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Routes · Europe

Manila to Alsace: Strasbourg and Colmar

Manila → Strasbourg → Colmar

Strasbourg
"Strasbourg_Cathedral.jpg" by Jonathan Martz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Strasbourg Cathedral (Strasbourg)
Photo: Jonathan Martz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Alsace towns, wine & Christmas markets Best season (general guide): May–Oct; late Nov–Dec markets

Alsace sits on the border between France and Germany, and its towns mix both cultures, from the food to the architecture. This short route spends three nights in Strasbourg and three in Colmar. From Manila you'll connect through Paris, Frankfurt or a Gulf hub.

Strasbourg's island centre, the Grande-Île, and the later German-built Neustadt are listed together by UNESCO. The cathedral rises above the old town, and climbing its platform gives a view towards the Black Forest. Petite France, once the tanners' and millers' quarter, is a maze of canals and half-timbered houses, best seen from a boat.

Colmar is smaller and even more picturesque. Its Little Venice district has pastel houses along a canal. The Unterlinden Museum holds the Isenheim Altarpiece, a powerful Renaissance work. From Colmar, the Alsace wine route winds through villages such as Riquewihr and Eguisheim, and the castle of Haut-Kœnigsbourg stands on a hill above the vineyards.

May to October brings the warmest weather and long evenings for terraces. From late November, the Christmas markets fill the squares of both towns, and Strasbourg's is one of the oldest in Europe.

Alsatian food is hearty: choucroute with sausages, flammekueche, a thin tart baked in a wood oven, and local white wines such as Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

If you have an extra half day in Strasbourg, the covered bridges and the Vauban dam at the edge of Petite France give a good view back over the rooftops and the canals.

Good to know: Frequent trains link Strasbourg and Colmar in well under an hour. For the wine villages, hire a car or bike, or join a small tour. In December, book accommodation early and visit the markets on weekdays to avoid the biggest crowds.

Suggested outline

  1. Manila

    Start

  2. Strasbourg

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    The cathedral, the canals of Petite France and the European Parliament quarter.

  3. Colmar

    Overland · 3 nights suggested

    Half-timbered old town, the Unterlinden Museum and the Alsace wine route villages.

    Colmar
    "View_of_Église_Saint-Martin_(43833049001).jpg" by --sinava-- from Berlin, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Strasbourg — Arrive; the cathedral square· Manila → Strasbourg (by air) — long-haul; may arrive the next calendar day
  2. Day 2 · Strasbourg — Petite France and a canal boat
  3. Day 3 · Strasbourg — Neustadt and the European quarter
  4. Day 4 · Colmar — Train to Colmar; Little Venice· Strasbourg → Colmar (overland)
  5. Day 5 · Colmar — Unterlinden Museum
  6. Day 6 · Colmar — Wine route villages and Haut-Kœnigsbourg
  7. Day 7 · Colmar — Travel home from Colmar· Colmar → Strasbourg (overland), then Strasbourg → Manila (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Strasbourg

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Colmar

Nearest airport: Strasbourg Search fares · Strasbourg ↗

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