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Major city · France

Colmar

Base in Colmar 2 nights for the old town and Unterlinden, then use it as a car-free hub for the wine-route villages; skip it as a day trip from Strasbourg.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
EUR
Best months
May–Jun, Sep–Oct; Dec for the Christmas markets
avoid Jul–Aug (crowds and heat), late Nov (between seasons)
Airports
BSL · SXB
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 8Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window…
  • Europe ↗Non-EU visitors get 90 days in any rolling 180-day window, counted across all 29 Schengen states together — not per country; the Entry/Exit System now logs each crossing, so an overstay is detected automatically.
  • Europe ↗On the first Schengen entry since EES began, non-EU travellers give four fingerprints and a face photo at the border instead of a passport stamp; there is nothing to apply for or pay in advance.
  • France and Monaco ↗France has run temporary identity checks at its internal Schengen land borders since 2015; carry a passport or EU/EEA national ID on trains and buses from Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
  • France and Monaco ↗Nights in France and Monaco draw on the same Schengen 90-in-180-day allowance as the rest of the area; Monaco does not reset or pause it.
  • France ↗France is in the Schengen area. Check the entry rules for your passport on official sources; the EU's Entry/Exit System registers non-EU visitors' fingerprints and photo at the first Schengen border, and further pre-travel authorisation rules are being introduced.
  • France ↗TGV (including the low-cost Ouigo) and Intercités night trains need a seat reservation: a rail pass alone does not let you board.
  • France ↗Paris, Lyon and other large cities run low-emission zones that require a Crit'Air sticker on cars; check before you drive a hire car or your own car into a city.
  • France ↗Carry your passport or national ID card: police can ask for identification, and hotels register foreign guests.

Colmar packs a walkable old town, the Isenheim Altarpiece and a wine-route position into a small city: two nights covers the town and two villages, three if you add Strasbourg or the Vosges. It is the practical base for Alsace's wine villages because buses and the Kut'zig shuttle leave from here, and it sits 30 minutes by train from Strasbourg and 20 from Basel-side connections.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Colmar, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee€2–4 (≈ US$3–5)
  • Metro or bus rideTrace bus single / carnet of 10€1.50 (≈ US$2)€11 (≈ US$13)
  • SIM or eSIM, a weekeSIM, about a week of data€8–20 (≈ US$10–25)
  • Museum or sight ticketUnterlinden Museum€14 (≈ US$17) adults, €9 (≈ US$11) students under 30, free under 12
  • Budget bedCampsite pitch (Camping de L'Ill), a night, per room€20 (≈ US$25)
  • Mid-range bedHotel double room, a night, per room€140 (≈ US$170)
  • High-end bedHotel double room, a night, per room€280 (≈ US$350)

A day, not counting the bed: Budget €60 (≈ US$70) · Mid €110 (≈ US$130) · High €200 (≈ US$250)

Local prices, with USD next to them (rates 2026-09 (approximate); change it in the header). Ranges are desk estimates: check locally. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Old town half-timbered housesUnterlinden Museum and the Isenheim AltarpieceLittle Venice canalsBartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of LibertyAlsace wine route base
Airports
BSL EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (Closest useful airport; train or bus onward to Colmar, about 45–60 min) · SXB Strasbourg Entzheim (Train to Strasbourg then Colmar, about 1 h 15 min total)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Colmar: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

4°C

−1°C

10 rd

Feb

6°C

−1°C

9 rd

Mar

11°C

2°C

10 rd

Apr

15°C

5°C

10 rd

May

20°C

9°C

12 rd

Jun

23°C

12°C

11 rd

Jul

26°C

14°C

10 rd

Aug

26°C

14°C

10 rd

Sep

21°C

11°C

9 rd

Oct

15°C

7°C

10 rd

Nov

9°C

3°C

10 rd

Dec

5°C

0°C

10 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The old town is walkable end to end in about 20 minutes; no need for a car inside Colmar. Trace buses run about a dozen routes, €1.50 for one hour of travel, €11 for a carnet of 10, €3.50 for an Alsa+ 24 h Colmar Agglo pass. Hubs are Théâtre and Gare. Two tourist mini-trains loop the centre from Rue Kléber and Rue des Clefs.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time

Eguisheim

go

Door to door: About 40 min

Bus from Colmar, about 20 min; or 5 km by bike

Ring-shaped village; go before 10:00 to beat the coaches.

Riquewihr

go

Door to door: About 45–60 min

Kut'zig hop-on bus from Colmar, or bus 106 via Ribeauvillé

Walled wine village; pair with Ribeauvillé on the same loop.

