WHAT TO SEE & DO
Overview Table
| Name | Appeal | Type | Visit | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old City Center | ✦✦✦✦✦ | City Center | Self | Free |
| 2 | Little Venice Neighborhood | ✦✦✦✦✦ | Neighborhood | Self | Free |
| 3 | Christmas Market | ✦✦✦✦✦ | Christmas Market | Self | Free |
| 4 | Segway Tour | ✦✦✦✦✦ | Segway Tour | Tour | Paid € |
| 5 | Unterlinden Museum | ✦✦✦✦✧ | Museum - Arts | Self | Paid € |
| 6 | Boat Tour | ✦✦✦✧✧ | Boat Tour | Tour | Paid € |
| 7 | Choco Story | ✦✦✦✧✧ | Museum - Chocolate | Either | Paid € |
| 8 | Alsatian Wines Museum | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Museum & Tastings | Self | Paid € |
| 9 | Toy Museum | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Museum - Toys | Self | Paid € |
| 10 | St. Martin Church | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Church | Self | Free |
| 11 | Dominican Church | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Church | Self | Paid € |
| 12 | Dominican Library | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Museum - Manuscripts | Self | Free |
| 13 | St. Matthieu Church | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Church | Self | Free |
| 14 | Covered Market | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Food Market | Self | Free |
| 15 | Colmar-Houssen Lake | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Lake & Beach | Self | Paid € |
| 16 | Bartholdi Museum | ✦✦✧✧✧ | Museum - Statues | Self | Paid € |
| 17 | Hansi Museum | ✦✧✧✧✧ | Museum - Illustrations | Self | Paid € |
| 18 | Natural History Museum | ✦✧✧✧✧ | Museum - Nat. History | Self | Paid € |
| 19 | Statue of Liberty | ✦✧✧✧✧ | Statue Replica | Outside | Free |
| 20 | Food Market | ✦✧✧✧✧ | Food Market | Self | Free |
| 21 | Tourist Train | ✦✧✧✧✧ | Tourist Train | Tour | Paid € |
| 22 | Champs de Mars Park | ✦✧✧✧✧ | City Park | Self | Free |
| 23 | André Malraux Art Center | ✦✧✧✧✧ | Contemporary Art | Self | Free |
1. Old City Center
Appeal ✦✦✦✦✦
Type City Center
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Vieux Colmar
The city center of Colmar is a true Alsatian gem, with its cobblestone streets and colorful half-timbered houses creating a picturesque and welcoming atmosphere.
The architecture blends medieval and Renaissance styles, offering a perfect setting for a stroll through charming squares, both large and small, and winding alleys where you can admire the beauty of the ornate façades.
There are notably 3 historic buildings known for the beauty of their facades: the Pfister House, the House of Heads, and the Koïfhus (former customs house).
2. Little Venice Neighborhood
Appeal ✦✦✦✦✦
Type Neighborhood
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Petite Venise
Located just below the old town, “Little Venice,” named after the famous Italian city, is a charming district known for its picturesque canals lined with colorful half-timbered houses.
The atmosphere here is especially romantic, particularly when strolling along the quays. The reflections of the houses on the water and the greenery surrounding the canals add to the unique charm of this place. The district is often lively, with its small restaurants, café terraces, and artisanal shops, all enhancing the warm and welcoming ambiance.
It is possible to take a boat ride on the canal: see the section n° 6 below.
3. Christmas Market
Appeal ✦✦✦✦✦
Type Christmas Market
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Marché de Noël
The Colmar Christmas market takes place every year from late November to late December.
It’s one of the most renowned in Alsace, with its magical atmosphere and enchanting decorations. Spread across several squares in the historic center, it offers a warm and festive ambiance with wooden chalets selling handcrafted goods, Christmas decorations, and local culinary specialties.
4. Segway Tour
Appeal ✦✦✦✦✦
Type Segway Tour
Visit Guided Tour
Cost Paid
A Segway tour in Colmar offers a dynamic way to discover the city. Gliding along the cobblestone streets, you explore the main sights with a guide who introduces you to the picturesque architecture and the fascinating history of Colmar. This innovative mode of transport makes the experience fun and memorable, while allowing you to cover more ground than on foot.
5. Unterlinden Museum
Appeal ✦✦✦✦✧
Type Arts Museum
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Name
Musée Unterlinden
The famous Unterlinden Museum houses a rich collection of various types of art. Its collection of paintings and sculptures spans the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Additionally, it features collections of archaeology, folk art and traditions, decorative arts, and modern art, along with temporary exhibitions.
The museum is located in a former 13th-century convent and is connected by an underground gallery to a modern extension.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
⚙️ Hours & Prices (Official Website)
6. Boat Tour
Appeal ✦✦✦✧✧
Type Boat Tour
Visit Guided Tour
Cost Paid
A boat ride in Little Venice in Colmar offers a peaceful and magical experience. As you glide slowly along the canals, you can admire the colorful half-timbered houses and the flowers that line the water. This unique perspective allows you to appreciate the beauty of this iconic district from a different angle.
Provider
Colmar au fil de l’Eau – Sweet Narcisse
7. Choco Story
Appeal ✦✦✦✧✧
Type Chocolate Museum or Workshop
Visit Self-guided or Class
Cost Paid
French Name
Choco Story Colmar
This museum dedicated to chocolate offers an interactive experience where visitors can explore the history of chocolate, from its origins to its manufacturing process.
