Colmar, France; The Prettiest City in Europe?

Is Colmar the prettiest city in Europe?  Well it sure is the prettiest city I've been to so far in Europe.  And I think you can see why.  Every street in this town is straight out of a fairy tale.  I had a goal in my mind for what I call the Germany/France Border Trifecta.  Basically, I wanted to see Strasbourg, Metz, and Colmar, France, because they are beautiful French towns on the German border and after my trip to Colmar, I have completed this goal.  Metz is completely different looking but worth a visit.  And Strasbourg and Colmar are similar, but Colmar is by far my favorite.  I just can't get over how gorgeous this place is.  

I'd planned a two day trip here with my mother and aunt and this was the perfect amount of time.  We booked a flat through Airbnb and I had yet another great experience.  Colmar is again, part of the Alsace region, known for their wine and it has a complicated past with Germany.  But the German influences here are undeniable.  In Colmar, not many people speak English, though you can get by.  It's best to use French or German here.

You can find parking for free and make sure to hit up the Office de Tourisme first.  Colmar is a lovely town that is walkable within about 2-3 hours.  But it's best to spend the entire day there strolling through the streets, stopping at cafes, and doing some light shopping.  I felt like I was in heaven here.  Take in some sweets at one of the many bakeries where you can see the famous Alsace bunt cakes being made.  Go ahead and take home some of the Alsacian pottery to make your own bunt cake.

There are many little spots in this town to tour but I was most excited about seeing "Little Venice."  Though it looks nothing like Venice, there are little canal ways for you to explore by boat.  We found one of the restaurants where you can buy tickets to ride the boat down "Little Venice".  The tickets are only 6 euro and you can have a seat at the restaurant and enjoy some of the famous Alsacian wine while you are waiting.  The Gewürztraminer was my favorite and no surprise, of the Germany variety.  It's a sweet white wine you will love.  Hungry? Try some of the Flammkuchen or Tarte Flambé as it's called in France. Either way, you are eating France/Germany's version of a thin crust pizza. Oh, and I have to mention that you should also try the creme brûlée!

Once on the boat, you'll stroll down the river which I admit, isn't as scenic as you'd think because most of the route is covered by trees.  But it's a great chance to hear some history about the town from the driver of the boat.  Our driver told us that the houses are so colorful because they used to indicate what type of profession one had.  Green indicated farming, white or tan indicated a tanner, and blue was for fishermen.  Even further back in history, he said that the houses were only white or red to indicate one of two religions.  Could you imagine?  

As we floated down the river I noticed a lot of hearts either painted on the houses or hollowed out on the shutters.  He said this meant that a woman was either available to be married or she was about to be married.  I guess that's one way to let the boys know you are single.

Besides the shopping and endless amount of cafes, there are some expensive antique shops nestled into the streets.  This is a big tourist area, but not as big as say, Paris or Provence, so the atmosphere was way more relaxed and I thoroughly appreciated it.

One more thing I'd like to mention is that the Statue of Liberty in New York was designed by a French sculptor named Frederic Aguste Bartholdi.  Bartholdi was born and raised in Colmar.  The town is very proud of this and you can see a mini Statue of Liberty and a Bartholdi museum in Colmar.

This was a picture heavy post and there were so many more I could have included of Colmar but I had to cut myself off.  This is definitely the prettiest town I've been to so far in Europe and I'd recommend it to anyone!
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