Your gîte near Colmar, in the heart of the Alsace Wine Route

Colmar in a day from the gîte

About half an hour's drive away, Colmar is an effortless day trip. The old town is made for walking: you simply wander from one cobbled lane to the next, between timbered façades and flower-decked canals. Here are the highlights worth planning your day around:

• The Unterlinden museum and the Isenheim Altarpiece

  ~30 min

  Set in a former convent, one of France's finest museums is home to the celebrated Isenheim Altarpiece, a masterpiece of early-16th-century painting.

• Little Venice

  ~30 min

  Colmar's most photographed quarter: colourful houses along the River Lauch, flat-bottomed boats and flower-laden bridges. Magical at first light or late in the day.

• The Maison des Têtes

  ~30 min

  A Renaissance façade adorned with more than a hundred carved heads — one of the landmark buildings of old Colmar.

• The historic centre and the Tanners' district

  ~30 min

  Tall half-timbered houses, a covered market hall and lively squares: all the charm of a town of art and history, best explored without a map.

The southern Wine Route, within easy reach

Colmar is also the gateway to the loveliest wine villages of the Haut-Rhin. From Dambach-la-Ville you can easily combine the town and the surrounding villages in a single day. These villages, regularly named among the most beautiful in France, reward an unhurried visit:

Riquewihr with its intact medieval ramparts, Kaysersberg tucked beneath its imperial castle, Eguisheim and its concentric rings of lanes — picture-postcard scenes where you stop to taste a glass of Riesling or Gewurztraminer straight from a grower's cellar. Travel midweek and you can have many of these villages almost to yourself.

• Riquewihr

  ~30 min

  Intact medieval lanes and decorated ramparts in the heart of the vineyard — a favourite among lovers of Alsace wine.

• Kaysersberg

  ~35 min

  Voted France's favourite village in 2017: a fortified bridge, an imperial castle and welcoming cellars.

• Eguisheim

  ~40 min

  A village of concentric, flower-filled lanes, often called the cradle of Alsatian winegrowing.

All of eastern Alsace, fanning out from Dambach

The advantage of staying between Colmar and Strasbourg is that you can fan out in every direction without ever spending more than about three quarters of an hour on the road. One day Colmar and the southern vineyard, the next Strasbourg and its cathedral — and in between, a thousand quieter discoveries.

The castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg crowns the plain about 25 minutes from the gîte; the Monkey Mountain (Montagne des Singes) and the Eagles' Aviary (Volerie des Aigles) at Kintzheim, just 15 minutes away, delight visitors of every age; and Sélestat — the documented birthplace of the Christmas tree — along with the towns of Obernai and Barr round out the picture. Dambach-la-Ville itself, a fortified wine village, is well worth your time, with its ramparts, its Saint-Sébastien chapel and a vineyard trail that starts right from the gîte.

• Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle

  ~25 min

  A restored medieval fortress perched at 757 metres, with breathtaking views over the Alsatian plain and the Black Forest beyond.

• Monkey Mountain & Eagles' Aviary

  ~15 min

  At Kintzheim: more than 200 Barbary macaques roaming a forest and a birds-of-prey display inside a castle — perfect for families.

• Strasbourg

  ~40 min

  The European capital, its Gothic cathedral and the Petite France quarter — under an hour away by car, or reachable by train from Dambach.

• Sélestat

  ~15 min

  Its Humanist Library holds the oldest known written mention of the Christmas tree (1521). Rich heritage on your doorstep.

Why choose Dambach-la-Ville over Colmar?

Choosing Dambach-la-Ville means a quieter and often more affordable stay than central Colmar, without giving up any of the access. The village sits right on the Wine Route, ringed by medieval ramparts and fortified gates and surrounded by vines — an authentic setting you will be glad to return to each evening.

At the gîte, three self-contained apartments await you: Cœur de l'Ours (60 m² / about 645 sq ft, sleeps 4), Rêve de l'Ours (70 m² / about 750 sq ft, sleeps 5, mountain view) and Grenier de l'Ours (a 90 m² / about 970 sq ft loft, sleeps 7) — up to 15 guests in total if you book the whole house. Each has a fully equipped kitchen, handy for cooking up good market produce after a day of sightseeing. Your hosts, Corinne and Mathias, know the region inside out and are happy to point you towards their favourite spots.

In the morning the bakery is just across the street for fresh croissants; for lunch or dinner, three restaurants are about 200 metres away. And with a 9.8/10 rating on Booking, the gîte is a firm favourite with travellers using it as their base around Colmar.