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Colmar
Wax of Legends: Entry Ticket
Colmar Guide: Old Town, Art and Alsatian Wine
Colmar’s well-preserved old town is its defining attraction: wooden houses, Renaissance façades and small canals give the city a distinctive architectural character. Located in the Haut-Rhin department of Alsace, in north-eastern France, it also stands on the Alsatian Wine Route. Its streets and museums bring together the region’s architectural heritage, art and wine culture.
A medieval trading town within the Holy Roman Empire, Colmar later passed between French and German control, a history reflected in its blended cultural identity. Alsatian, a local Germanic dialect, remains part of that heritage. Beyond the streets themselves, the city’s major cultural draw is the Unterlinden Museum, home to the Isenheim Altarpiece, while its market and wine museum connect a visit with regional food and drink traditions.
What to see and do in Colmar
The old town and Little Venice
Explore the old streets on foot, looking closely at the wooden houses and dates painted on façades. Maison Pfister and the Renaissance Maison des Têtes, decorated with sculpted faces, are distinctive landmarks. The pink-stone Church of Saint Martin adds a monumental presence, while Little Venice draws attention to the city’s small canals. Together, these places reveal the variety of Colmar’s preserved townscape, from elaborate house fronts to waterside views.
The Unterlinden Museum and the Isenheim Altarpiece
The Unterlinden Museum holds Colmar’s most significant art collection, with Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece at its centre. Its expressive imagery makes this Renaissance work a compelling reason to visit, even for travellers with only a passing interest in painting. The wider collection spans paintings, furniture, armour, textiles and silverware, with works by Holbein the Elder, Renoir and Picasso extending the visit beyond the museum’s celebrated altarpiece.
Schongauer and Bartholdi: Colmar’s artistic heritage
The Dominican Church and the Bartholdi Museum provide further insight into the city’s artistic heritage. The church houses a celebrated painting by Martin Schongauer, giving visitors another important encounter with Alsatian art. The museum is dedicated to Auguste Bartholdi, the Colmar-born sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. Visiting these places broadens the picture of Colmar’s culture, connecting painting in a religious setting with the work of an artist known internationally for monumental sculpture.
Alsatian wine and the covered market
Colmar’s position on the Alsatian Wine Route makes wine a central part of its regional identity. The Museum of Alsatian Wines explains cultivation, pressing, fermentation and the crafts behind barrels and bottles, with interactive exhibits and wine samples. For a complementary view of local food culture, visit the covered market. Its brick building houses traders selling cheese, cured meats, baked goods, fresh produce and other regional foods.
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