Colmar & Alsace

The Trip That Began Without a Map

Alsace was not one of the anchors around which we built our month in Europe.

It was an addition near the end — a region we had seen in travel videos and in the photographs of people we followed. Colmar looked as if a storybook had been built at full scale: colorful timber-framed houses, narrow lanes, canals and flower boxes everywhere.

The geography made the decision easy. Colmar was close enough to our base in Faulensee to continue the road trip naturally, and it kept us within reach of Zurich for the flight home. We added four nights, expecting a beautiful final stop and the chance to explore several villages across the Alsace region.

Then, just as we entered France and needed directions most, our cellular data stopped working. We lost access to maps, the check-in video and the online details that normally make an unfamiliar arrival feel routine. A gas-station stop did not solve the problem; the language barrier kept us from explaining exactly what we needed.

What eventually helped was remarkably ordinary. I found a coffee shop with Wi-Fi, pulled up the route and took sequential screenshots from the shop to the apartment. Because I had studied the exterior photographs, written down the street and watched the check-in video more than once, we could fill in the missing pieces from memory. The coffee shop turned out to be only a few blocks from the rental.

That stressful beginning did not become the story of the stay. Once the car was parked, Colmar was easy to walk. We could wander without an ambitious agenda, ride the little green sightseeing train, let Preston choose the carousel and splash pad, and return to the apartment when the family needed a reset.

The surrounding villages rewarded the same openness. Rain emptied Eguisheim and sent us into a tiny wine bar we might otherwise have passed. Kaysersberg and Riquewihr became last-minute departure stops because we did not want to leave Alsace without seeing more of the route. By the time we reached Zurich, the summer visit had already shown us a trip we would want next: Colmar at Christmas, with more village time and more room for wine tasting.

The arrival required a map. The part we loved most began once we could simply wander.

Our Trip at a Glance

• WhenJune 27–30, 2024 · three nights, originally booked for four.
• BaseA two-bedroom Airbnb in central Colmar, an easy walk from the historic center.
• Getting ThereRental car from Faulensee, Switzerland; onward to a hotel beside Zurich Airport.
• How We MovedOn foot in Colmar, the regional train to Strasbourg, and the car for Eguisheim, Freiburg, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr.
• Who CameTwo adults, a toddler and a young infant, at the end of a month in Europe.
• The Shape of the DaysOne unhurried Colmar day, one day trip by train, one rainy cross-border day, and two villages on the way out.

Why We Chose Colmar

A Storybook Stop That Fit the Route

We chose Colmar because it looked beautiful, but the route made that curiosity practical. After Switzerland, the drive carried us naturally into northeastern France without forcing a flight or a major detour. Zurich remained close enough for the final departure.

At this point in the trip, that mattered. We had been traveling for nearly a month with a toddler and a young infant. We still wanted to explore, but we did not need another logistically complicated stop. Colmar offered a compact center, a comfortable apartment and a cluster of nearby towns that could be visited individually.

Why Colmar Became the Right Base

Colmar worked because it was a destination in its own right. We did not have to leave town to feel that we had arrived in Alsace. On the day we stayed close, the streets, green train, carousel, splash pad and restaurant patio were enough.

At the same time, the rental car placed the wine villages within easy reach, and the train made Strasbourg a straightforward day trip. That combination allowed one base to support several different kinds of days.

A Walkable Two-Bedroom Apartment

Our Airbnb sat inside a residential complex with parking directly on site. Once we found it, the location made the rest of the stay easier. Central Colmar was a very comfortable walk, and the same coffee shop that rescued our arrival became a familiar landmark along the route into town.

The apartment had two separate bedrooms, a living room with a pullout couch and two bathrooms, although only one included a shower. A kitchen and laundry setup in one of the bathrooms gave us the practical pieces we needed near the end of a long trip.

A small patio gave us somewhere to sit outside. A grocery store was directly across from the complex, which was especially useful on arrival night when no one wanted another complicated outing.

We had originally booked through July 1. When we decided to sleep beside Zurich Airport before the flight home, we gave up the final Colmar night. The apartment still worked well for the shortened stay.

The Arrival That Tested Our Backup Plan

The cellular-data failure happened without useful warning. As we entered France, maps disappeared at exactly the point when we needed to leave the larger roads and locate a specific apartment entrance.

