← Marathon de Colmar·Day trip

Eguisheim: A Day in the Marathon's Own Vineyards

The village the marathon itself runs through at the 34km cutoff, a concentric medieval core of half-timbered houses reachable by bus in under half an hour with no walking beyond the flat old town.

DurationDay trip
TransitRegional bus line 68R030 or the seasonal Kut'zig open-top bus, both roughly 20-30 minutes from central Colmar
DepartsColmar (Place Rapp / Colmar station)

After the Marathon de Colmar: Eguisheim

The Route: Colmar → Eguisheim → Colmar Logistics: Regional bus line 68R030, or the seasonal Kut'zig open-top tourist bus. A short out-and-back, no transfers. Marathon Month: September Duration: Day trip

Colmar (Place Rapp) ──(20-30 mins, bus 68R030 or Kut'zig)──> Eguisheim ──(same route, return)──> Colmar

The Marathon de Colmar finishes at Place Rapp after 42.195 km of Alsace wine country, and Eguisheim is not a random add-on to that route: the marathon's own second cutoff sits inside the village at the 34 km mark, meaning every finisher has already passed through it once, at speed, without seeing much of it. September in Eguisheim is harvest season in the vineyards that ring the village, the Riesling and Gewürztraminer rows on the surrounding hillsides worked through the month as grapes come in, though exact picking dates shift year to year with the weather and should not be treated as a fixed calendar event. The village itself needs no season to justify a visit; it is one of the places officially listed among France's "plus beaux villages," and its circular medieval layout is unusual enough to be worth the trip regardless of what the vines are doing.

Getting there does not require a car. Regional bus line 68R030 connects Colmar and Eguisheim on a normal timetabled service, and the seasonal Kut'zig open-top tourist bus also serves the village on its Alsace Wine Route loop, running Tuesday to Sunday through September. Either option takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes each way. Check current timetables and fares at the Colmar tourist office's public transport page before travelling, since race-weekend schedules can differ from the rest of the month.

The Village Eguisheim Actually Is

Eguisheim's street plan is its main attraction, and it costs nothing to walk. The village grew in concentric rings around the ruined Château Saint-Léon, birthplace in 1002 of Bruno of Egisheim, later Pope Leo IX, and the streets still curve around that centre rather than running in straight lines. Rue du Rempart Sud and Rue du Rempart Nord trace what was once the defensive wall, a loop of maybe 800 metres of half-timbered houses in ochre, blue and pink, geraniums on most of the window boxes through the warmer months. None of this involves steps or gradient beyond the odd cobbled kerb; the whole circuit is walkable on tired legs at a slow pace, with benches at a few points along the way for anyone who wants to sit rather than keep moving.

The vineyards themselves rise on the slopes just outside the village, and two of Alsace's Grand Cru sites, Eichberg and Pfersigberg, are named for hills you can see without climbing them. A short, flat path runs along the base of the vines from the edge of the village if a longer look at the rows is wanted; it does not require the incline the vineyard walks further up the slope demand, which is worth knowing on the day after a marathon.

Cafés and small winstubs around the central square serve tarte flambée and local Riesling by the glass; none of the specific ones can be recommended by name without confirming current opening hours, so check what is open on arrival rather than planning around a single named address.

Return buses on both the 68R030 line and the Kut'zig run at regular intervals through the afternoon; there is no need to time the return precisely, since services repeat often enough on this route that a missed one simply means a short wait for the next.