Plonked on a hill above the centre for all to behold in wonder, the Romanesque and Gothic St Stephansmünster shelters a faded fresco cycle, Martin Schongauer’s The Last Judgment (1491), and a magnificent altar triptych (1526) carved from linden wood. From the tree-shaded square outside, the Schänzletreppe steps lead down to the Gutgesellentor, the gate where Pope John XXIII was scandalously caught fleeing the Council of Constance in 1415.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Freiburger Münster
12.87 MILES
With its lacy spires, cheeky gargoyles and intricate entrance portal, Freiburg’s 11th-century minster cuts an impressive figure above the central market…
Vitra Campus
29.69 MILES
Showcasing the works of the adjoining, eponymous high-end furniture manufacturer, Vitra Campus comprises the dazzling Vitra Design Museum (of Guggenheim…
Musée d’Unterlinden
10.95 MILES
Gathered around a Gothic-style Dominican cloister, this revamped museum hides a prized medieval stone statue collection, late-15th-century prints by…
Cave de Ribeauvillé
16.23 MILES
France’s oldest winegrowers’ cooperative, which brings together 40 vintners, was founded in 1895. The huge, contemporary building contains a viniculture…
Petite Venise
10.73 MILES
If you see just one thing in Colmar, make it the Little Venice quarter. Canal connection aside, it doesn’t resemble Venice in the slightest, but it's…
Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg
18.71 MILES
On its fairy-tale perch above vineyards and hills, the turreted red-sandstone Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg is worth a detour for the wraparound panorama…
Vieille Ville
16.47 MILES
Along the main street that threads through the old town, keep an eye out for the 17th-century Pfifferhüs, which once housed the town’s fife-playing…
Ecomusée d’Alsace
18.31 MILES
Ecomusée d’Alsace is a fascinating excursion into Alsatian country life and time-honoured crafts. Smiths, cartwrights, potters and coopers do their thing…
Nearby Breisach attractions
1. Neuf-Brisach
2.51 MILES
Vauban’s French fortified town of Neuf-Brisach (New Breisach), a Unesco World Heritage Site, sits 4km west of Breisach. Shaped like an eight-pointed star,…
2. Musée Vauban
2.66 MILES
A Unesco World Heritage Site since 2008, the citadel of Neuf-Brisach has remarkably well-preserved fortifications. The Musée Vauban, below the porte de…
3. Musée du Jouet
10.66 MILES
Kids of every age delight at the sight of toys from generations past – from demure 1950s Barbies to Gaultier-clad dolls and Hornby train sets – at this…
4. Église St-Matthieu
10.69 MILES
Quintessentially Protestant in its austerity, this Franciscan church has something of a split personality. From 1715 to 1987, a wall divided the soaring…
5. Petite Venise
10.73 MILES
If you see just one thing in Colmar, make it the Little Venice quarter. Canal connection aside, it doesn’t resemble Venice in the slightest, but it's…
6. Ancienne Douane
10.73 MILES
At the southern tip of rue des Marchands is this late-medieval customs house, with loggia and variegated tile roof, which now hosts temporary exhibitions…
7. Pont Rue de Turenne
10.76 MILES
For photogenic views of Colmar's canal-woven Petite Venise district, head to this bridge at the top of rue de Turenne.
8. Maison Pfister
10.78 MILES
This Renaissance pile was built in 1537 for Ludwig Scherer, a wealthy hatter from Besançon. With its delicately painted panels, elaborate oriel window and…