In addition to the museum tour, the venue also offers a chocolate-making workshop.
8. Alsatian Wines Museum
Appeal ✦✦✦✧✧
Type Wine Museum & Tastings
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Name
Musée des Vins d’Alsace
This museum highlights the region’s rich winemaking tradition, offering an interactive visit to understand the historical and cultural heritage of Alsatian wines, as well as the winemaking process of its vintners.
The tour concludes with a small tasting of wines, or juice for anyone who doesn’t want wine.
The museum is located in the same building than the Choco Story museum detailed above.
9. Toy Museum
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Toys Museum
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Name
Musée du Jouet
This museum houses a vast collection of antique and contemporary toys, offering a glimpse into the evolution of games and toys throughout the ages. Visitors can explore dolls, miniature cars, board games, and more.
It also includes a small shop.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
10. St. Martin Church
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Church
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Names
Collégiale Saint-Martin
Cathédrale Saint-Martin
Église Saint-Martin
This 13th-century church is built in the Gothic style and is notable for being constructed from local sandstone, primarily in yellow and a few other colors.
It is the second-largest Catholic building in Alsace, after the Strasbourg Cathedral, and is also informally referred to as the Cathedral of Colmar.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Exterior
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
11. Dominican Church
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Church
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Names
Église des Dominicains
Couvent des Dominicains
This church, also referred to as a convent, mainly dates back to the 14th century and is in the Gothic style.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Exterior
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
12. Dominican Library
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Manuscripts Museum
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Bibliothèque des Dominicains
Adjacent to the Dominican church is a library of the same name.
On the ground floor, there is a museum space dedicated to manuscripts and bookmaking.
The upper floor houses a modern library.
The building also features a cloister surrounding a small garden.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
13. St. Matthieu Church
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Church
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Église Saint-Matthieu
This church, which became Protestant in the late 16th century, was built in the 14th century in the Gothic style.
It notably features a large organ and a frieze of religious paintings that adorn its interior.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Exterior
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
14. Covered Market
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Covered Food Market
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Marché Couvert
Colmar’s main food market takes place in a 19th-century hall. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday, both in the mornings and afternoons, and on Sunday mornings.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
⚙️ Hours (Tourism Office Website)
Outside this building, there is an open-air food market on Thursday mornings.
15. Colmar-Houssen Lake
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Lake & Beach
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Name
Base Nautique Colmar Houssen
To the north of the city, there is a lake with a sandy beach.
Several water and beach activities are also available.
16. Bartholdi Museum
Appeal ✦✦✧✧✧
Type Statues Museum
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Name
Musée Bartholdi
This museum is dedicated to the 19th-century French sculptor Auguste Bartholdi, the creator of the famous Statue of Liberty in New York.
The museum showcases several of his statues and models.
An entire section of the museum is dedicated to the Statue of Liberty.
The museum is located in the house where Bartholdi was born.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
⚙️ Hours & Prices (Official Website – Fr)
To the north of the city, there is a smaller replica of the Statue of Liberty. See the corresponding section below.
17. Hansi Museum
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type Illustrations Museum
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Names
Musée Hansi
Village Hansi et son Musée
This museum is dedicated to the French illustrator Jean-Jacques Waltz, known as “Hansi,” showcasing his life and various works, including his drawings.
On the ground floor of the museum, there is a small recreation of a typical Alsatian village from the 1920s, along with a shop.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
18. Natural History Museum
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type Natural History & Ethnography Museum
Visit Self-guided
Cost Paid
French Name
Musée d’Histoire Naturelle et d’Ethnographie
This museum houses a vast collection of natural specimens, including minerals, fossils, and animals, that reflect regional and global biodiversity from prehistoric times to the present.
There are also ethnographic exhibitions showcasing the traditions and cultures of various populations, particularly through craft objects and historical artifacts.
🏞️ Google Images Overview – Interior
19. Statue of Liberty
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type Statue Replica
Visit Outside only
Cost Free
French Name
Statue de la Liberté
To the north of the city, at a roundabout, stands a 12-meter replica of the Statue of Liberty in New York, paying tribute to its creator, Auguste Bartholdi, who was born in Colmar.
20. Food Market
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type Outdoor Food Market
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Marché Saint-Joseph
This secondary food market (compared to the main one detailed in the corresponding section above) takes place on Saturday mornings at Place St. Joseph square.
21. Tourist Train
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type Tourist Train
Visit Tour
Cost Paid
In Colmar, two tourist trains, the green train and the white train, allow visitors to explore the city and its iconic buildings in a pleasant way through audio-guided commentary.
French Name
Petit Train Touristique Vert
⚙️ Hours & Prices (Official Website)
French Name
Petit Train Touristique Blanc
22. Champs de Mars Park
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type City Park
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Names
Parc du Champ de Mars
Champ de Mars
This city park is the largest in the city and is located in the center.
It is bordered to the north by the large Place Rapp square.
23. André Malraux Art Center
Appeal ✦✧✧✧✧
Type Contemporary Art Exhibitions
Visit Self-guided
Cost Free
French Name
Espace d’Art Contemporain André Malraux
This art center features temporary exhibitions of contemporary art by regional and international artists.
