were just a bit tired when we saw it? It was nice, but didn't charm us as much as our villages.) Check out the Hotellerie Schwendi in Kientzheim. It's family-owned with a (bit expensive but quite good) restaurant attached; the family also makes wines and have a terrasse out in the town square around the old well. My dad and I loved our early-morning walks around the town either around the walls, inside, or heading into the vineyards just across the street. TripAdvisor has lots of reviews.

Less than a day for Strasbourg? It's the capital of Alsace! I will never understand what turns some people off from Strasbourg, as it's one of my favorite cities to visit. Do people just do the Cathedral, run through "Le Petit France" and call it a day? It has one of the most evocative and beautiful and large medieval city centers I've been to, with the great restaurants and interesting shops and cool museums...I just don't get it. Anyway glad the OP is spending a full day there. I have been 5 or 6 times now including one overnight trip and always want to go back. It's just such an interesting, beautiful city.

@Sarah, I spent a long and full day in Strasbourg and tried to see as many of the sights as possible, including spending some time in the magnificent Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg. I agree that it's a beautiful city with lots to offer, but I found it to be VERY crowded! It was just TOO busy for me, and I was glad to get back to the more relaxed and enjoyable ambience of Colmar. I may get back to Strasbourg for another look, but not sure when? Cheers!

We stayed in Colmar which was a great place to base. One day we did the route du vin starting in Eguisheim (which was our favorite), went to Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Ribeauville---they are all worth seeing. You will love it! Have fun!

If you like military history, I would recommend visiting the WWI battlefield of Hartmannswillerkopf for a few hours. Besides the cemetery, you can hike up to the top of one of the Vosges Mountains where the battle took place. It is covered in trenches that you can explore, just be careful of the barbed wire. It gives you a good sense of trench warfare (more so than Verdun, I thought). The views from the top are also very nice. It is quite the dichotomy--grizzly war and lovely scenery.

Ken - understand some people don't like crowds and big cities. In the summer months, Strasbourg is always mobbed. (It was very relaxing in Feburary, however, although not nearly as picturesque!) I was more responding to the types of comments, like one above and others I've seen about Strasbourg about it not having enough to do/see for more than a few hours. That's what baffles me! It's a much larger city than Colmar with a lot of history, art and history museums, gardens, the EU parliament, boat rides - that I just can't figure the "it's only worth half a day" advice. But certainly it's not a particularly relaxing city during high season!