Half-timbered houses and Bartholdi fountains: Colmar as a riddle trail
The Colmar scavenger hunt is a self-guided city game you play on your phone: you walk through the old town, solve a riddle at each of 10 landmarks and unlock the stories behind them. Only about 33 minutes of the game are spent walking, 2.7 km through compact lanes and along the Lauch, so its 2 hours leave plenty of room for looking, legends and a coffee, whenever you start.
Highlights include St Martin's Church, the Unterlinden Museum, the canals of Little Venice and the Fishmongers' Quarter, the Old Customs House and the fountains by Auguste Bartholdi, the Colmar-born sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. The compact centre of half-timbered houses is easy to explore on foot, and the riddles make you look closely at façades, statues and signs.
- Durationabout 2 hours
- Walkingabout 33 min · 2.7 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Dutch
Riddles between St Martin's and the Lauch
A tiled roof, a barrel and a customs house
Every stop sets a riddle you crack by looking: the coloured tiles on the roof of St Martin's, Jean Roesselmann on the fountain that bears his name, the Koïfhus of 1480 where goods were once taxed. A sharp eye and a little logic do the trick, and no knowledge of Alsace is needed.
Three fountains by the sculptor of Liberty
Auguste Bartholdi, born in Colmar in 1834, left his mark all along the route: he made the fountain of Admiral Bruat in the Champ de Mars, the Roesselmann Fountain and the Schwendi Fountain in front of the Koïfhus, and the last stop is his birthplace, now the Bartholdi Museum. The audio narration fills in the legends, from Roesselmann's barrel to the Tokay vine.
2.7 km through the old town
The whole walk is about 33 minutes over 2.7 km, mostly flat and often on cobbles, from the Unterlinden quarter down to the water. Google Maps leads the way through the half-timbered streets.
A winstub, a boat, a pause
No clock runs during the game, so you can stop at a winstub, take a boat along the Lauch or come back another day to finish. In December, when Christmas markets fill the old town, the game makes a welcome break from the stalls.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of players. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Play when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
Colmar's riddle trail: who it suits
Visitors on the Alsace wine route
Many people see Colmar on a trip through Alsace, and a game of about 2 hours over 2.7 km takes in its church, museums, canals and fountains before an afternoon among the vineyards. The riddles point you to details on half-timbered façades that are easy to miss.
Families who like legends
Children love the story of the provost who, it is said, slipped into the town hidden in a barrel, the boats gliding through Little Venice and the house of the man who made the Statue of Liberty. One adult in each young team keeps an eye on the traffic.
Friends and clubs on a weekend away
Teams of up to 5 players, each on a separate phone, can set off from St Martin's at intervals and meet again by the Bartholdi Museum. The old town's public squares and quays are the whole playing field.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Teams of up to 5 work best; bigger groups split into several teams, one ticket per player.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
The route: St Martin's, the Bartholdi fountains, Little Venice and the sculptor's birthplace
10 stops · about 33 min walking · start: St Martin's Church · finish: Bartholdi Museum
The hunt starts at St Martin's Church in the old town and heads north to the Unterlinden Museum and the Municipal Theatre, then south through the Parc du Champ de Mars to the Roesselmann Fountain. From there you follow the Lauch through Little Venice and the Fishmongers' Quarter to the Old Customs House, then continue past St Matthew's Church and finish at the Bartholdi Museum. Every answer is on a façade, a fountain or a statue in the street, so no ticket desk interrupts the game, and if Little Venice suits you better as a starting point, the app will open there and reorder the rest of the route.
Open the route map ↗
1St Martin's ChurchStart
Colmar's largest church was built in Gothic style from 1234 to around 1365 and is often called the cathedral, although it is a collegiate church. Look up at its 71-metre tower: a fire in 1572 destroyed the spire, and the Renaissance cap added the following year is still there, above a roof of colourful tiles.
