# Colmar, Strasbourg > Colmar is Alsace's most fairy-tale town, 30 minutes by train from Strasbourg. Its old centre is a picture of colourful half-timbered houses, cobbled streets and the canals of 'Little Venice', where flat-bottomed boats glide along the water. It has the Unterlinden Museum with the famous Isenheim Altarpiece, the birthplace of Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, and many wine cellars: Colmar calls itself the capital of Alsace wine. It's said to have inspired Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle. Give it a day. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/strasbourg/colmar - City: [Strasbourg](https://yesgo.io/france/strasbourg), France - YesGo score: 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 5 h - Opening hours: Town always open; museums by day - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Town free; museums ticketed - From Strasbourg: ≈ 30–35 minutes by TER train - Boats: Trips on the Little Venice canals - Wine: Capital of the Alsace Wine Route - Duration: ≈ a day - Location: Haut-Rhin, 70 km south of Strasbourg - Coordinates: 48.08111, 7.35500 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1226** — Colmar became a free imperial city (source: English Wikipedia) - **3rd** — largest town in Alsace (source: English Wikipedia) - **595 mm** — of rain a year, one of France's driest towns (source: English Wikipedia) - **1480** — the Koïfhus customs house built (source: English Wikipedia) ## About Colmar Colmar is Alsace's third-largest town after Strasbourg and Mulhouse. First mentioned in the 9th century, it became a free imperial city in **1226** and later joined the Décapole, a league of ten Alsatian towns. As everywhere in Alsace, French and German culture intertwine here, in its architecture, street names and food. The old centre has barely changed in centuries: **half-timbered** houses painted blue, yellow, pink and green, tiled roofs, window boxes of flowers and cobbled lanes. Colmar sits on the **Alsace Wine Route** and calls itself the capital of Alsace wine, and its dry, sunny climate is among the warmest in the region. ## What to see - **Little Venice** — canals, colourful houses and boats. - **The Tanners' Quarter** — tall half-timbered houses by the water. - **The Unterlinden Museum** — the Isenheim Altarpiece. - **Maison des Têtes** — a 1609 façade with a hundred masks. - **Maison Pfister** — a Renaissance house with a 1537 gallery. - **Musée Bartholdi** — the Statue of Liberty sculptor's birthplace. ## Little Venice Colmar's loveliest corner is **Little Venice**, the quarters along the canals of the River Lauch once home to butchers, tanners and fishermen. Gaily painted half-timbered houses stand right over the water, and flat-bottomed **boats** slip beneath willows and footbridges; a half-hour canal ride shows the town from its most picturesque angle. Next door is the **Tanners' Quarter**, with tall houses whose lofts were once used to dry hides, and a fish market by the canal. The best views are from the bridge on Rue de Turenne, especially in the morning and the golden hour before sunset. > **When to come** Colmar is at its most magical in **December**, when Christmas markets fill the old town and the houses are draped in lights. In summer the centre overflows with flowers but gets busy by day, so come in the morning. Buy boat tickets at the landing stages in Little Venice; there can be queues in season. ## Old-town houses Old Colmar is an open-air museum of architecture. The **Koïfhus**, the old customs house of 1480 with its glazed tile roof, is the town's main civic building. **Maison Pfister** of 1537, with its wooden gallery and paintings, is a gem of German Renaissance, and the 1609 **Maison des Têtes** is decorated with more than a hundred carved masks. The 13th–14th-century **Saint-Martin church** is Colmar's largest, with early stained glass and a Baroque organ. As you walk, look out for fountains and monuments by **Bartholdi**, the Colmar native who created New York's Statue of Liberty. His birthplace is now a museum. ## The Unterlinden Museum The **Unterlinden Museum** occupies a 13th-century Dominican convent with a lovely cloister. Its treasure is the **Isenheim Altarpiece** by Matthias Grünewald and Nikolaus Hagenauer, from the early 16th century, one of the greatest works of German painting. Beyond the altarpiece, the museum has medieval and Renaissance painting and sculpture of the Upper Rhine, archaeology and 20th-century art. Allow an hour and a half to two hours. ## How to get there 1. By TER train from Strasbourg to Colmar, 30–35 minutes, frequent services. 2. From the station to the old town, a 15-minute walk. 3. By car from Strasbourg, about an hour on the A35. 4. The old centre is pedestrianised. ## Tips for your visit Give Colmar a full day: Little Venice and a boat in the morning, the old town and Unterlinden at midday, and a wine tasting in a cellar in the evening. Plenty of bistros serve Alsatian food: tarte flambée, choucroute and kougelhopf. Colmar is an easy day trip from Strasbourg, after a visit to [Strasbourg Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/france/strasbourg/strasbourg-cathedral) and the centre. Along the wine route nearby lie the villages of Riquewihr and Eguisheim. The cobbles are fairly even and the centre works with a pushchair, but the narrow streets get crowded in season. Colmar and neighbouring Riquewihr are said to have inspired the artists of Howl's Moving Castle. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Take a boat on the canals - [ ] Find the Maison des Têtes - [ ] See the Isenheim Altarpiece - [ ] Try tarte flambée - [ ] Taste Alsace wine ## Places in Strasbourg: compare and choose Places in Strasbourg rated by YesGo. - [Colmar](https://yesgo.io/france/strasbourg/colmar) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 5 h · Free ## Don't mix it up Little Venice is Colmar's canal quarter; Petite France is a similar quarter in Strasbourg. ## Tips - Boat in the morning. - December markets. - Wine in a cellar. - 30 minutes by train. ## Questions ### How do I get to Colmar from Strasbourg? By TER train in 30–35 minutes. ### What is there to see in Colmar? Little Venice, the Tanners' Quarter, Maison des Têtes and the Unterlinden Museum. ### How long do I need in Colmar? A full day. ### Can you take a boat in Colmar? Yes, on the Little Venice canals, about half an hour. ### When is the best time to visit Colmar? December for the markets, or spring and summer in the morning. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Prices and museum and boat hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Colmar and Unterlinden Museum - Colmar tourist office, tourisme-colmar.com --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.