After the Marathon de Colmar: Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg

The Route: Colmar → Riquewihr → Ribeauvillé → Kaysersberg → Colmar Logistics: Seasonal Kut'zig open-top bus for the village-to-village legs; a taxi or hotel transfer is the more reliable option for moving overnight bags. Marathon Month: September Duration: 2 nights

Colmar ──(Kut'zig, ~30 mins)──> Riquewihr ──(~10 mins)──> Ribeauvillé ──(~25 mins)──> Kaysersberg ──(~20 mins)──> Colmar

Marathon de Colmar finishes at Place Rapp after a route that already passes through the edge of this wine country on its way to Eguisheim, and the villages further north that the marathon does not reach are close enough to fold into the days after the race without much extra effort. September on the Alsace Wine Route is harvest season across the region, vineyards worked through the month as different grape varieties come in on their own schedule, so the exact rhythm of picking varies from one village to the next and should be treated as a general backdrop rather than a fixed spectacle to plan around. The seasonal Kut'zig open-top bus, which runs Tuesday to Sunday through September, links Colmar with Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg on a single loop, which makes it possible to see all three without hiring a car, though moving overnight luggage between hotels is more reliable by taxi or arranged hotel transfer than by relying on the tourist bus alone.

Night One: Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé

Riquewihr is often described as one of the best-preserved wine villages in Alsace, and the description holds up on the ground: the Dolder, a 13th-century gate tower, still marks the entrance to a main street of half-timbered houses that has changed remarkably little in outline since. The village core is small and entirely flat once inside the gate, a compact grid that a tired runner can cover slowly in well under an hour, with the ramparts walk along the old town wall adding a longer, still largely level loop for anyone who wants more distance without more effort. Entry to the Dolder's small museum inside the tower runs around €4.

Ribeauvillé sits a short hop away and adds a different view: three ruined castles, Saint-Ulrich, Girsberg and Haut-Ribeaupierre, sit on the wooded hill directly above the town. Reaching any of them on foot involves real climbing, which is worth skipping in the first day or two after a marathon; the town itself, along the flat Grand Rue, gives the same half-timbered character and storks on the rooftops without the ascent.

Two named hotels work well as a base for this first night. The Hôtel de la Couronne, on Riquewihr's own Rue de la Couronne, sits inside the old town wall with no walking required to reach any of the village's main streets. Hôtel Le Schoenenbourg, a short walk from the centre with its own pool, suits anyone who wants a quieter room away from the main tourist street after a day of slow sightseeing. For dinner, the winstubs along Riquewihr's main street serve tarte flambée and choucroute; a table at one attached to either recommended hotel avoids the need to walk further once the evening sets in.

Night Two: Kaysersberg

Kaysersberg was voted France's favourite village in a national poll in 2017, and its own claim to fame predates that by decades: it is the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, and a small museum dedicated to him sits on the main street, entry around €5. The village's fortified bridge over the Weiss, dating to the 15th century, is the single most photographed spot in town and needs no more than a short, flat walk from most central hotels to reach. A ruined castle sits on the hill above the village, visible from the streets below; the climb to it is genuinely steep and better saved for a later stage of a trip than the day after finishing a marathon.

Hôtel Chambard, in the centre of the village, pairs comfortable rooms with a Michelin-starred dining room run by chef Olivier Nasti, making dinner here a genuine destination rather than a convenience stop; the tasting menu draws on Alsatian ingredients, including Munster cheese and game from the nearby Vosges foothills. Hôtel Les Remparts sits a short, level walk away for a simpler, lower-cost base with the same access to the old town. For a more casual dinner than the Chambard's dining room, the village's winstubs serve baeckeoffe, a slow-cooked meat and potato stew traditionally prepared the day before and reheated, which suits an evening when nobody particularly wants to wait long for food.

Getting Home

Return to Colmar by the Kut'zig bus or by taxi from Kaysersberg, a journey of roughly 20 minutes. From Colmar station, direct SNCF trains reach Strasbourg in 27 to 40 minutes, connecting to Strasbourg Airport (SXB) via the shuttle bus and short rail link from Strasbourg-Ville station, a combined journey of around 20 to 25 minutes. Check current Kut'zig timetables before the final day, since the seasonal service runs on a set weekly pattern rather than continuously through the day.