Kyle and I did not solve the problem gracefully in the first few minutes. We were rattled, tired and trying to think while two kids waited in the car. The gas station felt like the obvious place to ask for help, but we could not bridge the language gap well enough to get usable directions.

The coffee shop changed everything. With Wi-Fi, I could open the map, capture each turn and carry the route back to the car. The exterior photographs and the details I had written down confirmed when we were finally in the right place.

Check-in still required some memory. The lockbox and entry sequence had been explained in an online video we could no longer open, but we had watched it enough times to work through the steps. Once inside, we crossed to the grocery store, bought a few essentials and called the day complete.

A saved address was helpful. Downloaded maps and offline check-in instructions would have been better.

A Full Day in Colmar

The Quiet Morning Before We All Went Out

I began the first full day with an early solo walk. Colmar was quiet enough to notice the architecture before the streets filled, and the morning gave me time to photograph the town at its calmest.

I stopped at Les Délices de Saint-Martin for pastries and carried them back to the apartment. Eating breakfast together at the rental allowed the family to begin slowly instead of turning the first meal into another schedule.

The Green Train and a Day Built Around Wandering

Around midday, we walked into town and boarded Colmar's green sightseeing train. It was an easy orientation activity and an outing Preston could enjoy without needing to understand why each building mattered.

Afterward, we continued on foot. The agenda was intentionally light: look at the streets, follow what interested us and stay flexible. The clear, cloudless weather made this our best day for seeing Colmar at its brightest.

We also tried tarte flambée, the thin Alsatian specialty often compared with pizza. It was not for our family. We do not remember the restaurant, and we did not leave eager to order it again. That honest reaction belongs in the guide as much as the meals we loved.

The Carousel and the Clothes-On Splash Pad

Later, we reached the carousel near Place Rapp. It was one of the prettiest carousels we encountered during the entire trip and an immediate success with Preston.

A small splash pad sat nearby. We had not packed swim clothes, but the day was too beautiful and the invitation to play was too obvious. Preston ran through the water fully dressed and had a wonderful time.

We found the Colmar sign and ate at Café Rapp, directly on the square. I especially remember a fried-chicken-style dish that was very good. More than the menu, the location made the meal easy: we could eat beside the same open space where the day had already worked so well for him.

Strasbourg by Train

We took the train from Colmar to Strasbourg with a simple plan: wander. We walked through La Petite France, followed the canals and let the historic quarter provide the shape of the day.

The carousel gave Preston another familiar point of entry into a new city. The boys did not need a formal attraction schedule; walking, watching the water and stopping when something caught our attention were enough.

We ate lunch on the terrace at La Corde à Linge in the heart of La Petite France. We do not remember what we ordered, but we remember the food being good and the patio setting placing us directly inside the atmosphere we had come to experience.

Taking the train allowed us to avoid parking and made Strasbourg feel like a distinct outing rather than another segment of the road trip. After returning to Colmar, we went back to the apartment and rested before deciding what the evening could hold.

Eguisheim in the Rain

After the midday break, we drove from Colmar to Eguisheim. We had heard the village described through the visual language of Beauty and the Beast, and its curved lanes, colorful facades and compact scale made the comparison easy to understand.

The weather turned while we were there. Instead of ruining the visit, the rain emptied the streets. Many of our photographs contain no one else at all, an unusual experience in a village known for drawing visitors.

When the rain strengthened, we ducked into LS Bar by chance. The small space sat along a charming alley and gave us exactly what the family needed: local wine, a few snacks, kind service and time to regain our bearings while the weather passed.

Eguisheim became memorable not because we completed a list, but because the weather changed the rhythm. We had the streets nearly to ourselves and found one of the most pleasant stops of the stay by simply stepping inside the closest open door.

The rain did not take Eguisheim away from us. It gave us a quieter version of it.

A Rainy Day Trip to Germany

Freiburg im Breisgau Without a Big Agenda

We drove across the border to Freiburg im Breisgau largely because we wanted to experience Germany during this trip. We did not arrive with a detailed itinerary, and the poor weather reduced the amount of wandering we wanted to do.

On the drive in, we continued a family travel tradition: trying McDonald's in another country. The German breakfast became one of the best McDonald's meals we have had in our travels — a small, funny comparison point that has become part of how we experience places together.