2Unterlinden Museum
The museum occupies a 13th-century convent of Dominican nuns and opened to the public in 1853. Its most famous work is the Isenheim Altarpiece, painted by Matthias Grünewald in 1512–1516, and since 2015 the museum has a new wing designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron.
3Municipal Theatre
Colmar's municipal theatre was built in 1847–1849 by the architect Louis-Michel Boltz on part of the old Unterlinden convent and opened in March 1849. Behind its classical five-bay façade is a rounded auditorium with three tiers of galleries in the Italian tradition.
4Parc du Champ de Mars
This large, shady park lies just outside the old town. In it stands the fountain of Admiral Armand Joseph Bruat, a naval officer born in Colmar, made by Auguste Bartholdi and inaugurated in 1864; its sandstone figures of the continents were destroyed in 1940, and the bronze admiral has stood on a new basin since 1958.
5Roesselmann Fountain
Auguste Bartholdi made this fountain on Place des Six Montagnes Noires, inaugurated in 1888, in honour of Jean Roesselmann, the provost who died defending Colmar in 1262. According to legend, Roesselmann slipped back into the town hidden in a barrel, and Bartholdi is said to have given him the face of the mayor of the time.
6Little Venice
Little Venice (Petite Venise) is the stretch of the Lauch river where colourful half-timbered houses stand right at the water's edge. From the bridges you get the classic view of the houses reflected in the river, and small flat-bottomed boats take visitors along the water.
7Fishmongers' Quarter (Quai de la Poissonnerie)
The Quai de la Poissonnerie takes its name from the fishermen and boatmen who lived and worked here, organised in a powerful guild, and sold their catch beside the Lauch. Its timber-framed houses were restored in the late 20th century and are now among the most photographed in Colmar.
8Old Customs House (Koïfhus)
The Old Customs House, also called the Koïfhus, was built in 1480 as the place where goods passing through Colmar were checked and taxed. In front of it stands another Bartholdi fountain from 1898, honouring Lazarus von Schwendi, who according to legend brought the Tokay vine to Alsace.
9St Matthew's Church
St Matthew's Church is the only surviving part of a Franciscan convent from around 1290, with the wide, plain nave typical of the mendicant orders. It has been Protestant since 1575; in 1715 the choir was walled off for Catholic use, and the dividing wall was only removed in 1987.
10Bartholdi MuseumFinish
The museum occupies the house where Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty in New York, was born in 1834. The family home was left to the town and opened as a museum in 1922, and in the courtyard stands his bronze group Les Grands Soutiens du monde.
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Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Es war eine sehr sch?ne Runde durch Colmar, man kam an allen wichtigen Orten vorbei. Frustrierend war, dass wir das letzte R?tsel vor Ort trotz Erfahrung nicht l?sen konnten. F?r Anf?nger sind diese zum Teil nicht einfach. Auch an der ersten Station habe wir viele ?nderungen am Bild erkennen k?nnen, aber auf die richtige Zahl konnten wir nur durch herausfinden. Nach Abschluss einer Station wird immer ein Sondertext f?r die n?chste Station oder so eingeblendet, den man aber wieder mit dem x abw?hlen muss, um die Route zur n?chsten Station ausw?hlen zu k?nnen. Wir k?nnten z.B. nicht nachvollziehen, warum der Text mit den kopflosen Pferden eingeblendet wird. Die L?sungshilfen waren zum Teil zu einfach, so dass man als Anf?nger zum Teil dadurch nicht zur L?sung kommt und ggf. frustriert aufggibt. Gibt es keine kostenlosen oder Premium-Geocaches dieser Art in Colmar? Generell war GetyourGuide in Colmar eine gute Erfahrung.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die ?bersetzung h?tte z.t. besser sein k?nnen, aber die Tour und die R?tsel waren sehr sch?n.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Klasse Schnitzeljagd, gute l?sbare Fragen. Man kommt dadurch super herum. Manchmal zwar ein etwas hin und zur?ck, aber man ist nicht l?nger als 10 Minuten zur unterwegs zwischen den Aufgaben.
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Poland –
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Fabulous idea for sightseeing with kids! Great fun!
Jack-Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Kathrin– Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Rund um gelungen. Eine tolle Erfahrung in einer uns noch fremden Stadt. Für Rätselfreunde könnten die Rätsel noch etwas kniffliger sein.
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ein nettes Erlebnis und eine gute Variante zur Stadterkundung . Die Challenge hat allen Mitreisenden viel Spa? gemacht . Die App ist gut durchdacht.
Christian-Poland –
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Christian-Poland –
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Christian-Poland –
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Germany –
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Randy– Canada –
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Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Insgesamt war es eine sehr schöne Stadtrally, gut geplante Route, die App ist auch sehr übersichtlich. Die Rätsle hätten ein wenig schwerer sein dürfen, oder aber mehrere Schwierigkkeitsstufen, wären super.
Garcia– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Vraiment très bien, à faire en équipe
Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Tr?s belle exp?rience
Germany-Rost –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Die Rätseltour war sehr interessant und informativ. Die vorgeschlagene Streckenführung war gut durchdacht und hat mich in Ecken geführt, die ich noch nicht kannte. Um die Rätsel lösen zu können, war es von Vorteil französisch zu können, da einige Lösungen aus Beschreibungen auf Schildern vor Ort hervorgingen. Aber mit ein bisschen Kombinstionsgabe und/oder Internetrecherche geht es auch ohne. Für die Tour muss man sich eine App runterladen. Diese funktionierte einwandfrei und ich werde sie für mögliche weitere Touren an anderen Urlaubsorten auf dem Handy lassen.
Spain –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Ha sido muy divertida, aunque nos la hemos tomado en plan competitivo y no como gu?a de la ciudad
France –
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Melis– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
très bonne façon de découvrir Rome, il faut un plus de temps si on veut visiter
Lily-UK –
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Richard– United Kingdom –
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Riley-Russia –
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Riley-Russia –
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Riley-Russia –
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United Kingdom-Jack –
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Jenske– Netherlands –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Erg leuk om te doen! Je gaat middels een goede planning de stad door langs alle hoogtepunten. De puzzels zijn ook erg leuk en zorgen ervoor dat je even wat langer stil moet staan.
Germany-Brigita –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Denmark –
Collected on GetYourGuide
God m?de at komme rundt og se byen p?. Det kan anbefales. P? den m?de g?r man det i eget tempo og er en god m?de som ex. n?r man som os havde hund med. Ps. Det er vist en d?rlig overs?ttelse n?r “Scavenger Hunt” er blevet til Skurvognsjagt fremfor det Skattejagt, som vel ville v?re den rigtige overs?ttelse.
Isabella-Latvia –
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Bettina– Denmark –
Collected on GetYourGuide
A good way to Explorer the city
Italy-Antonio –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Attività molto carina e divertente. Ottima per conoscere la città, i principali luoghi di interesse storico-culturale e scoprire vietate carine dove mangiare e bere.
Marie-France –
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Netherlands-Kasper –
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United Kingdom-Jerry –
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Finland –
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Hester– Netherlands –
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Let op! Je moet 2(!) apps downloaden: GYG en Wold City Trail! Leuke, informatieve wandeling door Staatsburg. Door de vragen en puzzeltjes ook leuk voor de tiener.
Cameron-Germany –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Marie-Pier– France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Très bel itinéraire présenté pour faire la visite de Lyon à notre rythme. Les énigmes étaient amusantes et on n’a pas eu à se casser trop la tête. On est en vacances après tout!!
France –
Collected on GetYourGuide
Manques d’animations sur les anciennes maisons.
Madelyn-Germany –
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David-Germany –
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Madelyn-Germany –
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David-Germany –
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Madelyn-Germany –
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David-Germany –
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Brayden-Switzerland –
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Brayden-Switzerland –
Collected on GetYourGuide