wrenwood

Anyone please who has been both to Strasbourg and Colmar, can you compare?

jamikins

Well Colmar is much smaller - they both have a little Venice though.

What are you trying to compare exactly?

bilboburgler

Strasbourg's centre has a lot of bike paths and restricted car access which makes for a fine core. The outskirts are also pleasant and the canals go on for miles (I know I've ridden them). Strasbourg is a real city with a University etc etc

Colmar is a little town which makes most of its money off tourists and a little wine

Andrew

Strasbourg certainly feels bigger, with trams going through it. Colmar feels more quaint in part because there are no trams. Strasbourg has more water, with a couple of rivers converging there; the town center is actually an island. Colmar merely has a canal in the center.

I spent more time in Colmar - just a night, but I spent only a few hours in Strasbourg off the train. In Colmar I found it difficult not to get lost, with so many twists and turns and little squares tucked all over the place. It felt quite charming.

Both are really nice towns, however.

HappyTrvlr

We much preferred Strasbourg to Colmar. To compare, Strasbourg, although a city, seemed to have more charm and a real feel to it. We were disappointed in Colmar but really enjoyed the wine villages nearby.

kerouac

I myself prefer Strasbourg, but I am insufficiently familiar with Colmar. One excellent point about Strasbourg is that it is a transportation hub and you can get to lots of other places easily from there if you are not driving.

nytraveler

Strasbourg has way more to see and do. We spend 5 nights there - 2 full days in Strasbourg, one in Colmar and one in several of the wine villages in between. If you can only do one - do Strasbourg. But a quick look at a Michelin green guide will show you why.

PalenQ

Strasbourg to me is one of Europe's most vastly underrated cities - a real gem - you have old-world feeling in yes the Little Venice part of town and city center in general and avant-garde architecture just out of the center with the various EU edifices.

Take a canal boat tour that goes by the striking EU buildings and just amble around the town center - magnificent church with famed huge clock.

Colmar is yeh much smaller but still really cool - but not much there to do except marvel at the town itself.

check out a copy of the Statue of Liberty in Colmar - the original was executed here and sent to New Jersey in pieces and put together.

https://www.google.com/search?q=colm...w=1280&bih=832

Colmar is a great base for hopping to the nearby little wine villages dotting the Alsace Wine Road - best part meanders north of town - you can get buses and trains to these cute villages if sans car.

so two very different places - try to do both - if Strasbourg do a day trip to Colmar - if into the wine towns base in Colmar.

kerouac

Here is my Strasbourg report from 2 years ago: http://tinyurl.com/sxb-2012

StCirq

Strasbourg is a big place with lots going on. Colmar is smallish and bored me after a couple of hours.I really loved some of the wine villages in between, though, particularly Obernai.

paris1953

We stayed several nights in Strasbourg in late November and loved it. Took a train to Colmar for a day trip and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. We loved Strasbourg so much that we are returning in August.

Our impression of Colmar was that it was very walkable and interesting. But really, the Christmas markets were up and we felt that the atmosphere was pretty much identical to the Petite France area of Strasbourg.

thursdaysd

I asked this exact question on Fodors back in 2009, and chose Strasbourg on the grounds there would be more to do if the weather was iffy (as it was). I visited Colmar as a day trip, and while I enjoyed the town I was very pleased to have based in Strasbourg, a city I would be happy to revisit. See: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...omment-5664318

jamikins

Wrenwood aren't you in Alsace already? Are you looking for another day trip from Riquewihr? We did a day trip to Colmar last month and it was a nice place to spend a few hours and have lunch. It wasn't our favourite...we much preferred Eguisham, Ribeauville, Obernai, Kaysersberg to colmar.

wrenwood

Yes Jamikins, we are in Riquewihr. Absolutely love it, we are calling Riquewihr our village".........oh, and the vinyards are ours also

We were in Ribeauville today, and have been to Kaysersberg, and several other lovely small villages in previous days. Also, Haut Koenigsbourg today was amazing.

The reason I asked the question is because all 3 of us were surprising underwhelmed by Strasbourg. Petite France was so much smaller than we thought, we felt like the architecture we have seen in the villages has been far more interesting. The Cathedral was jaw dropping from the outside, and the astrological clock a marvel, but we were disappointed in the rest of the city. I guess we like the charm of the smaller villages, although we loved Rome and London. I admit we did not make it into any of the museums as we had a huge traffic back-up on our way, so we were short on time (I had been looking forward to the Alsace Museum) It just felt like a regular city to us with trams whizzing around and a small historic area.

So tomorrow we go to Colmar and Eguisheim, I am certainly curious to how we respond to Colmar!

bilboburgler

You might like to whizz up to the Ballon d'Alsace from Guebewillier. on a clear day you can see Mnt Blanc.

Andrew

I hope you like Colmar - it was of the highlights of my recent trip (which was mostly Germany, just the one night in France, in Colmar).

A lot of people adore the picture-perfect little town of Staufen in Germany, just a little to the east of Colmar (would be a super easy drive I'd think from Colmar). Personally I liked Colmar better. Staufen (which to be fair is tiny tiny compared to Colmar) is not very touristy but still felt a little too "perfect" to me.

HappyTrvlr

Since you're in Riquewihr , I recommend Grappe d'Or for dinner. We ate there twice and enjoyed it.
A friend who lives in Germany and vacations in Alsace told us about it.

wrenwood

HappyTrvlr - We tried to eat at Grappe D'or, it was on my list as top choice in Riquewihr, but they are on vacation until early July

Sadly our last night tonight in Alsace, I think we will eat dinner in Eguisheim. Sad to leave Riquewihr, but we will be off to Murren for a week!

wrenwood

We loved Colmar, so much more than Strasbourg. The old part seemed more like a town of old buildings and houses, while Strasbourg seemed more like isolated old buildings and houses here and there. We had fun wandering the twisting streets, and had a nice lunch in the pedestrian section. Hope this thread will help others, to each his own!

jamikins

Glad you enjoyed it!