We walked through the old town and central square, but the day never developed into a deep exploration of Freiburg. That is the honest version. We had reached a new country, looked around and allowed the weather and our energy to limit the ambition.

The Beer Garden We Found by Following the Music

Live music led us to Hausbrauerei Feierling Biergarten. We had not built the day around the stop; we simply heard the music and followed it.

The beer garden gave the outing its best memory. We listened to the live music, settled in together and let Kyle enjoy a couple of German beers before we returned to Colmar. It was a good place to spend the time we had, even if Freiburg itself remained only lightly explored.

Two Villages Before Zurich

After the beer garden, we returned to the Colmar apartment, collected our luggage and checked out. We had been saying that the one thing we regretted was not seeing more of the smaller wine villages. Before turning toward Zurich, we mapped a route that could include two.

Kaysersberg

We reached Kaysersberg around 5:30 p.m. The village was exceptionally quiet and beautiful. We walked, sampled local wines and allowed the stop to remain simple. Its bridges, timber-framed buildings and compact streets made us glad we had not driven directly to the airport hotel.

Riquewihr

Riquewihr made the Christmas version of Alsace easy to imagine. Even in summer, the village felt arranged for wonder: preserved streets, decorated storefronts and Christmas shops that remained open out of season.

We could picture returning when the lights, markets and holiday traditions filled the same streets. The summer visit did not feel incomplete; it revealed another season we wanted to experience.

From Riquewihr, we continued to the Radisson Blu beside Zurich Airport. Leaving Colmar one night early reduced the uncertainty around our July 1 flight, while the village stops allowed the final afternoon in Alsace to feel used rather than surrendered.

What We Ate and Drank

The defining food memory was not the regional dish we expected to love. Tarte flambée was not for us, and we are comfortable saying so. A firsthand guide should make room for preference without turning one meal into a verdict on an entire cuisine.

The moments we remember more warmly were attached to the rhythm of the days: pastries carried home from Les Délices de Saint-Martin; the fried-chicken-style dish at Café Rapp; lunch on the La Corde à Linge terrace; wine and snacks during the rain at LS Bar; and local wine in Kaysersberg.

Germany contributed a very different pair of memories: the surprisingly good McDonald's breakfast and the beers at Hausbrauerei Feierling while live music played.

On a return, we would approach the region's food-and-drink story differently. Colmar would remain the base, but we would reserve more time for deliberate wine tastings in the smaller villages rather than fitting every taste into the edges of a sightseeing day.

Traveling with a Toddler and a Young Infant

For Preston

The best parts of Colmar for Preston were not complicated. The green sightseeing train, carousel and splash pad gave him clear points of excitement inside an adult-friendly walking day.

The familiar pattern continued in Strasbourg with another carousel. In the villages, the hiking backpack helped when the cobblestones, weather or length of the walk made riding more practical than moving independently.

For Avery

We used both the stroller and soft carrier for Avery. The stroller handled Colmar and Strasbourg well enough, even on cobblestones, but the soft carrier was often easier in the smaller villages and during wet weather.

Having both options allowed us to choose based on the specific outing rather than forcing one piece of gear to work everywhere.

For the Adults

The apartment break on June 29 mattered. Returning after Strasbourg gave everyone time to reset before Eguisheim. Without that pause, the rainy village outing might have felt like one plan too many.

The region also worked because adult pleasures and family movement could sit beside one another: a café beside the square, wine while the rain passed, a beer garden with live music and beautiful streets that did not require a ticketed activity.

Walking, Trains and the Rental Car

When We Walked

From the apartment, central Colmar was close enough to reach comfortably on foot. Once there, walking was the point. The small scale allowed us to follow streets rather than build an attraction-to-attraction itinerary.

When We Took the Train

The regional train was the right choice for Strasbourg. It removed a parking task, gave the outing a clear beginning and end, and allowed us to return to the apartment before the second half of the day.

When the Car Mattered

The rental car made Eguisheim, Freiburg, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and the eventual drive to Zurich possible on our timing. For this particular route, it gave us the freedom to add villages late in the day and carry all of our luggage without another transfer.

The data failure exposed the car's tradeoff: flexibility depends on navigation. On a future road trip, offline maps, downloaded check-in instructions and a saved screenshot of the apartment exterior would be part of the preparation rather than an afterthought.

