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Food tours in Colmar: what to eat and which tour to book
Colmar is the wine capital of Alsace, a small, half-timbered town at the foot of the Vosges, and Alsatian food is French in its care and German in its weight. Expect choucroute (sauerkraut with sausages and pork), tarte flambée (flammekueche) baked thin in a hot oven, baeckeoffe stewed in a sealed dish, spaetzle, pretzels, Munster cheese from the valley just west of town, and kougelhopf cake. The drink is white wine — Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris — from villages along the Alsace Wine Route that start a few kilometres away. The traditional restaurant here is the winstub, a wood-panelled wine tavern.
Use this page to know what to order and where, with rough 2026 prices. The old town is small and very busy in summer and during the Christmas markets, so book dinner in those periods. The tours shown are real GetYourGuide listings, with prices as seen when we checked; confirm the price and meeting point on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Colmar
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauerkraut with meats choucroute garnie | Fermented cabbage cooked with white wine and juniper, served with sausages (Strasbourg and Montbéliard), smoked pork, bacon and boiled potatoes. | Winstubs and brasseries in the old town. | roughly €19–27 a plate |
| Tarte flambée flammekueche | Very thin dough spread with crème fraîche and fromage blanc, topped with onions and bacon lardons, baked fast in a very hot oven. Variants add Munster or mushrooms. | Winstubs and specialist flammekueche restaurants; often evenings only in some places. | roughly €10–15 each |
| Three-meat casserole baeckeoffe | Pork, lamb and beef marinated in white wine and slow-baked with potatoes and onions in a ceramic dish sealed with dough. | Traditional winstubs; some need ordering ahead or offer it only on certain days. | roughly €20–28 a portion |
| Munster cheese munster | Strong-smelling washed-rind cow's milk cheese from the Vosges valleys west of Colmar, often eaten with cumin seeds, or baked on potatoes and flammekueche. | Cheese stalls in the Marché Couvert, cheese shops, and restaurant cheese courses. | roughly €6–10 as a cheese course; whole small cheeses in shops |
| Egg noodles and pretzels spaetzle / bretzel | Spaetzle are soft egg noodles served as a side or baked with cheese; bretzels are the Alsatian pretzel, sold at bakeries. | Spaetzle in winstubs; bretzels from bakeries and the market. | bretzel about €1.50–3; spaetzle often included with mains |
| Kougelhopf kougelhopf (kouglof) | Ring-shaped yeast cake baked in a fluted mould, usually with raisins and almonds; also made in a savoury version with bacon and walnuts for apéritif. | Bakeries and pâtisseries in the old town. | roughly €3–5 a slice; small whole cakes from about €8 |
| Alsace wine riesling, gewurztraminer, pinot gris, crémant d'Alsace | Mostly white varietal wines labelled by grape, plus the sparkling Crémant d'Alsace. Served by the glass or in small carafes in winstubs. | Winstubs and wine bars in Colmar; family wineries in Eguisheim, Turckheim, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr. | roughly €4–8 a glass; tastings at many family wineries are cheap or free |
| Christmas biscuits bredele | Small biscuits — butter, spice, anise, cinnamon stars — baked in quantity for Christmas. | Bakeries and Christmas market stalls from late November. | roughly €4–8 a bag |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Marché Couvert (covered market)
Restored 19th-century covered market by the Lauch canal in Little Venice, with cheese, charcuterie, bakery, produce and a few counters where you can eat.
La Petite Venise and Quai de la Poissonnerie
Canal-side quarter with flower boxes and restaurant terraces. Pretty and busy; quality varies.
Quartier des Tanneurs and Grand'Rue
Old town streets with winstubs, bakeries and wine shops around the Koïfhus and Saint-Martin church.
Christmas markets
Several Christmas markets across the old town with stalls selling vin chaud, bredele, pretzels, tarte flambée and local food gifts.
Wine Route villages (Eguisheim, Turckheim, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr)
Wine villages within about 5–20 km with family wineries offering tastings and winstubs serving regional food.
Food tours in Colmar compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alsace Bredele Workshop: Create your traditional Alsatian cookies | 2 hours | from €45 per person | max 6 | Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients. | Check dates |
| Colmar: Highlights Walking Tour and Wine Tasting | 2 hours | from €45 per person | max 6 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Food tour, culinary city tour with tastings through Colmar | 3 hours | from €96 per person | max 6 | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
| Colmar Small Group Food Tour with Local Full Meal | 3.5 hours | from €99 per person | — | First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide. | Check dates |
Alsace Bredele Workshop: Create your traditional Alsatian cookies
On GetYourGuide · run by Les Ateliers de Claire
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €45 per person
- Rating
- 5.0 ★ from 5 reviews (on 4 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 6
- Included
- All ingredients Pastry equipment Aprons Hot drinks Packaging to take the cookies with you Step-by-step guidance
- Suits
- Travellers who want to cook the dishes again at home; easiest option for dietary needs, since you control the ingredients.
