Essential things to see in Colmar

The list of things to see and do in Colmar It's not very big compared to other cities, but walking through its streets is like doing it on the set of a movie, surely you won't stop for a second to take photos!

And I don't tell you if you visit Colmar on Christmas dates, here they live Christmas in a big way! I have no doubt that they will infect you with their Christmas spirit.

In our travel guide to Alsace we recommend you to have Colmar as a base to visit the rest of the towns. It is located more or less in the center of Alsace and has a wide range of accommodation.

Also in the post about the route through Alsace we talk about our planning to make the most of the days of travel.

And now yes, here we go with the places to see in Colmar that you cannot misssome typical restaurant and accommodation recommendations.

What to see and do in Colmar

#1. The first thing that you will surely see when you arrive in Colmar and almost without looking for it, is the replica of the Statue of Liberty which is located in one of the roundabouts of access to Colmar.

The town of Colmar built it in honor of Bartholdi, the sculptor of the New York Statue of Liberty and Colmar's most famous resident.

#2. Within Colmar you can visit Bartholdi's museum dedicated to the French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, who was born in Colmar and is famous for having created the Statue of Liberty in New York. The museum is located in the artist's birthplace, on Calle de los Mercaderes. In the museum you can see the preparatory models of the monuments that Bartholdi made, as well as his furniture and personal objects.

It is an interesting visit to learn more about this great artist and his legacy.

#3. Tour the little Venice of Colmar and enjoy the postcard houses.

Little Venice is one of the most visited areas of Colmar, and the most photographed too!

Its name comes from the fact that it is crossed by several channels of the Lauch River, which give it a romantic and picturesque air. You can stroll through its cobbled streets, admire its colorful half-timbered houses with flowers in the windows, or take a boat tour of the canals and see the neighborhood from its canals.

If you want to see it quietly, as we did, we recommend you get up early. One of the essential places to see in Colmar.

#4. You can also take a boat ride la petite Venice from about €6/30 minutesand see the city from another perspective.

#5. The MColmar covered market It is located next to Little Venice, the residents of the city come here to buy local products, inside there are also cafeterias and you can try the famous Alsace pretzels.

#6. The House Pfister It is one of the most beautiful houses in Colmar, built in the 16th century, in a medieval style, it does not lack detail.

#7. La Maison des Têtes, it also appears in any Colmar guide, it was a bourgeois residence and on its façade there are more than 100 carved heads.

Today it is a hotel and restaurant.

#8. Get on the tourist train is another of the things to do in Colmarincludes an audio-guide and is a good way to visit some of Colmar's tourist spots, it costs around €6.5.

Especially if you go with children it can be a great plan.

#9. Another good way to get to know Colmar is follow the plaques of the Statue of Liberty, that you will see on the ground throughout the city, this route will take you through the main points of interest.

The complete route is 6 kilometers and according to the map it takes about two and a half hours.

Try the typical Alsatian dishes:

#10. He baeckeoffe, It is one of the most typical dishes of Alsace, it is a stew of three meats with potatoes, we tried it in the restaurant Le Fer Rouge in Colmar along with other typical Alsatian foods.

You can see more in our instagram highlight stories.

The restaurant was also recommended to us. Schwendiwhich is right in front.

#eleven. The tarte flambée is delicious! It is a kind of thin pizza, you will find it in many restaurants in Colmar.

It was our favorite dish in Alsace, you will tell us!

In Colmar you can try it at Restaurant La Soiwhich has very good opinions.

#12. Taste the Alsatian wine or visit a winery.

In summer many people come to these lands to do the wine route, it is very famous and important in the area, it has 119 wine-growing municipalities with more than 4,000 winegrowers.

#13. ohTry the crepes! In Colmar we test them on Pancake Stub a very small restaurant where they made delicious crepes, we also had good references from Le Palais Gourmand.

Below you have the map with directions.

#14. Don't forget about the pretzels, although they have a resemblance to New York pretzels do not taste the same!

You will also see on many signs, even in the tourist office, the "A" for Alsace in the shape of a bretzel, they have made it a symbol of Alsace and you will find them everywhere!

Sorry for the quality of the photo, it is taken from the stories we did on Instagram and that you can see now on our featured stories with the title "Alsace". We forgot to take a photo!

#fifteen. And finally, visit all its Christmas markets if you visit Colmar at Christmas! But you will have to tell us about this because we went in February...

There is 6 Christmas markets in Colmarlocated at:

• Old customs square. (Place de l'Ancienne Douane)
• Dominican square. (Place des Dominicains)
• Joan of Arc Square. (Place Jeanne d'Arc)
• In Little Venice, focused on the little ones. (Le Marché de Noël des enfants à la Petite Venise)
• Indoor market in the medieval building of Koïfhus. (Le Marché intérieur, du Koifhus)
• Cathedral square, gourmet market. (Le Marché gourmand, Place de la cathedrale)

#15+1. For us The best things to see in Colmar It wasn't a museum, a house, or trying the food (delicious by the way).

The best thing we could do in Colmar was get lost in its streetsdiscover new corners, a house even more beautiful than the previous one and breathe the calm of the early morning through its streets, despite the cold.

From Colmar we keep all that!

Take an excursion from Colmar:

If you do not have a rental car or do not want to move with it, you can book an excursion to visit the rest of the towns and Christmas markets (if the date coincides with you).

The civitatis website We have used it many times to book excursions, it is 100% reliable and you can check the opinions of other travelers.

All with guide in spanish:

Take a free tour in Spanish around the city is also a very good way to get to know Colmar and find out all the curiosities it hides.

Accommodation in Colmar:

Us we stayed in a apartment in the center very close to Petite Venice, and the truth is that it was a success. We had a small parking lot next door where you could leave your car for free overnight.

Others Colmar accommodation that we were evaluating:

HE HOTEL IBIS COLMAR CENTER. By location and price (if you don't go in high season).
HE COLMAR HOTEL. Because it had free parking and very good evaluationsalthough it was a little further away.

Rental car to explore Alsace:

We already told you about the rental car in the post on the route through Alsace and in the one about traveling to Alsace on your own, so I won't get too involved.

Us We really liked taking a rental car and visiting the towns on our ownMost of them have large car parks at the entrance where you can park, the towns can be explored on foot without problems.

We reserve the car hire at Auto Europeyou have to take into account the possible additional expenses that some companies charge for taking the car out of the country, for example if you reserve it in Germany like we do.

Not all rental companies charge these expenses, in Auto Europe all the very well specified rental conditionsread everything well!

Map of all the places to see in Colmar:

And here is our list of things to see and do in Colmar!

Are you ready to discover one of the most charming towns in France? We hope you enjoy your trip to Alsace very much.

And if you visit Colmar in winter, bundle up very well to combat the cold in the area!

Would you add something else to see in Colmar?

Other articles from our trips to Alsace:

ROUTE THROUGH ALSACE IN 4 DAYS.
ALSACE AT CHRISTMAS.
WHAT TO SEE IN ALSACE.
WHAT TO SEE IN STRASBOURG.
STRASBOURG AT CHRISTMAS.
FREE TRAVEL GUIDE TO ALSACE.
THE BEST CARDS TO TRAVEL WITHOUT COMMISSIONS

More information to plan your trip to Colmar: