7 Days in Strasbourg & Colmar
Strasbourg straddles France and Germany with a spirit all its own: the soaring cathedral, the canals of Petite France, and a food scene obsessed with tarte flambée, pretzels and local wine. Colmar, 70 km south, feels like a film set—pastel houses reflected in canals, and a quieter pace perfect for wine-tasting and wandering. Together they capture Alsace at its most romantic.
What to expect
- Strasbourg Cathedral's astronomical clock and 142-metre pink sandstone spire
- Petite France: riverside half-timbered houses, locks on bridges, outdoor wine bars
- Route du Vin d'Alsace: wine estates and villages between Strasbourg and Colmar
- Colmar's Unterlinden Museum with Grunewald's Isenheim Altarpiece (a masterpiece)
- Eguisheim and Ribeauvillé: postcard-perfect wine villages 30 min from Strasbourg
Day by day
Arrive; settle into old-town accommodation; climb Strasbourg Cathedral stairs for city views.
Watch the astronomical clock (12:30 pm or 2:45 pm performance); explore the nave.
Dinner at Maison Kammerzell (historic restaurant beside cathedral) or Chez Yvonne for Alsatian classics.
Walk the timber-framed quays of Petite France; rent a canoe or take a boat tour.
Visit Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame (Cathedral's sculpture collection); browse art galleries.
Open-air wine tasting on Rue de la Grande Boucherie; pretzels and Alsatian beer.
Bus or drive to Eguisheim (25 min); walk the concentric medieval streets and hillside vineyards.
Visit a family winery (Léon Heyl or similar); taste Riesling and Gewürztraminer.
Return to Strasbourg; dinner at Gavroche or Bäckerofen for tarte flambée.
Train to Colmar (30 min); check in; walk the Rue Marchands (old merchant quarter).
Visit Unterlinden Museum and its Grunewald Altarpiece; explore the Dominican church.
Aperitivo by the Lauch River; dinner at Wistub Brenner for Alsatian specialities.
Bus or cycle to Ribeauvillé (20 km); explore its three châteaux and narrow main street.
Visit Domaines Dopff au Moulin or another estate; cheese and charcuterie picnic.
Return to Colmar; wine and live music at a riverside bar.
Colmar Saturday market (if applicable) or head to charming Kaysersberg (20 min); walk castle ruins and wine bars.
Canoeing on the Lauch River or visiting a pottery studio in the Alsatian hills.
Return to Colmar; final dinner at L'Atelier du Peintre or a vineyard restaurant.
Last walk through Colmar's canals; visit Maison Pfister (ornate Renaissance house).
Train back to Strasbourg for onward connections; or extend the wine route south.
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