Colmar, France

Colmar is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. The city is renowned for its well preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks and its museums, among which is the Unterlinden Museum.

Mostly spared by the destructions of the French Revolution and the wars of 1870–1871, 1914–1918 and 1939–1945, the cityscape of old-town Colmar is homogenous and renowned among tourists. The area crossed by canals of the river Lauch, and which formerly served as the butcher's, tanner's and fishmonger's quarter, is now called "little Venice" (la Petite Venise).

Colmar's secular and religious architectural landmarks reflect eight centuries of Germanic and French architecture and the adaptation of their respective stylistic language to the local customs and building materials (pink and yellow Vosges sandstone, timber framing).

Things to see and do

* Old Town
* Maison des Tetes (House of the Heads)
* Litle Venice
* Wander about Colmar's old streets
* Unterlinden Museum

General Information

Cruise Season – March - Dec
Currency – Euro (EUR)
Language – French
Land Area – 66.57 km²
Population – 66,000 approx
Electricity – 2 round pins European style.
Time – UTC plus five hours
International Country Telephone Code – + 44

Travel Links – If you arrive by plane you will probably use one of the closest airports: Euroairport at Basel (with a variety of low cost flights) or Strasbourg (with none). Other airports in the area are Baden Airport, Stuttgart, Zurich and Nancy.

Colmar lies between Basel (French: Bâle) and Strasbourg. There is a direct train connection from both cities. If you arrive from the German side, there is a bus leaving near the border at Breisach (to which there is a direct train from Freiburg). The bus-stop is located directly in front of Breisach train station.