Colmar travel blog — The fullest Colmar travel guide & top things to do in Colmar France

Located in the south of France, Colmar village (Colmar town) is known as one of the most beautiful villages in France with the scene as same as coming out of a fairy tale. So, what to do in Colmar France? Let’s check out our Colmar travel blog (Colmar blog) with the fullest Colmar France travel guide (Colmar travel guide) on how to visit Colmar, top things to do in Colmar France, how to get there, what to eat… for a budget trip to Colmar for the first timers to find out the answer!

From Zurich we took the FlixBus bus to get to Colmar, because the village of Colmar is located near the border between France and Switzerland so after only 3 hours riding by bus, we arrived at this beautiful village. The bus stops right at the Colmar train station (Gare de Colmar – there is only one train station in Colmar), this village is quite small so we decided to walk from the station to our Airbnb apartment right in the center of the village (away 1 kilometer).

If you getting to Colmar from Paris, just take the TGV train straight to Colmar within 2 hours 20 minutes. Or if you planning your itinerary, we recommend that you can go from Paris to Strassbourg to visit during the day, in the afternoon you can take the train from there to Colmar and spend one night in Colmar until the next day and then move to Switzerland is the best way.

Colmar travel guide: Where to stay?

My Airbnb apartment in Colmar is located in a typical French architectural area with beautiful white houses, right in the heart of Colmar. The owner of the apartment is Kim Lea, and surprisingly Kim Lea is a French Vietnamese mixed-race. Lea’s father was Vietnamese in France when he was a young man, and his name was Quoc Thanh, and he is very warmly and extremely enthusiastically help us to check-in the apartment. The whole building belongs to Mr. Thanh, he gives Kim Lea to run Airbnb. Kim Lea is still in college majoring in marketing and she also loves traveling.

Below we recommend more best cheap, budget, mid-range and upscale hotels with good ratings and reviews you can refer to.

Hotel le Marechal, a top rated 4-star hotel with room rates from $119/night (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Hotel le Colombier, a top rated 4-star hotel with room rates from $111/night (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Colmar Hotel, a top rated 3-star hotel with room rates from $76/night (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Brit Hotel Le Relais du Ried, a top rated 3-star hotel with room rates from $68/night (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Hotel Roi Soleil Prestige, a top rated 3-star hotel with room rates from $91/night (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Hotel L’Europe Colmar, a top rated 3-star hotel with room rates from $69/night (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Colmar village is very small so you can fully explore in a day by foot. However, we recommend that you should stay here for at least one night to enjoy the shimmering beauty of the village when night falls, and lights up.

Colmar travel blog: What to do and top things to do in colmar?

Colmar Village is also known as the Christmas village, because on this occasion, the whole village is decorated extremely brilliantly like in a fairy tale. And especially, Colmar has a market that famous throughout France and selling all things for Christmas from November 23 to December 30 every year.

One of the places not to be missed when visiting Colmar is Little Venice – La Petite Venise. As its name suggests, this area includes many lovely houses with different colors, located on the banks of the river, a bit reminiscent of the Italian city of Venice.

If you have time, we recommend you take a boat to getting around this area to fully admiring the beauty of Little Venice and Colmar village. (Boat tour information here).

And, one minute of virtual living in Colmar would like to begin =)))

Colmar travel blog (Colmar blog): Places to eat and drink in Colmar village.

There are many famous restaurants in Colmar for you to choose, but you should go early because they are usually closed at 8pm. A few typical restaurants that we have been recommended by Kim Lea include:

Jadis et Gourmande: It is famous for homemade dishes. Remember to reserve seats in advance because it is very crowded, always fully booked.

Address: 8 place du marché aux fruits, 68000 Colmar, France
Hours: 8AM–6PM / Sunday: Closed

La Taverne Alsacienne: This restaurant is located near the Colmar station, very famous for local food, affordable.

Address: 4 Impasse de la Maison Rouge, 68000 Colmar, France
Hours: 12–2:30PM, 6:30–10:30PM

La Table du Brocanteur (Address: 23 Rue d’Alspach, 68000 Colmar, France/ Hours: 12–1:30PM, 7–9PM; Monday: Closed), Restaurant Le Quai 21 (Address: 21 Quai de la Poissonnerie, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 12–1:30PM, 7–8:30PM; Monday, Sunday: Closed) are also two very famous restaurants here. If you like organic or vegan food, then L’Arpège (Address: 24 Rue des Marchands, 68000 Colmar, France) is the # 1 choice.

In particular, in Colmar, there are 2 Michelin-starred restaurants: JY’s (Address: 17 Rue de la Poissonnerie, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 12–1:30PM, 7–9:30PM; Monday, Sunday: Closed) and L’Atelier du Peintre (Address: 1 Rue Schongauer, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 12–2PM, 7–9:30PM; Monday, Sunday: Closed).

For those who like ice cream, do not miss the la La Sorbetière d’Isabelle ice cream parlor (Address: 13 A Rue des Marchands, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 11AM–7PM; Friday, Saturday: 11AM–10:30PM).

Bretzels bread – the symbol of Colmar :))). Remember to try it, it’s super delicious!

In addition, you should also try Kugelhopf cake is a cake of Alsace region at Pâtisserie Chocolaterie Richon shop (Address: 8 Rue Stanislas, 68000 Colmar, France) or Pâtisserie Gilg (Address: 60 Grand Rue, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 9AM–6:45PM; Monday: Closed).

Another extremely famous pastry store is La Maison Alsacienne de Biscuiterie (Address: 11 Quai de la Poissonnerie, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 9AM–7PM). You can stop by and buy Bredala cookies as gifts, which are often made by Colmar families every Christmas.

If you want to buy cheese, Fromagerie Saint Nicolas (Address: 13 Rue des Écoles, 68000 Colmar, France) is the number 1 choice here. This store is famous even for the locals and the French in general. If you want to buy to bring back home, tell them to pack it carefully to get pass the Customs!

Colmar blog: Shopping in Colmar village

We have suggested some best places to visit, what and where to ea eat and place to stay, and now, is the shopping experience in Colmar village. Although quite small, but Colmar has enough shopping places to meet your needs.

There is a Sephora store (Address: 13 Rue des Écoles, 68000 Colmar, France / Hours: 10AM–6:30PM; Tuesday, Sunday: Closed) right at the corner of Rue Kléber road, and not far away is a Pharmacie, which is also very cheap pharmacy and cosmetic store.

In addition, along the streets of Rue des Têtes and Rue des Clefs there are many shopping stores for you to choose.

Hope this article will be helpful for you preparing to come to the village of Colmar in France. Have a good trip!

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, from and to Colmar you can refer to

• [Christmas Limited Edition] Christmas across 3 Borders from Colmar
• [Christmas Limited Edition] The 4 Wonders of Alsace Day Tour from Colmar
• Pearls of Alsace Whole Day Tour from Strasbourg
• Alsace Christmas Markets Whole Day Tour from Strasbourg
• Whole Day Wine Tour in Alsace from Strasbourg

Are you looking for more top things to do in Alsace, Burgundy & Champagne: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Let’s check it out here.