Tag: Colmar

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JY’s in Colmar, France

Housed in an elegant 17th-century residence in the heart of Colmar’s Little Venice, Jean-Yves Schillinger’s canal-side restaurant impresses with its style and substance. This Michelin two-star restaurant delighted us throughout every course.

As for the food, Schillinger’s style marries whimsy with technical brilliance. Every course was a delight, first for our eyes and lastly in our bellies.

Our amuse bouche was an array of stuffed olives presented on a olive wood tray with an olive branch hanging over it. Yummy and pretty.

The soup course was almost too pretty to eat. Tomato broth, olive oil, and vegetables and edible flowers…melt in my mouth.

What appears to be an egg in an egg shell was not. The bite of creamy custard was the perfect palette cleanser.

As a complimentary dessert tray, these bites disappeared quickly.

This experience was our highlight of the day. Be sure to check out JY’s if you are in or near Colmar. By the way…reserve ahead and arrive hungry.

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Buildings of Colmar, France

I’m not sure you can find an ugly building in the center of Colmar. As you get closer to the Quai de Poissoniers, nicknamed Petit Venice, you will find a row along the canal of picture-perfect houses. Many are half-timbered houses painted in shades of pink, yellow, and sky blue.

Some of these buildings date back to the 14th century. Many survived multiple wars, seemingly unscathed. This was the old merchants’ quarter where tanners, butchers, and fishmongers lived.

The story goes that different colors were used to display different types of businesses. If you were a fisherman your house was blue. A butcher would have a red house.

Other buildings offer a mix of French and German influence. Half-timbered, storks nests on the chimneys, and signs displaying what the home or building was once for are common along all the main streets and back alleys.

This is a great town for walking.

In the summer this area will be filled with tourists taking pictures, riding the flat-bottomed boats in the canal, and relaxing with a glass of wine or beer at one of the many sidewalk cafes.

Want less people? Head to Colmar in early May or late September.

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Canals of Colmar, France

The little 45 km long river runs from the Vosges and crosses the town of Guebwiller, before entering the Alsace Plain. It flows into the River Ill in the outskirts west of Colmar. At the crossing of the Krutenau district, the Lauch was used by the market gardeners, fishmongers and tanners who passed through there in small, flat-bottomed boats.



We walked along the canal, taking in the beauty of the flowers and decorated houses and buildings. Stork’s nests sat atop many chimneys and roofs. Every now and then we would see a nest perched on a gate or fence post.

Storks have been a part of Alsace for centuries and are thought to be symbols of happiness and good luck. A program started in 1983 brought storks back from being threatened to a successful repopulation.

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Colmar, France

Our trip took us to Colmar, a town in the Grand Est region of northeastern France, near the border with Germany.


Spices at the market in Colmar.

Like most towns, Colmar has a Saturday market. This one is indoors, in a building designed by architect Louis-Michel Blotz in 1865. Local products, fruits, vegetables, meats, and more are only part of the attraction. Located inside and spilling outside to the Lauch River is a bar and terrace.

Shop for your produce and stop for a drink. Coffee, wine, or both…

The market building is located at 13 rue des Ecoles, in Colmar.

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Colmar VRBO

When traveling and staying in an area for several days, we don’t usually stay in hotels. Instead, we opt for a vacation rental or an Airbnb.

We find we have more options this way. We have the ability to eat in if we want, more room to spread out, and we feel a little less like a tourist who is in town for a day or two. We’ve stayed in everything from a roomy estate to a small apartment.

We’ve had noise that couldn’t be shut out to places with absolute quiet. There have been floors that squeaked if you even thought about stepping on them. We’ve had tiny lifts to the fourth floor and places where we carried our luggage up 79 old, worn, stone steps. There have been views worthy of the best postcards. And, views of a brick wall.

In Colmar, France, we opted to rent a VRBO (vacation rental by owner) in the middle of town.

As usual, we read all the reviews, contacted the owner, and checked out Google street view before we booked. What did we find?

The apartment was exactly as billed. Spacious, more than enough room, great location, and positive interaction with the manager. One problem was rectified as soon as they could. The lift to the fourth floor was not working when we arrived. Four of us carried our luggage up five flights of stairs. The following day it was fixed and made life easier when we carried up some wine we purchased at a local winery.

This apartment was two stories. One bedroom and bath were on the first floor. Two bedrooms and a bathroom were on the second floor. Not a big deal…until you saw the stairs leading to the second floor. This curved staircase with its small steps was only a challenge taking our luggage to the second floor.

Location was great. We were just steps to restaurants, shops, the market, and local life. Our parking garage was only a 10-minute walk.

All in all, a great location and a wonderful apartment in Colmar.