Geography : Colmar located down to the Vosges Mountain, is the third largest city in Alsace, and the second of Upper-Rhine, after Mulhouse. A remarkable fact : Colmar, although located in a zone of semi-continental climate (alike Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté areas) is the driest town in France.

Indeed, the average precipitation there is of 53 cm (530 mm) per annum.

An important remark : Many books and websites mention a higher level of precipitation. In fact, these documents quote the figures provided by the French agency of weather forecasts, measurements actually taken at the air base of Colmar-Meyenheim, twenty kilometres away from the town and especially located far from Piedmont of the Vosges.

Why such a phenomenon ?
Because Colmar is located just at the foot of the highest part of the Vosges : the clouds, blocked by the peaks, pour a large part of their water on the Lorraine slope, leaving Colmar with dryness (this weather phenomenon is called the effect of föhn). Thus, it falls in one year more than one meter of water in Epinal, 1.60 meter in Schlucht pass and only 53 cm in Colmar.

The market of Christmas : :

In wintertime the magic of Christmas in Colmar is before and above all produced by the atmosphere of the Old City illuminated and decorated like in a fairy tale. Historic settings rendered magic by the Christmas illuminations that harmoniously fit at this festive period of the year with the exceptional lightings designed to emphasize the national heritage, and embellish the centre of Colmar of a sweet aura of light.

The whole city is decorated like in a dream, to make the old centre a magic place sheltering the warm atmosphere of Christmas in the heart of the city. Every year, the inhabitants of Colmar play a leading role in participating to a joyfully competition of decorations making them competing with imagination to adorn facades of houses and shop windows. The 5 Christmas markets provide wide sources of inspiration and ideas for all tastes and offer the children a market essentially dedicated to them. The magic of Christmas in Colmar is also the Rapp Square draped in a playful and fairy-like atmosphere. You will amazingly discover in the middle of a wintry decoration strewn with flocked Christmas trees and cottages, an illuminated ice rink, for the greatest enjoyment of children and seniors.

Festivals  :

Many festivals and fairs take place in Colmar throughout the year, some of international fame :

  International Colmar festival (July), under the artistic direction of Vladimir Spivakov,
  Wines Fair of Alsace (August), 350 exhibitors, ten concerts, more than 220000 visitors ;
  Jazz Festival (September) ;
  Cinema Festival (October).

Tourist monuments and places :

The city has a great number of old and typical buildings of the Alsatian architecture (half-timbered houses), the German Renaissance and several churches of Gothic style (church of Dominican, Saint Matthieu church, Saint Martin collegiale church - called "cathedral"). In 2004, a 12-meter high replica of the Statue of Liberty was built on the Northern outskirts of the town.

In Colmar in the old Dominican convent (XIIIth century), you will also discover the museum of Unterlinden, which shelters among others one of the treasures of the Westerner religious art : the altarpiece of Issenheim of Matthias Grünewald, and an exceptional set of paintings of primitive painters of the Rhineland (Hans Stock, Martin Schongauer, Lucas Cranach the Ancient, Hans Holbein the Ancient).

The major attractions of the town are the Museum of Unterlinden and the Bartholdi Museum, the Pfister House, the Koïfhus (Former Customs), the Saint Martin collegiale church, the district of the Tanners, and the very picturesque district of Small Venice with its buildings on the waterside.

Visits through the town may also be done on the small tourist train (from Easter to All Saints’ Day), on boats along the Lauch river or in a barouche.