Colmar, Alsace, France

Europa acompañada — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 10:15:19 +0000

What to see in Colmar is what brings you here for sure. Colmar is located in the Alsace region of France, very close to the border with Germany, in about 20 to 25 kilometers you will be crossing into the neighboring country if you want to do so. Many call it the most beautiful city in the world to spend Christmas and it is the capital of Alsace wines.

Whether you choose to visit it at Christmas or another time, we will see what to see in Colmar, a dream city that seems straight out of a storybook.

At Christmas you have tours of the markets in the villages of Alsace, a nice opportunity to enjoy that magic.

La Petite Venise

We go to the emblematic Little Venice. As we saw in the post of the most beautiful villages in Alsace, here we also find countless houses with wooden frames and magical colors. The name Little Venice (La Petite Venise) undoubtedly comes from the original alignment of houses on both sides of the river.

They offer free tours of Colmar so you can enjoy it with the help of a guide who will tell you the history and interesting facts that make us remember a city in a special way.

►Book your place on the free tour of Colmar

Rue de la Poissonnerie

We continue our tour of Little Venice and go for a traditional photo that we always see of Colmar. From this small bridge on rue des Ecoles we see these picturesque colorful houses of the old fishermen of Colmar.

Colmar Covered Market

In Colmar everything is very well signposted by signage, so it is very easy to find your way.

Leaving the fishmonger’s pier we will enter this market building from 1865

A tour of the market is worth it. You will find fruits, vegetables, cafeterias, you can take the opportunity to eat something.

There are many typical dishes to try in Alsace, I recommend the tarte flambée and the baeckeoffe and try a good Alsatian wine, my favourite being the Riesling variety. You will see green glasses, they are the traditional ones for drinking Alsatian wine.

►You have tours from Colmar to visit the villages of Alsace. ►Tour of the villages of Alsace

We now direct our steps to the tanners’ quarter

Rue des Tanneurs

The Tanners’ Quarter. The rue de Tanneurs is where the tanners lived. Most of the buildings are the tanners’ houses from the 17th and 18th centuries. They are narrow, deep and high and the roofs have many niches where they dried the skins they prepared in the nearby stream.

Plaza de la Antigua Aduana

We walk a short distance to the Place de l’Ancienne Douane. This square with its fountain is in front of the Old Customs House , also known as Koïfhus , is a Gothic and Renaissance building in Colmar. It is classified as a historical monument since 1930.

The construction of this Gothic building began in 1480, and it became the political and economic center of the city.

We continue the walk through this city taken from a fairy tale.

Nearby we find a curiosity, the manequin pis de colmar, it is the replica of the famous statue located near the Grand Place of Brussels.

The city of Brussels gave it to Colmar to celebrate the anniversary of the Liberation of Colmar.

Rue des Marchands

We set off down the Rue de Marchands, a lively street full of shops and charming houses. The Christmas shops are open all year round, so it may seem strange to us that we can get decorations for our Christmas tree no matter what the date.

Pfister House

Built in 1537, the Pfister house is the first example of Renaissance architecture in Colmar. We will discover it right away because tourists surround it taking pictures of it.

Bartholdi Museum

During the walk we will see on the cobblestones that the route is marked with triangles as route indicators, with the Statue of Liberty and the legend Colmar.

Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty that France gave to the United States, was born here in Colmar.

This is where we find the Bartholdi Museum. Located in the creator’s birthplace, it houses numerous sculptures. The entrance fee is €5. Another museum to visit in Colmar is the Unterlinden Museum, with collections of sculptures and paintings. And the Chocolate Museum is a fun tour.

Although the walk is a very pleasant thing to do in Colmar, there is a small free bus to take you between the places. The tourist office will inform you about the stops it makes.

►Map with the free bus route

Collegiate Church of San Martín and Plaza de la Catedral

We arrive at the Plaza de la Catedral and the Collegiate Church of San Martin, whose construction began in 1235.

Dominican Convent

Our tour takes us past the Dominican Convent, the former convent built in the 13th century, currently home to the Unterlinden Museum.

Maison des Tetes

Another place on this tour is the Maison des Tetes, the house of the heads owes its name to the decoration that this façade has with 105 masks.

Where do we stay in Colmar?

The hotel chosen for these two days we were in Colmar was the Hotel Turenne. Located a few steps from the beginning of the old town of Colmar it was a good choice for our taste. But as I always tell you, it is only to show you, you will do your searches and choose the one that you think is most convenient for your tastes.

►Find a hotel in Colmar

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Where did we eat in Colmar?

We had dinner in two different places, one was La Petite Venice, very close to the typical houses of Little Venice and the other in the tanners’ district Brasserie des Tanneurs.

The food was exceptional at both, La Petite Venice was slightly more expensive than the Barsserie des Tanneurs.

Very close to Colmar there are a series of villages that you can visit, they are wonderful, just like something out of a fairy tale, if you want to discover them, check out our post. ↓↓

►The most beautiful villages in Alsace