How many days in Colmar? 3 days: the old town, the Isenheim Altarpiece and the wine villages
By Tony Panopoulos · travel-agency planner in Greece · Updated
Colmar is a compact Alsatian town of canals and painted half-timbered houses, and almost everything worth seeing in the centre lies within a 15-minute walk. On its own it needs one full day; the reason to stay three days is that it sits in the middle of the Alsace Wine Route, with a string of walled wine villages 10-25 minutes away. Spend the first day in town and at the Unterlinden Museum, then two days in the vineyards, tasting Riesling and Gewürztraminer at family cellars. Start early: by 11:00 the lanes of Little Venice are full of day-trippers.
Short answer
Two days covers Colmar's old town, the Unterlinden Museum and one afternoon in Eguisheim. Three days adds Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and the castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg.
The 3-day plan, day by day
Day 1: Old town, Little Venice and the Unterlinden Museum
Morning. Start at 8:30 at Petite Venise (Little Venice), where the Lauch river runs between pastel houses, before the tour groups arrive; the bridge on Rue de Turenne gives the classic view. Walk through the Quartier des Tanneurs (tanners' quarter), with tall houses where hides were once dried under the roofs, and past the Koïfhus, the old customs house of 1480.
Afternoon. Visit the Unterlinden Museum (about €15; closed Tuesdays), set in a 13th-century convent. Its centrepiece is the Isenheim Altarpiece, painted by Matthias Grünewald and carved by Nikolaus of Haguenau in the early 16th century. Allow 2 hours. Then walk 5 minutes to the Dominican Church for Martin Schongauer's 'Madonna of the Rose Bush' (a few euros; seasonal hours).
Evening. See the Maison Pfister (1537) on Rue des Marchands, with its wooden gallery and painted façade, and the Maison des Têtes (1609), covered with about a hundred carved faces. Dinner in a winstub, the traditional Alsatian wine tavern; a main costs about €18-26.
A 25-30 minute flat-bottomed boat ride through Little Venice costs about €8-9 from the jetty by the Saint-Pierre bridge; go at opening time or late afternoon to avoid queues.
Day 2: Eguisheim and the southern Wine Route
Morning. Take the bus or drive 10-15 minutes south to Eguisheim, a round village whose streets curl in concentric rings around a central square with the castle and chapel of Saint-Léon. Walk the Rue du Rempart loop, about 20 minutes, in the early light, before shops open.
Afternoon. Book a tasting at a family winery in Eguisheim or nearby Turckheim (often free or €5-15 with purchase). Alsace's seven main grape varieties are bottled by grape, not by blend; ask to compare a dry Riesling, a Pinot Gris and a Gewürztraminer. Then walk part of the vineyard path above the village, with views to the three castles of Husseren-les-Châteaux.
Evening. Back in Colmar, visit the Marché Couvert, the covered market of 1865 by the canal (closed Sundays and Mondays; ends around 18:00-19:00), for munster cheese and wine, then dine on flammekueche (tarte flambée), thin bread with cream, onions and bacon, for €10-14.
If you are tasting all day, do not drive: local buses, cycle routes and small-group wine tours (about €70-110) connect the villages.
Day 3: Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Haut-Koenigsbourg
Morning. Go about 25 minutes north to Haut-Koenigsbourg, a sandstone castle at 750 metres above the plain, rebuilt in the early 20th century under Emperor Wilhelm II (about €10-12). Arrive at opening time; allow 1.5 hours, and on clear days you see across to the Black Forest.
Afternoon. Descend to Riquewihr, a walled village of wine merchants' houses with the Dolder gate tower, and walk its main street end to end in about 15 minutes. Then drive 10 minutes to Kaysersberg, under a ruined castle; it is the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, and the fortified bridge over the Weiss river is the best spot for photos.
Evening. Have dinner in Kaysersberg or back in Colmar. Try choucroute garnie (sauerkraut with sausages and pork) or baeckeoffe, a casserole of meat and potatoes baked in white wine, and finish with kougelhopf or a slice of tarte aux quetsches in late summer.
Without a car, bus line 145 serves Kaysersberg from Colmar station, and a seasonal shuttle runs from Sélestat station to Haut-Koenigsbourg; check current timetables before you go.
Only have 2 days?