Weather, Cobblestones and a Short Stay

The Weather Changed the Order, Not the Value

June 28 gave us flawless blue sky for Colmar. By the Eguisheim evening, the rain had arrived, and the weather remained poor for much of the Freiburg day.

The contrast mattered. Clear weather helped Colmar look exactly like the photographs that had brought us there. Rain made Eguisheim quieter and more intimate. In Freiburg, the same weather exposed the weakness of arriving without a stronger plan.

The Stroller Was Capable, Not Perfect

The stroller managed the cobblestones well enough that they did not prevent us from exploring. Still, “possible” is not always the same as “easiest.” In the smaller villages, the soft carrier often required less negotiation with narrow or uneven streets.

Three Nights Was Enough for This Chapter

Shortening the stay did not make Alsace feel unfinished at the end of a month-long trip. We saw Colmar, Strasbourg, several villages and part of Freiburg without needing every day to be full from morning through night.

For a focused visit, we believe three to four nights can work well. A traveler building the trip around wineries, museums or Christmas markets could easily justify more.

The short stay worked because Colmar was both the base and one of the places we most wanted to experience.

What We Would Repeat and Change

What We Would Do Again

• Base the trip in Colmar within an easy walk of the historic center.
• Give Colmar one unhurried day rather than treating it only as a place to sleep.
• Take the train to Strasbourg and keep that outing centered on wandering La Petite France.
• Return to the apartment for a midday reset when the family needs one.
• Use the rental car for evening or departure-day village stops.
• Let the weather create an unexpected pause instead of forcing the original plan.
• Keep the final night beside Zurich Airport before an early or high-stakes travel morning.

What We Would Change

• Download regional maps before crossing a border or leaving reliable service.
• Save the full check-in instructions, lockbox video and exterior images offline.
• Choose one meaningful Freiburg anchor before arrival rather than relying entirely on wandering.
• Protect more time for wine tastings in the smaller Alsatian villages.
• Build the return around the Christmas season and verify the current market calendar before booking.

Who Is This Trip For?

Colmar and Alsace are a strong fit for families who enjoy walkable historic centers, beautiful streets, short regional outings and a trip where wandering can be the main activity. The carousels, sightseeing train, splash pad and manageable scale gave our toddler enough of his own experience inside the larger family itinerary.

The region also suits travelers who want to pair a French base with easy access to wine villages, Strasbourg and a cross-border outing. A rental car adds flexibility, though families should compare current regional transportation if they prefer not to drive.

It may be a less natural fit for travelers seeking a long list of major ticketed attractions or completely smooth stroller surfaces. This version of Alsace was strongest when we let architecture, food, wine and ordinary family time carry the day.

Why We Want to Return at Christmas

Colmar was our favorite place in the region and the base we would choose again. The summer visit showed us that the city could support a family trip even before any seasonal programming was added.

The villages made the return idea more specific. Christmas shops were already open, and Riquewihr in particular looked prepared for lights and market stalls even in June. We could imagine the same route transformed.

A winter visit would not simply repeat this trip with colder weather. We would spend more time in the villages, plan around the current market schedules, make wine tasting part of the itinerary and allow Colmar to anchor the evenings.

That is the clearest measure of what Alsace gave us in three nights: not the feeling that we failed to finish, but a clear idea of how we want to return.

What Alsace Left With Us

This stop began with one of the most stressful arrivals of the month. We had no working map, no access to the check-in instructions and no immediate confidence that we were even close to the apartment.

The problem was real, but it was also temporary. We found Wi-Fi, reconstructed the route and kept moving. By the next morning, I was walking Colmar alone before breakfast, and the streets that had been difficult to locate were already becoming familiar.

The memories that remained were not about the outage. They were Preston running through a splash pad in his clothes, empty Eguisheim streets after the rain, music drifting from a Freiburg beer garden, a final wine taste in Kaysersberg and the first moment Riquewihr made us picture Christmas.

Alsace reminded us that a trip does not need a singular landmark to feel complete. Sometimes the place is the experience: the streets, the pauses, the weather, the table you find by accident and the route you decide to extend before leaving.

We came for the storybook photographs. We left remembering how the days actually unfolded.