Colmar is one of the most beautiful cities in the Alsace region of France. The city can be enjoyed as a side trip from Strasbourg, only 50 mi/80 km away.
The town offers Hansel-and-Gretel architecture, cobblestoned streets and colorful tile roofs. Photo opportunities abound, including picturesque squares, a pedestrian zone surrounded by medieval and Renaissance buildings, and tiny, flower-covered bridges over a network of mirror-like canals.
The Old Town, or La Vieille Ville, is the place to start exploring Colmar. Visitors can see the sights just by wandering around this section of the city. If you have time for only one historical building, be sure it's La Maison des Tetes on Rue des Tetes, a 17th-century home that is decorated with more than 100 statues of heads. It is now a hotel.
Next door is the premier art venue in the city, the Unterlinden Museum, housed in a 13th-century Dominican convent that was a hotbed of Rhine mysticism in the Middle Ages. During the French Revolution, its nuns fled and the building fell into ruin for a century and a half. The Unterlinden was saved in the mid-19th century by local scholar Louis Hugot and has been a museum since 1953.
Another top attraction in the city is the Bartholdi Museum in the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, famous for creating the Statue of Liberty. The museum displays statues, busts and original models of the artist's work (http://www.musee-bartholdi.com).
The Colmar International Music Festival takes place each July and draws international musicians for several days of performances.
In the winter, the top event is the Christmas Market from the end of November to the end of December, featuring music, dining and ice skating.
For more on Colmar, visit http://www.ot-colmar.fr.