With 2 days, do Day 1 as written and combine Eguisheim in the morning with Riquewihr and Kaysersberg in the afternoon on Day 2. You lose Haut-Koenigsbourg and a long tasting.
Got extra days?
A 4th day fits Strasbourg, about 30 minutes away by TER train, for the cathedral and Petite France, or Basel and Freiburg across the borders (about 45-60 minutes). Walkers can head into the Vosges for the Route des Crêtes and the Grand Ballon.
Where to stay in Colmar
| Budget | Area | Why | Typical double/night |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget | Near Colmar station | Simple hotels a 15-minute walk from the old town, next to trains and buses. | €70-110 |
| Mid-range | Old town / Little Venice | Half-timbered hotels and apartments steps from the canals and restaurants. | €120-200 |
| Mid-range | Eguisheim or Riquewihr | Wake up inside a wine village; you need a car or careful bus planning. | €100-170 |
| Comfort | Boutique hotels in the old town | Historic buildings, spa and fine-dining restaurants in the centre. | €220-400 |
Getting around
Colmar's centre is walkable: the station to Little Venice is about 15 minutes. Local Trace buses cover the town for about €1.50 a ride. For the wine villages, regional buses run from the station, but they are infrequent on Sundays; a car, an e-bike (about €30-40 a day) or a small-group tour is easier. TER trains reach Strasbourg in about 30 minutes and Mulhouse in about 20, and TGV services connect to Paris in about 2h20. The nearest airport is EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, about 1 hour away.
What to eat in Colmar
Alsatian food is rich and generous. Eat in a winstub for choucroute, baeckeoffe, fleischschnacka (rolled pasta and meat 'snails') and spaetzle, and order flammekueche for a cheaper meal. Strong munster cheese comes with cumin. Local wines are sold by the glass at €4-8; crémant d'Alsace is the sparkling wine. Bakeries sell kougelhopf and pretzels, and in December, bredele biscuits. A winstub dinner with wine costs about €30-45 per person.
Best time to visit
May to October for the vineyards, with highs of 20-28°C; September and October bring the grape harvest and wine festivals. From late November to late December, Colmar runs several Christmas markets and is extremely busy; book rooms months ahead. Summers can be hot, above 30°C, as Colmar is one of the driest towns in France. Winter outside the markets is quiet and cold.
What a day costs
| Budget | Mid-range | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed (per person, sharing a double) | €45 | €80 | €160 |
| Food & drink | €30 | €55 | €95 |
| Sights & tickets | €15 | €30 | €50 |
| Local transport | €5 | €20 | €50 |
| Total per person, per day | about €95 | about €185 | about €355 |
Approximate 2026 prices; the comfort column includes a car or a wine tour. Colmar charges a taxe de séjour (tourist tax) per person per night, from under €1 to a few euros depending on hotel category.
Before you go
Common questions
Is Colmar or Strasbourg the better base?
For the wine villages, Colmar is better: Eguisheim, Turckheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg are all within 10-25 minutes. Strasbourg is a larger city with more museums, nightlife and transport, and makes sense if you want both. Many travellers stay two or three nights in Colmar and do Strasbourg as a day trip by train, about 30 minutes away.
Can I visit the wine villages without a car?
Yes, with some planning. Regional buses link Colmar station with Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and other villages, but services are limited, especially on Sundays and holidays. Cycling between villages on marked routes is popular, and e-bikes handle the small hills easily. Small-group tours from Colmar combine several villages and tastings in half a day or a full day.
When are the Colmar Christmas markets?
Usually from the last week of November until about 29 December, in several squares across the old town, each with its own theme. Weekends are crowded, with long queues for the Little Venice viewpoints. Visit on a weekday, book hotels early, and consider staying in a nearby village if Colmar is full.
How long do I need at the Unterlinden Museum?
Plan about 2 hours. The Isenheim Altarpiece alone deserves 30-45 minutes, and the museum also has medieval sculpture, Alsatian art and archaeology, and a modern wing with 20th-century works connected by an underground gallery. It is closed on Tuesdays, so plan your Colmar day around that.
How this guide was made
Compiled by TonyPlan from official tourism, transport and attraction sources and on-the-ground travel knowledge. Prices are approximate for 2026 and change with season; anything we could not confirm is marked as approximate.
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