7 days · Alsace by train

7 Days in Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar & Obernai by Train

Unpack in Strasbourg for four nights. Take the train to Colmar for a day, go smaller in Obernai, and leave room for a long lunch back in town.

Half-timbered houses and bare trees reflected in a Petite France canal in Strasbourg. — Petite France, StrasbourgPhotograph by Pierre Antona · Unsplash License

6 nights in France

Where you unpack

For a week focused on Alsace, with one regional hotel and time to adjust the days around weather and museum hours.

Paris · arrival1 night: Choose an easy arrival from the airport and save the route to Paris Est for tomorrow.
Compare hotels near Paris Gare de l’Est
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Strasbourg4 nights: Compare the walk with luggage from the station with the walk home after dinner around Grande Île.
Compare hotels near Strasbourg station
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Paris or the departure airport1 night: Choose this room around the morning airport trip. The return train is a separate leg.

Dots show geographic locations. Blue connects rail stops. Colmar and Obernai are out-and-back trips from Strasbourg. Paris trains are listed below. Check dated directions with the operator. Land: Natural Earth.

The daily route

Day by day

Day 01 · Paris

Land in Paris and leave the clock alone

If you flew overnight from the US, count the day you land as day one. Get to the hotel, leave your bags if the room is still being cleaned, and take a walk near where you’re sleeping. Save the first timed ticket for tomorrow. Check your airport and terminal before choosing the train or a car.

Île-de-France Mobilités · Paris airports

Day 02 · Strasbourg

Take the train east from Paris Est

Look for a direct train from Paris Est. Check the journey time before buying, since direct services can take different routes. Leave your bag at the hotel, then walk toward Petite France before dinner.

SNCF · Paris Est to Strasbourg Visit Strasbourg · Petite France

Day 03 · Strasbourg

Make one circuit of Strasbourg’s old center

Start around the cathedral and head toward Petite France when you’re ready for the canals. Spend the second half of the day where you found the most to look at. If you want a museum, check its opening day and move the outdoor part around it.

Visit Strasbourg · Petite France

Day 04 · Colmar · return to Strasbourg

Choose the museum or the canals first in Colmar

Take a regional train and set a realistic return time before leaving the station. For the Isenheim Altarpiece, make Unterlinden your anchor. It normally closes Tuesdays. If it’s closed or you’d rather walk, start with the old streets toward Petite Venise and spend the afternoon there.

SNCF · Strasbourg to Colmar Musée Unterlinden · Colmar museum and opening days City of Colmar · architectural heritage

Day 05 · Obernai · return to Strasbourg

Take a smaller day in Obernai

Check the regional timetable in both directions. Obernai’s visitor office puts the station about 500 meters from the center. Give the old town and lunch your time. If engineering work makes the return awkward, keep the day in Strasbourg and walk the canals at a different hour.

Obernai Tourism · arriving by train Visit Strasbourg · Petite France

Day 06 · Paris

Come back to Paris before the flight

Check that the return train ends at Paris Est if that’s where you planned to change. Leave time to reach the hotel or airport. Keep the arrival evening loose enough to take another service if the first plan changes.

SNCF · Strasbourg to Paris Île-de-France Mobilités · Paris airports

Day 07 · Departure

Leave from the airport on your ticket

Read the airport code and terminal from the airline confirmation. Plan the journey from the hotel door and use the airline’s check-in guidance. Look up any engineering work or service changes before you go to bed.

Île-de-France Mobilités · Paris airports

Choose what to see

Decide which visits to keep

Compare the stops that fit a half-day and the ones worth building your schedule around.

Read the regional sightseeing guide

The parts to time

Transfers at a glance

Paris Est → Strasbourg: About 1¾–2 hr on selected fast directs. Some direct trains take much longer. Compare the actual duration before choosing.
Strasbourg → Colmar: About 30 min each way on selected trains. Keep the walk to the historic center and a possible museum visit outside the train time.
Strasbourg → Obernai: A separate regional day trip. Check the date in both directions and add the short walk from the station.
Strasbourg → Paris: Allow the rest of the day for the transfer. Verify the arrival station on the service you select and plan the last ride to the hotel separately.

Before paying

What to book first

Set your last Paris-area night from the flight time.
Book one Strasbourg room for the four nights. Check both the station walk and the late arrival instructions.
Pick the Colmar date around Unterlinden if you want to see the altarpiece. Keep Obernai flexible until you’ve checked the trains.

Free printable

Three pages to save before you fly: passport and EES/ETIAS status, the proof the border police can ask for, cards and phones, driving rules and the bookings worth making early. Every line links an official source, checked November 9, 2026.

See what’s inside

Research desk

Sources and date checks

Checked November 9, 2026. Rail times are examples for planning. Recheck opening days, direct trains, tour stops and rental arrangements before booking.