Destination: Eguisheim & Colmar, France

While staying in Strasbourg for a week in late November, I also took day trips to other towns in the Alsace region. I was especially keen on checking out the villages near Colmar, which are reputed to be one of the most beautiful in France– in fact, three of them– Eguisheim, Riquewihr, and Hunawihr– are included on the independent association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (“The Most Beautiful Villages of France”), and I made it my mission to see them while in the area.

Eguisheim (pronounced “eh-gee-syme”) was first to be visited. Located about a 10-minute drive from Colmar, it’s situated along the sweeping route des Vins (as Alsace is a notable wine-producing region, especially Riesling– my favorite), and it’s known for its picturesque charm. With a population of around 1500, it’s tiny, and it makes for a doable day trip from the bigger cities like Strasbourg or Colmar.

I will admit that Eguisheim hadn’t been on my itinerary in the beginning– originally, I was only planning to visit Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, dedicating a day to both villages. However, I later realized that I also had an extra free day, so that was when I decided to squeeze in a visit to Eguisheim. With that said, I went, and I don’t regret it at all!

Getting to Eguisheim via public transport is tricky, but not impossible. Ideally, it would’ve been better to have based myself in Colmar, but I still managed to go from Strasbourg. It was only a matter of catching an early-morning train to Colmar and taking a regional bus over. Bus hours were fairly limited, running no more than four times a day, but I made sure to time it well, and in the end, it worked out pretty well. Based on the bus times to and from Eguisheim, I could give myself four hours to visit the village in the morning, which is plenty of time to see everything that there’s to be seen.

From Strasbourg, I caught a 7:10 train to Colmar. The journey only took half-an-hour, and I soon arrived at Colmar’s gare. Just right outside the station was the gare routière, so after waiting about 15 minutes, the line 208 bus arrived, and I took it to Eguisheim. It was no more than a 10-minute ride, and I was soon dropped off at the village’s post office, located just a five-minute walk from the historic center.

Since I arrived very early (8:15) for anything to be open, I spent about an hour making the touristy circuit around the village. Eguisheim is essentially designed in a circular structure, which makes it nearly impossible to get lost (even for the most direction-less individual like myself).

Depending how quickly you walk (and how many times you stop to take photos), the circuit of Eguisheim takes about 15-30 minutes on-average to complete. Aside from the narrow cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses, and a few souvenir shops, there isn’t much to it– however, it’s extremely picturesque, and it’s no wonder tourists come to revel in its Alsatian charm, as well as its “les Plus Beaux Villages de France” status. Despite the rather dreary, rainy day when I went, Eguisheim was still very pretty, and nothing could stop it from being so!

I completed the circuit within half an hour; I still had about three hours until the next bus back to Colmar, so I popped into a boulangerie-salon du thé where I got a Black Forest cake with tea. As it was winter, temperatures were chilly, so I was willing to pay for a light food break to get out of the cold.

Places started opening up around 10:00, so I headed out once again to explore Eguisheim some more. I visited the place du Château where I entered the château Saint-Léon (dedicated to the eponymous local saint of the 11th century). While much of the building remains today, only the chapel is accessible, so I just checked out the interior before continuing on my way.

Following my visit of the château, as well as completing the village’s circuit, I saw Eguisheim in about two hours. I caught the 12:20 bus (line 440 this time) back to Colmar– I passed through the scenic route des Vins on the way back, which was absolutely stunning. Although the vineyards weren’t flourishing at that time of year, they were still pretty in their late-autumn glow– this was the glimpse of Alsace that I hadn’t expected, but nevertheless greatly appreciated.

I returned to Colmar in the early afternoon. Although I’d visited three years prior while in Strasbourg, I decided to revisit it before I took the train back to Strasbourg in the late afternoon. The Christmas markets were already on when I arrived, and I actually liked them more than Strasbourg’s– perhaps it was because the markets were more densely-packed, as the city itself is smaller, but I enjoyed it more. There, I got a spätzle-sausage-sauerkraut dish and vin chaud as a late lunch, which I found very tasty.

It was my second visit to Colmar, so I didn’t explore so much that afternoon. Much of my visit was concentrated at the Collégiale Saint-Martin (the city’s church) and at Petite Venise. Somewhere in-between, I wandered the winding historic streets, also containing plenty of colorful half-timbered houses associated with the Alsace region. I bought a postcard, as well as a new burgundy beanie to keep my head warm (as well as stylish!).

My time in Colmar was short, perhaps no more than four hours. I took the 16:40 train back to Strasbourg, and I returned to my friend’s flat afterwards. It’d been a long day of visiting two places, as well as timing buses and trains, but in the end, I’m glad that it all worked out, and that I got to see Eguisheim for the first time, as well as revisit Colmar (which I confess has my heart as my favorite city in Alsace– sorry, Strasbourg!).

I’ll be covering more of my adventures while in Alsace this past November soon. Stay tuned!

 

— Rebecca