What to see in Colmar: 12 highlights of the town and the Alsace Wine Route

La Petite Venise is Colmar's most photographed quarter: a row of colourful half-timbered houses reflected in the waters of the Lauch, at the southern end of the old town. The nickname recalls the canals of Venice.

Stroll along the Quai de la Poissonnerie and the rue de la Herse, cross the Pont Saint-Pierre for the most famous view, and hop aboard a flat-bottomed boat to discover the quarter from the water. Cafés and winstubs line the cobbled lanes.

The Unterlinden Museum, set in a 13th-century former Dominican convent enlarged by a contemporary extension, houses the Isenheim Altarpiece, carved by Niclaus de Haguenau around 1490 and painted by Matthias Grünewald between 1512 and 1516 — one of the great masterpieces of the German Renaissance.

The collections range from the Middle Ages to modern art: Rhenish painting, sculpture, decorative arts and 20th-century works. The convent's Gothic chapel houses the altarpiece.

During Advent, Colmar hosts six Christmas markets across the old town, including those on the Place des Dominicains and the Place de l'Ancienne Douane. They offer crafts, decorations and specialities: mulled wine, bredele (Alsatian biscuits) and gingerbread.

The illuminated streets and decorated half-timbered houses make it one of France's most renowned Christmas markets. The 2026 edition runs from 23 November to 29 December.

Riquewihr, about 13 km north-west of Colmar, is one of France's most beautiful villages and a highlight of the Alsace Wine Route. Its cobbled lanes lined with 15th- and 16th-century half-timbered houses have earned it the nickname "pearl of the vineyard".

It is easily reached by car or bus through the vineyards. Its emblematic landmark is the Dolder, a gate-belfry from 1291 standing about 25 metres tall and built into the village's medieval ramparts. Riquewihr is renowned for its white grands crus, chiefly Riesling and Gewurztraminer: many cellars offer tastings.

The historic heart of Colmar is explored on foot, from the Place de l'Ancienne Douane (the Koïfhus) to the Place de la Cathédrale. Here stand the Maison Pfister (1537) and the Maison des Têtes, a Renaissance dwelling from 1609 bristling with carved heads.

The cobbled lanes are lined with artisan shops, winstubs and terraces. A short walk away are the Unterlinden Museum and the Bartholdi Museum, set in the birthplace of the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.

La Maison Pfister, completed in 1537 for the hatter Ludwig Scherer, is the first example of Renaissance architecture in Colmar. Its façade features a two-storey corner oriel, an octagonal turret and painted murals depicting Germanic emperors and biblical scenes.

The house owes its name to the Pfister family, who occupied it from 1841 to 1892. Listed as a Historic Monument since 1927, it has belonged to the Judlin family since 1892. It is a private residence: it cannot be visited and is not a museum — admire it from rue des Marchands.

Kaysersberg, about a dozen kilometres from Colmar along the wine route, was voted the French public's favourite village in 2017. The village is overlooked by its castle ruins and crossed by a 16th-century fortified bridge spanning the Weiss.

Visit the Gothic Sainte-Croix church and the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, the Nobel Peace Prize winner born here in 1875. Cellars and winstubs line the half-timbered lanes.

Colmar is the ideal starting point for the Alsace Wine Route, which runs 170 km from Marlenheim to Thann. From the town you can reach the wine villages of Eguisheim, Turckheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg in minutes.

Many estates offer cellar visits and tastings of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. Signposted vineyard trails also let you walk among the vines, on foot or by bike.

The Saint-Martin collegiate church, Colmar's main church, is a Gothic building in Vosges sandstone constructed between 1234 and 1365. Its south tower, whose spire burned in 1572, was then capped with a distinctive lantern turret.

Inside are stained-glass windows, medieval sculptures and an organ used for concerts. Still a place of worship, the church dominates the Place de la Cathédrale at the centre of the old town.

Colmar's covered market occupies a brick and cast-iron hall opened in 1865, at 13 rue des Écoles, on the edge of Petite Venise beside the Lauch.

About twenty stallholders sell fresh produce and Alsatian specialities: cheeses, charcuterie, fruit and vegetables, wines. Grab a quick lunch before stepping out onto the waterside terrace.

The "Zum Schwan" house, at 2 rue Schongauer, is linked to the great engraver and painter Martin Schongauer, born in Colmar around 1450. He bought this late-15th-century dwelling in 1477 to set up his studio; on his death in 1491 it passed to his brother Ludwig, also an engraver.

A witness to late-medieval Colmar, the house is admired from the street that now bears the artist's name. Schongauer's work is preserved and showcased at the nearby Unterlinden Museum, whose learned society is named the "Société Schongauer".

Set at 40 rue Vauban in a former cinema, the Toy Museum spreads its collections over three floors: antique dolls and bears, model trains, cars, games and automata trace the evolution of toys.

Several interactive displays and a large model-train layout make it a favourite family stop, especially on a rainy day.