Hotels in Colmar

Colmar: Alsatian Canals and Half-Timbered Quarters

Colmar sits in the Haut-Rhin department of northeastern France, 74 km south of Strasbourg and 30 km west of Freiburg im Breisgau. The city's medieval core survived World War II largely intact, leaving a dense streetscape of 15th- and 16th-century timber-frame buildings along the Lauch River. The Petite Venise quarter, where flower-laden balconies overhang narrow canals, draws the highest concentration of visitors. The Unterlinden Museum, housed in a 13th-century Dominican convent, holds Matthias Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece (c. 1512–1516), one of the most studied late-Gothic paintings in Europe.

Where to Stay

Hotels cluster along the Grand'Rue corridor and around Place Rapp, within a 10-minute walk of both the train station and the old town. Properties in the Krutenau district offer canal-side rooms. Colmar anchors the southern stretch of the Alsace Wine Route, so many visitors combine a city stay with day trips to Riquewihr and Kaysersberg, each under 15 km away.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Direct trains from Strasbourg take 30 minutes; from Basel–Mulhouse Airport, allow 45 minutes by shuttle and rail.
• Best season: July–August for outdoor dining; late November–December for the Christmas market in Place des Dominicains, running since 1898.
• Wine: Alsace Grands Crus vineyards begin 5 km west of the city center — pack walking shoes for vineyard trails.