Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NoonewouldcometoColmarsolelyforitsnightlife.Butifyou'reoutafterdinner,itdoes
haveitscharm.LikemanyFrenchcities,Colmarputslotsofcreativeenergyintoitsflood-
lit cityscapes.
Every July and August, five local vintners take 10 days each to show off local wines
at a small
wine festival.
It's held under the historic arches of the Customs House (daily
12:00-24:00). It's self-service, there's no food, and glasses are cheap (€1-3). And if you're
here on a Tuesday in summer, there's likely Alsatian folk dancing at the town's
Folklore
Evening
(Soirée Folklorique, starts at 20:30) to give your wine-tasting a little color.
Rue du Conseil Souverain (stretching from the Customs House to the “Pont de
Fanny”) has a fun line of watering holes—three bars and a cocktail lounge—where you
can enjoy mellow outdoor seating with the locals on balmy evenings or characteristic in-
teriors of your choice when it's cold.
Les Incorruptibles
has an inviting pubby interior—with just a little Alsatian edgi-
ness—and great beers on tap including Chimay, the milkshake of gourmet Belgian, monk-
made beers (1 Rue des Ecoles, tel. 03 89 24 18 32).
J. J. Murphy's Irish Pub
invites you to share a picnic table on the street or take a
trip to Ireland at the bar, where you can enjoy a classic pub vibe and Murphy's Irish Stout
on tap (48 Grand Rue, tel. 03 89 29 06 66).
Sport's Café
is a big screen, Red-Bull-and-foosball place. This is
the
place to be if
there's a big sporting event on TV and you want to share it with a gang of French enthusi-
asts.TheyhavePelforthBlonde,thebestFrenchlager,ontap(3RueduConseilSouverain,
tel. 03 89 23 60 08).
Café à l'Ancienne Douane
is more of a wine bar with a cleaner, more mature ambi-
ence (7 Rue du Conseil Souverain, tel. 03 89 23 54 85).
Hotels are a reasonable value in Colmar. They're busiest on weekends in May, June,
September, and October, and every day in July and August. If you have trouble finding a
bed, ask the TI for help or look in a nearby village, where small hotels and bed-and-break-
fasts are plentiful (see my recommendations in nearby Eguisheim, later).
In the Center
$$$ Hôtel St. Martin***,
ideally situated near the old Customs House, is a family-run
place that began as a coaching inn (since 1361). It has 40 mostly traditional, fairly priced,
