Colmar and the Petite Venise

It’s a smooth 64 km run from Strasbourg on the A35, skirting the first Vosges foothills and the Hengst Grand Cru slopes near Wintzenheim before dropping into Colmar at 197 meters. Half-timbered facades from the 1500s line the Lauch in Little Venice, and the former Tanners’ Quarter still tells of leatherwork that thrived into the 19th century. Inside the Unterlinden Museum, the Isenheim Altarpiece (1512–1516) by Grünewald and Nicolas de Haguenau anchors the Rhine school. We drop you at the pedestrian zone: walk, read the beam markings, follow the water.

From there, the half-day unfolds with ease: hotel pickup, Mercedes on standby, and flexible sequencing while your driver handles parking and traffic. In Colmar with your private chauffeur, sip a glass of Pinot Gris by Pont Turenne, step into the Gothic halls of the Koïfhus, then graze the Covered Market for a warm pretzel; time passes, comfort doesn’t. Return when you wish, taking in Rue des Marchands and the Pfister House, with not a minute lost hunting for a spot.