Kaysersberg

go

Door to door: About 1 h

Bus from Colmar, about 35 min

Castle ruin above the town; steep 20-min climb.

Strasbourg

go

Door to door: About 50 min

TER train from Colmar, about 30 min

Half-day for the cathedral and Petite France; easy return by train.

Mulhouse

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

TER train, about 25–35 min

Only worth it for the car and railway museums.

Sélestat

caution

Door to door: About 40 min

TER train, about 15 min

Humanist library and a gateway to the Vosges; thin on sights.

Saint-Louis, Haut-Rhin

skip

Door to door: About 50 min

TER train toward Basel, about 30 min

Border town for Basel airport, not a sight in itself.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Old town (Grand Rue, Rue des Marchands)

Walk to everything; book months ahead for December and weekends.

Around the station (Place de la Gare)

Cheaper, 10–15 min walk to the old town; best for early trains.

Little Venice / Quai de la Poissonnerie

Canal views and restaurants; quietest at night, priciest.

Horbourg-Wihr / campsite side

Camping de L'Ill and budget beds, about 2 km from the centre; bus line 1.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
€60–95 (≈ US$70–120) excl. bed
Mid
€95–160 (≈ US$120–190) excl. bed
High
€160 (≈ US$190)+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Hotel double room1 × 2 nights × €140€280
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × €110€440
Trace bus, one hour of travel2 × €2€3
Alsa+ 24 h Colmar Agglo pass2 × €4€7
Unterlinden Museum entry2 × €14€28
Tarte flambée and a glass of Riesling2 × €20€40
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurge€80
Trip total≈ €220 per person per day, bed included€878≈ US$1,100

2026 estimate in euros; travel to Colmar excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee€2–4 (≈ US$3–5)
Tarte flambéeFrom about €9.50 at market-side places.€9–15 (≈ US$11–18)
Choucroute or baeckeoffe main€15–25 (≈ US$18–30)
Glass of Alsace wine€4–8 (≈ US$5–10)
Trace bus single / carnet of 10€1.50 (≈ US$2) / €11 (≈ US$13)
Unterlinden Museum€14 (≈ US$17) adults, €9 (≈ US$11) students under 30, free under 12
eSIM, about a week of data€8–20 (≈ US$10–25)

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

Colmar is a low-risk small city; the real issues are pickpockets in the crowded December markets, bicycles in the old town and unposted restaurant prices — ask before you sit.
  • No luggage storage at the station or in town: ask your hotel or hostel to hold bags.
  • December and weekend old-town rooms sell out early; prices jump.
  • Sunday and public-holiday bus service is much reduced.
  • Many old-town restaurants are tourist-facing: read the posted menu before sitting.
  • English is not widely spoken outside hotels; a French or German opener helps.

Emergency numbers

European emergency (police, fire, ambulance)
112
Ambulance (SAMU)
15
Police
17
Fire
18

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

ColmarColmar

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

À cette adresse, s'il vous plaîtTo this address, please

Emergency

  • European emergency112
  • Ambulance (SAMU)15
  • Police17
  • Fire18

Embassy

No embassies in Colmar; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish missions are in Paris, with consulates in Strasbourg.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • Colmar → Strasbourg, TER: about €10–13 (≈ US$12–16), 30 min
  • Colmar → Basel SBB, TER: about €15–20 (≈ US$18–25), 45 min
  • Trace bus, one hour: €1.50 (≈ US$2); 24 h Colmar Agglo pass €3.50 (≈ US$5)

Say or show

  • Bonjour — Hello / Good day (bon-ZHOOR)
  • Merci — Thank you (mer-SEE)
  • L'addition, s'il vous plaît — The bill, please (la-dee-SYON seel voo PLEH)
  • Une table pour deux — A table for two (ewn TAH-bluh poor DUH)
  • Parlez-vous anglais ? — Do you speak English? (par-lay VOO ahn-GLEH)
  • Où est la gare ? — Where is the station? (oo eh la GAR)

Alsace has no luggage storage in Colmar: plan bags around your hotel.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Colmar. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: May–Jun, Sep–Oct; Dec for the Christmas markets · avoid Jul–Aug (crowds and heat), late Nov (between seasons) · month by month →
  2. 2 airports and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 7 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. Airport-to-bed contracts for BSL and SXB: last trains, bus fallback, taxi rung.
  2. Four walking clusters with anchors: Unterlinden, Grand Rue and Maison des Têtes, Little Venice, station quarter.
  3. Place pages with verified hours (Unterlinden, Bartholdi, Marché Couvert, Dominican church) and eat pages with last orders.
  4. Wine-route transport fixtures so the Kut'zig and bus 106 options can go green.

Meanwhile

Back to France

Sources