It’s no secret that I love fresh markets.
Give me a riot of color and smell and haggling locals and I’ll feel right at home. Which is why when we had five days in Colmar this July, one of our first stops was the Colmar covered market.
The market is in a cute brick building on the canal. On the canal side, a restaurant patio stretches along the water serving up the local specialty of tarte flambée. Inside, several rows of vendors serve up everything from fresh-butchered meat to produce to quick hot meals.
Personally, the market felt a bit hit or miss to me. When I go to markets, I’m looking for local specialties, locally-grown produce, and things like homemade jams and syrups. Some of that was there, but reading the ingredients lists on jams and yogurts, I found artificial colors and some other unnecessary and alarming ingredients. So, I’d say with this market, proceed with caution. There are likely some gems to be found. But there’s also some cute stuff on display that also seems to be commercially made/processed. This may be because the market is a bit touristy.
How to get to Colmar covered market
Right in the heart of old town, the market is hard to miss. You’ll find it at 13 Rue des Écoles.
When to go
Tuesday – Thursday: 8 am to 18:00
Friday: 8 am to 19:00
Saturday: 8 am to 17:00
Sunday: 10 am to 14:00
What to expect
Produce, bread, meat, cheeses, and plenty of hot meals at little stands.
Language
French is the official language, but Colmar gets a lot of tourism, so you’ll hear some English. And since we’re near the German border, you’ll find plenty of German as well.
