Colmar runs six distinct markets through its old town, each with a character — the gourmet one by the Koïfhus, the children's one with a carousel, the artisans' one in the Koïfhus courtyard — connected by streets of painted half-timbered houses that survived the war almost untouched. The canals of the Petite Venise quarter are lit and reflect it all, which is the photograph that sells the town.
What is published is a forecast rather than a count: the destination agency issues an expected visitor number ahead of the season. A forecast is not attendance, and we do not record it as one.
Colmar is the better-tempered alternative to Strasbourg: smaller, less congested, and an easy base for the wine-route villages — Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim — which run their own markets and are, on a December weekday, among the most pleasant places in France.
PlanningA five-week window; smaller than Strasbourg and usually the more comfortable visit.