VISIT COLMAR AND ITS HISTORICAL HERITAGE
Colmar, the emblematic town of Alsace, has a rich cultural heritage: the pretty building front of the Maison des Têtes, the magnificent bourgeois mansion of Maison Pfister, Maison Zum Kragen…
As you stroll along the Quai de la Poissonnerie, in the heart of the Kruteneau market-garden district in the south of Colmar, you will understand why Colmar is called Little Venice. From the stone bridge (Steinbruck), you will have beautiful views of the river Lauch. And your walk will talk you past delightful half-timbered houses, with their brightly coloured roofs, so typical of Alsace.
You will also enjoy a cultural visit to the Unterlinden museum, the Bartholdi museum, and of course the toy museum and natural history museum…
With its many gardens, parks, and flower beds, Colmar is full of beautiful areas, and you are bound to fall in love with this town adorned with flowers.
ALSATIAN GASTRONOMY
Regional specialties
Colmar is the wine capital of Alsace and is full of gastronomic delights for you to enjoy. You really mustn’t end your stay without sampling the region’s specialities.
Fancy indulging yourself? Then why not treat yourself to a tarte flambée, a vol-au-vent, Alsace sauerkraut, smoked pork shoulder or some famous spaetzle…
Alsace wines
Alsace wines are internationally renowned for their freshness, softness, flavours and spices, and Alsace has a wide range of wines to offer: Pinot blanc, noir or gris, Sylvaner, Riesling, Muscat, Gewurztraminer and of course the Crémants d’Alsace!
You can have fun trying different regional combinations: Foie Gras with Pinot Gris, Munster cheese with Gewurztraminer, Sauerkraut with Riesling, Kougelhopf with Muscat… you simply have to taste it all!
Wine route
Would you like to learn more? Then take a trip along the famous Alsace wine route amidst the plains of the Rhin and the Ballons des Vosges, where there are nearly 170 km waiting to be explored, from Thann in the south to Marlenheim in the north. As you travel through the vineyards and wine cellars you will discover a region that has its roots in the land, and where local produce, ancestral traditions and the green landscapes of valleys and pastures abound.
COLMAR HIGHLIGHTS THAT YOU SIMPLY MUSTN’T MISS
Picturesque villages
The fortified castles on the Alsace wine route (Haut-Koenigsbourg) and the picturesque villages (Mittelbergheim and Riquewihr, amongst others, classified among the most beautiful villages in France).
Colmar markets
From Wednesdays to Saturdays you can pick the market of your choice: Avenue de Rome on Wednesday mornings, Place des Dominicains and Place de la Cathédrale all day on Thursdays and on Saturday afternoons, and Place Saint-Joseph on Saturday mornings.
And one Friday every month, there is a second-hand market at Place des Dominicains.
THE COLMAR CHRISTMAS MARKET
Enjoy the magic of Christmas with Colmar’s wonderful Christmas lights, window displays, and decorated houses!
There are at least 5 Christmas markets in the centre of Colmar’s old town: Place des Dominicains, Place de l’Ancienne Douane, the Koïfhus indoor market, Place Jeanne d’Arc and the market in the Petite Venise district.
On the programme: local crafts, gifts, Christmas lights, Christmas carols, an outdoor ice rink, and to top it all off, traditional Alsace Christmas treats: Sprengerle, Bredela, Manalas de Saint-Nicolas, mulled wine, gingerbread…
