Colmar Wine Day or Castle Day: Which One to Book
The short answer. Book the castle day if Haut-Kœnigsbourg matters to you as much as the wine, and you can live with its stop being conditional. Book a pure wine day if the glass is the point: the Ophorus full day pours three tastings for about the same fare. The castle stop depends on the castle's own visitor numbers that day, so it is never guaranteed.
The real question: one tasting and a castle, or three tastings
You have one day and two things you want. The castle sits above the Alsace plain, 19.6 km from Little Venice as the crow flies. The cellars are in the villages below it. A single day can do both, but only one product from Colmar tries, and it trades wine for the castle. Before you decide, see every Colmar Wine tickets fare side by side.
| The Emblematic (castle day) | Ophorus full day (wine day) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, from | $193 per person | $187 per person |
| Length | 8 hours | 8 hours |
| Leaves | 6 Rue Turenne, 9:00am | CGR cinema, 9:30am |
| Tastings | One, 70 minutes at a cellar | Three, at three wineries |
| The castle | If visitor numbers permit, entry in the fare | Not visited |
| Villages | Hunawihr, Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé | Changes with the wineries |
| Age | Children from 4; moderate fitness | Adults only, 18+ |
| Booking | Two per booking | One seat; needs two adults |
The case for the castle day
The Emblematic gives you three villages, a long cellar visit and the castle, in eight hours from the Little Venice kerb. You spend 45 minutes in Hunawihr, 70 in Riquewihr with its gate tower, and 70 in Ribeauvillé. The cellar stop runs 70 minutes, with the tasting in the fare. When the castle stop happens, the fare covers entry.
It suits families, because children from four can come, and anyone who wants history with the wine. Guiding is in English, French, German or Spanish. Linda F. went to Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé, the castle and a tasting in one day, with a guide who answered every question.
How the castle day runs
The Emblematic publishes its stops and how long each lasts, which is more than most days do. You can plan round it with some confidence:
- 9:00am, 6 Rue Turenne. You meet in front of the Winstub Brenner in Little Venice, ten minutes early.
- Hunawihr, 45 minutes. The fountain and the fortified church in the vines.
- Riquewihr, 70 minutes. The walled village and its Dolder gate tower.
- Ribeauvillé, 70 minutes. The third village, and usually your chance to eat.
- The castle, if numbers permit. Entry is in the fare when the stop happens.
- A cellar, 70 minutes. The tasting, in the fare.
- Back at Rue Turenne. Eight hours after you left.
Lunch and snacks are not included, so bring money for Ribeauvillé or eat well before 9:00am. Children must be booked with their age so a car seat is fitted; without one on the day, they cannot travel and nothing is refunded.
The case for the wine day
The Ophorus full day costs about the same and pours three times as often. You taste at three wineries in three villages, with owners and winemakers pouring, and stop in one village to buy lunch. It is adults only, and it leaves from the CGR cinema at 9:30am. Read the whole day on the full day with three tastings page.
If three tastings sounds like more than you want, the ICONICS half day pours once, walks Hunawihr and Riquewihr, and leaves at 1:45pm for $111.
Doing both: a wine day and the castle on your own
If you want the castle for certain and three cellars as well, split them over two days. Take the wine day as one day, then visit the castle yourself on another. Here is what the castle publishes for 2026:
- Admission. €12 for an adult, €16 with the audio tour, €8 for ages 6 to 17, €30 for a family ticket, and free under 6.
- September and October. 9:30am to 6:00pm; Mondays from 10:30am.
- November and December. 9:30am to 12:00pm and 1:00pm to 5:00pm; Mondays from 10:30am.
- Last entry. One hour before closing, every day.
- Closed. 1 January, and 25 and 26 December.
- Without a car. Shuttle line 500 runs from Sélestat station, for €3.
The castle, the museums in town and the markets are all covered on things to do around a tour. The months that suit a castle visit are on the weather by month page.
What adding the castle costs you
In money, very little: the Emblematic's fare sits within a few dollars of the Ophorus full day. In time, the castle takes a slice of the day that would otherwise be a second or third cellar. And in certainty, it costs the most, because the stop is conditional.
In wine, you lose two tastings. That is the trade, and only you know if it is worth it. The glasses you would miss are described in a Colmar wine tasting, glass by glass, and the kerbs and start times for both days are in the visitor guide.
Our verdict, by the kind of traveller you are
- Here for the wine: the Ophorus full day. Three tastings, adults only.
- With children: the Emblematic. It takes children from four, booked with their age, and the castle holds their attention between villages.
- Only an afternoon: the ICONICS half day. One tasting, two villages, no castle.
- Castle for certain: any wine day, then the castle on your own by the Sélestat shuttle.
- First time in Alsace: the 4 Wonders small-group day for the villages, knowing the tasting there is paid at the cave.
Every day refunds in full up to 24 hours before the start, so you can hold a date while you decide. The wine villages page shows what each village adds.
The castle day and the wine days
The Emblematic: visit of villages, Haut-Koenigsbourg, Wine tasting
Hunawihr, Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and a tasting, plus the castle on days when its visitor numbers allow; entry is in the fare when the stop happens.
From $193 per person
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Alsace Full Day Wine Tour from Colmar
Three winery tastings in three villages, time for lunch in one, eight seats, adults only, from the CGR cinema at 9:30am.
From $187 per person
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ICONICS Tour: 1/2 day on the Wine Route, visit of 2 Villages + Tasting.
Hunawihr, an hour in Riquewihr and a winery, the tasting in the fare, from Rue Turenne at 1:45pm and back by early evening.
From $111 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: Start with the basics in the Colmar wine day guide. Every fare sits side by side on Colmar Wine Tours.