Visit Colmar

An old town of tight half-timbered houses, the canals of Little Venice and two first-rate museums, all in a centre you can cross on foot in twenty minutes. Plan a day for Colmar itself, two more for the wine road and Strasbourg.

Why visit Colmar?

Colmar keeps a medieval and Renaissance centre almost intact, spared by both world wars, Grunewald's Isenheim altarpiece at the Unterlinden museum, and the most central position on the 170 kilometres of the Alsace wine road. It is also one of the driest and sunniest towns in France. High season is December for the Christmas markets, and July-August.

Colmar's must-sees

Nine places that sum up the town, from the flower-lined canal to the most famous altarpiece in southern Germany.

Little Venice

The arm of the Lauch lined with half-timbered houses, walked along or descended by flat-bottomed boat from the Saint-Pierre bridge.

Unterlinden museum

A former Dominican convent extended by Herzog and de Meuron, home to Grunewald's Isenheim altarpiece.

Pfister house

A 1537 merchant's house with a wooden gallery and painted oriel, one of the most photographed in the old town.

Covered market

A 19th-century hall beside the Lauch, Alsatian producers, cheeses and snacks to eat on the go.

Bartholdi museum

The birthplace of the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, with models, plans and an interior garden.

House of Heads

A 1609 Renaissance facade covered with around a hundred carved heads and masks, now a hotel and restaurant.

Saint-Martin collegiate church

A large 13th-century Gothic church at the centre of the old town, nicknamed the cathedral of Colmar.

Christmas market

Five separate markets in the old town from late November to 29 December, among the most popular in eastern France.

Tanners' quarter

A row of tall open-frame timber houses restored in the 1970s, once used for drying hides.

What to see in Colmar?

The old town and Little Venice

The historic centre fits within a ten-minute walk, between the Saint-Martin collegiate church, the Pfister house with its painted 1537 oriel and the House of Heads covered with around a hundred carved masks. Little Venice, where the Lauch crosses the former market gardeners' quarter, is walked along or descended by flat-bottomed boat from the Saint-Pierre bridge. The Tanners' quarter lines up its tall open-frame timber houses, built to dry hides.

The museums: Unterlinden and Bartholdi

The Unterlinden museum, in a former Dominican convent extended in 2015 by Herzog and de Meuron, holds the Isenheim altarpiece, a masterpiece of early 16th-century German painting whose wings once opened according to the liturgical calendar. A few streets away, the Bartholdi museum occupies the birthplace of the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty and the Lion of Belfort, with models and studies. Allow a good hour for each.

The Christmas market

From late November to about 29 December, five separate markets set up in the old town, each with its own feel, from the most craft-focused on Place des Dominicains to the most food-focused on Place de l'Ancienne Douane. Colmar then becomes one of the most sought-after destinations in eastern France: accommodation doubles or triples, dense weekend crowds. Coming on a weekday, early in the morning or after 8pm, changes everything.

The wine road from Colmar

Colmar is the hub of the 170-kilometre wine road. The closest villages, Eguisheim and Turckheim, are under 15 minutes away by bus. Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Ribeauville, a little further north, need a car or a seasonal shuttle; the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, restored by Wilhelm II, overlooks the plain at 750 metres. Cellars along the route can be visited freely, often with a complimentary tasting.

Strasbourg and the rest of Alsace

From Colmar, Strasbourg is 35 minutes by TER: the cathedral, Petite France and the European institutions can be seen in a day. Mulhouse, to the south, lines up first-rate technical museums, on cars and on trains. The Alsace open-air museum and the Ballons des Vosges park round it out. For a French town with a comparable wine identity, Bordeaux plays the same part on the Atlantic side, at the heart of a world-famous vineyard of France.

Colmar in pictures

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Frequently asked questions about Colmar

Can Colmar be visited in a day?
The old town and Little Venice can be walked in half a day, and you can add the Unterlinden museum in the afternoon. But Colmar makes most sense as a base: a night on the spot lets you see the town without the coaches and start the wine road the next day.
Can you do the Alsace wine road without a car from Colmar?
Partly: Eguisheim and Turckheim are served by bus in under 15 minutes, and a seasonal shuttle links the northern villages in summer. For Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Haut-Koenigsbourg off-season, you need a car, a bike or an organised excursion from Colmar.
When does Colmar's Christmas market open?
The five markets open on the last weekend of November and close around 29 December. They run every day, busiest on weekends and afternoons; on weekdays and in the morning, the atmosphere stays pleasant.
Colmar or Strasbourg to discover Alsace?
Strasbourg is a capital, with its cathedral, its museums and the European institutions, but more spread out. Colmar is smaller, more compact and better placed for the wine road. The two are 35 minutes apart by train, so you can stay in one and visit the other.
Is it better to stay in Colmar or in a wine village?
Colmar offers the choice in dining, the museums and the train links; a village like Eguisheim or Riquewihr offers quiet in the evening, once the coaches have left, and immediate access to the vines. For a first trip, Colmar is the most practical.
Is the Isenheim altarpiece on view all year?
Yes, it is permanently displayed at the Unterlinden museum, closed on Tuesday. After a long restoration completed in 2022, its panels are shown unfolded in the convent's former chapel, with lighting that brings out the detail.
How do you get from Paris to Colmar?
The direct TGV from Paris-Est takes 2 hrs 20, with several departures a day. By air, the Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport is 45 minutes away by road, but connections from Paris are rarely worth it against the train.

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