Colmar Walking Tour: Unusual Walk With a Local Guide

Included, Excluded and Paid on Top

The listing lists three inclusions: the walking tour, the local guide and the digital guide to restaurants and spots sent by WhatsApp. Hotel pickup, food and drinks are not included. You buy your own food and drinks, and tips are not mentioned, so carry what you plan to spend at cafes or, in season, at the Colmar Christmas market stalls.

One Honest Note

Some travellers say the tour ended early and that keeping the full scheduled 2 hours would help. Ask your guide for the full duration at the start. For a fixed-market alternative at a lower price, compare the Secrets of the Colmar Christmas Markets walk.

Dates, Money and the Euro

If you want stalls after your walk, aim for 23 November to 29 December and finish before closing: 19:00 Monday to Thursday, 20:00 Friday to Sunday. The euro reference rate is 1 EUR = 1.1130 USD, so a €5 purchase is $5.57. Card and cash rules at stalls are not stated, so carry a mix.

Parking and Shuttles

The old town closes to all vehicles during market hours. Covered car parks Rapp and Gare/Bleylé are open 24/7. On weekends, the park and ride at Parc des Expositions costs $5.57 (€5) per day on 28-29 November, 5-6, 12-13 and 19-20 December, with a free return bus.

A free Bleylé shuttle runs to Théâtre Municipal every 13 minutes from 25 November to 29 December, Monday to Friday 9:30-19:30, with no service 25-26 December.

What to Bring and Who Can Join

Bring comfortable shoes for 2 hours on foot and a charged phone for the WhatsApp restaurant guide. There is no minimum age, no bag rule and no difficulty level stated. The tour is not suitable for people with mobility impairments.

No season is stated for the walk itself, so check availability for your dates.

What a Guide Adds

The old town of Colmar is small. A self-guided route through it covers under 1 km, and you can walk it with a map in well under 2 hours. What you miss alone is the story.

This tour adds the history of Alsace between France and Germany, anecdotes about life in the Middle Ages, the Bartholdi statues and their sculptor, and the German Imperial district in the south. The guide also sends a list of restaurants by WhatsApp.

When to Pick Another Walk

If your priority is the stalls rather than the history, book the Secrets of the Colmar Christmas Markets walk instead at from $23 per person. If you want wine with your walk, the same operator runs the Colmar Walk and Wine Tasting at from $50 per person with three Alsatian samples at a winery.

The Route in Order

The meeting point is Parc du Champ de Mars, Av. de la République, 68000 Colmar. From there the guide leads you through the medieval city with stories about life in the Middle Ages, then through the small streets of La Petite Venise to avoid the crowded main lanes. You then look at the statues of Auguste Bartholdi, the Colmar-born sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, and finish in the southern district built in the German Imperial era, with the monumental Cour d'Appel, the huge Chateau d'Eau and the Central Train Station.

The listing does not state where the walk ends, so plan your next stop yourself. In the market season, the Christmas markets in Colmar in the old town are a natural follow-on.

Practical Points

The walk is on foot with no transport and no hotel pickup. It is guided in French or English. The listing states it is not suitable for people with mobility impairments, and no minimum age or difficulty level is given.

Bring shoes you can walk in for 2 hours and a charged phone, because the restaurant guide arrives by WhatsApp.

Collegiate Church of St Martin

According to Ostrich Trails, the Collegiate Church of St Martin opens to visitors Tuesday to Friday 8:15-17:45, Saturday 10:00-17:45 and Sunday 10:00-19:00. It closes to visitors during services, so time your visit. A morning walk plus an early church visit fits well before lunch.

The Marché Couvert for Lunch

The Marché Couvert is a 14th-century covered market on the Lauch. The Flashpacker uses it as the lunch stop on a one-day Colmar route, so a market lunch before or after the 2 hours is an easy add-on.

Unterlinden and the Bartholdi Museum

Musée Unterlinden opens Wednesday to Monday 9:00-18:00 with last entry at 17:30, closes Tuesdays, and runs 9:00-16:00 on 24 and 31 December, closed 25 December and 1 January. Admission is not stated. For an evening option in the market season, see the Once Upon a Night at Unterlinden light show.

Colmar Market Dates and Hours

The Colmar Christmas markets run from 23 November to 29 December, with about 180 stalls across six markets. Hours are Monday to Thursday 11:00-19:00 and Friday to Sunday 10:00-20:00, with exceptions on 24 December (11:00-17:00) and 25 and 26 December (10:00-20:00). Markets close exactly at the scheduled time for security.

The markets include Place des Dominicains with about 60 chalets, Place de l'Ancienne Douane with about 50 chalets, the regional products on Place Jeanne d'Arc, the children's market in Petite Venise and the Koifhus indoor craft market.

What to Add Instead

If you want a guided walk through the stalls themselves, the Secrets of the Colmar Christmas Markets walk covers the Colmar markets in 2 hours for from $23 per person. For villages, the Enchanting Christmas Villages Tour links Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and Eguisheim in 8 hours with wine tasting for from $145 per person. For a walk with wine in the city, the Colmar Walk and Wine Tasting runs the same 2-hour format for from $50 per person.

Getting There

Trains link Colmar with Paris in 2h 20. The station is a 10-15 minute walk from the old town, and the Central Train Station is one of the sights in the southern district on this walk. Other train times and fares are not stated, so check the rail operators.

Timing Around the Crowds

The Flashpacker reports that tour groups arrive by about 9 am, and the busiest period is the market season from late November to December. An early start beats the biggest groups, but a late morning walk can suit you if you want the stalls afterwards, since the Colmar markets close at 19:00 Monday to Thursday and 20:00 Friday to Sunday.