- Starts
- *
Colmar: Highlights Walking Tour and Wine Tasting
On GetYourGuide · run by Bretzel&Fun
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- from €45 per person
- Rating
- 4.9 ★ from 271 reviews (on 4 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 6
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
Food tour, culinary city tour with tastings through Colmar
On GetYourGuide · run by Knack & Rucksack
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- from €96 per person
- Rating
- 4.6 ★ from 15 reviews (on 4 Oct 2026)
- Group size
- max 6
- Included
- Walking tour of Colmar town center A 3-hour (approximately) walking tour 5 to 6 stops with tastings, savory and sweet, as well as drinks (beer and/or wine, non-alcoholic alternative) Most of the tastings are served in…
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Fontaine Schwendi
Colmar Small Group Food Tour with Local Full Meal
On GetYourGuide · run by _Do Eat Better Experience
- Length
- 3.5 hours
- Price
- from €99 per person
- Rating
- 4.8 ★ from 10 reviews (on 4 Oct 2026)
- Included
- English-speaking Local Guide Enjoy the following possible tastings across 4+ stops: local cheese and charcuterie, Bibeleskäs, bretzel Sample some symbols of Alsatian patisserie tradition Water & 1 Alcoholic Local Beve…
- Suits
- First-timers who want a broad tasting of the classics with a local guide.
- Starts
- Pl. du 18 Novembre, 68000 Colmar, Francia
Some links on this page are partner links. If you book through them TonyPlan earns a small commission — the price you pay is exactly the same.
Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Street food is limited outside the Christmas markets: bretzels and kougelhopf from bakeries, sandwiches and quiche from the covered market, and tarte flambée to take away from a few places. During the markets, stalls sell vin chaud, sausages and pretzels.
Sit-down meals
The winstub is the place to eat Alsatian dishes, with small carafes of local wine. Lunch is roughly 12:00–14:00 and dinner 19:00–21:30; kitchens close firmly. Many restaurants close one or two days a week. Book for summer weekends and the Christmas market period.
Cooking classes
Some cooking and baking workshops in and around Colmar teach kougelhopf, bredele or Alsatian dishes, and wine tastings are widely available. They are not daily, so check dates in advance.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | €25–40 (bakery breakfast, market lunch, tarte flambée dinner) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | €55–80 (two winstub meals with wine) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | €130+ (Michelin-level dinner or a long wine-and-food day) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Traditional Alsatian food is meat- and pork-heavy, and even the sauerkraut is cooked with pork fat. Tarte flambée can be ordered without lardons, and Munster-and-potato dishes are vegetarian. Most restaurants now have a vegetarian option; vegan is harder.
Halal: Limited in the old town. Kebab shops and some Turkish and North African restaurants outside the historic centre offer halal food. Pork runs through traditional dishes.
Gluten-free: Awareness is reasonable and allergens must be listed. Choucroute and baeckeoffe can be gluten-free but check sausages and the dough seal; tarte flambée, spaetzle, pretzels and kougelhopf contain wheat.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Restaurants on the Little Venice canals and main squares serving frozen, reheated 'Alsatian' dishes at high prices. Look for menus written in French with a short choice, and check reviews; a few streets back is often better value.
- Christmas market stalls charging a deposit (consigne) for the vin chaud mug without mention. This is normal. Return the mug for your deposit or keep it as a souvenir.
- Being turned away from restaurants after 21:00 or between lunch and dinner. Not a scam, but common: plan to sit down by about 20:30, or book.
Top tours & activities in Colmar
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
What is a winstub?
A traditional Alsatian wine tavern, usually wood-panelled with small tables, serving regional dishes such as choucroute, baeckeoffe, flammekueche and Munster, with local wine by the glass or carafe. It is the best place in Colmar to try Alsatian food.
Do I need to tip in Colmar?
Service is included in French menu prices ('service compris'). Leaving a little extra — rounding up or about 5% for good service — is common but not expected. For a guide on a food or wine tour, roughly €5–10 per person is appreciated.
When is the Christmas market and is it worth it for food?
Colmar's Christmas markets run from late November to late December. They are good for vin chaud, bredele, pretzels and tarte flambée, but very crowded, especially at weekends. Book restaurants well ahead and expect higher prices.
Can I visit wineries from Colmar without a car?
Some villages, such as Eguisheim and Turckheim, are reachable by bike, local bus or train, and Eguisheim is a long walk. Others on the Wine Route have limited buses, so a tour, bike or car helps. Family wineries often offer tastings without booking; larger ones may need a reservation.
How much should I budget for food per day?
About €25–40 per person covers bakery breakfast, a market lunch and a tarte flambée dinner. Two winstub meals with wine run about €55–80. Colmar also has several Michelin-starred restaurants, where dinner starts around €100–150 per person.
What time do restaurants serve?
Lunch is roughly 12:00–14:00 and dinner 19:00–21:30. Outside those hours many kitchens are closed, though bakeries, cafés and some brasseries serve all day. Many restaurants close on one or two days a week, often Sunday evening, Monday or Wednesday.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.