Colmar Wine Days for Solo Travellers

The catch with booking alone

The question that matters is not whether you can book. It is whether the day will run with you on it. Two different rules are at work, and they are easy to confuse. Before you compare, see how every Colmar Wine tour handles a single traveller.

The first rule is a minimum per booking. The Emblematic, the 4 Wonders small-group day and the Basel day need at least two people on each booking, so you cannot buy one seat.

The second rule is a minimum per departure. The ICONICS half day and the Ophorus days take your single booking, but the operator can cancel if too few people book that date. The Ophorus listings say they need two adults to run. If it happens, you are offered another date or a full refund. You lose nothing but the plan.

Every option, for one person

The private days are priced for the car, not per person, so a solo traveller pays the whole fare. They are compared on the private wine tours page if you want the day to yourself.

What you will like about going alone

Small groups suit a solo traveller. The shared vans here seat eight at most, and the 4 Wonders day seven, so you are never one face in a coach. Guides talk to everyone, and a tasting counter is the easiest place in France to start a conversation.

Chelsey R. booked the Ophorus villages half day at the last minute, on their own, and found the free time in each village just right. That day pours no wine, though: tasting fees are extra. If the wine matters, take the ICONICS half day, which leaves Rue Turenne at 1:45pm and puts a tasting at the end of walks through Hunawihr and Riquewihr.

The one-hour cellar you can reach by bus

Domaine Gueth, at Gueberschwihr, is the easiest solo option here. It sells you a single place, it has no minimum to run, and it costs $19. You get a tour of the winemaking, bottling and storage, and a tasting of seven organic wines from single-vineyard sites, served with a pretzel.

There is no transport, so you get there yourself. Take the bus from Colmar to the Chapelle stop, then walk about eight minutes to 1 Brunnmattweg. The cellar is 9.5 km from Little Venice as the crow flies, and you can see where on the map. It is also the one place here with step-free access.

Is a private day worth it on your own?

Only if the day matters more than the money. The private three-hour run costs $409 for the car, whether one of you rides in it or four. The private 4 Wonders day costs $790 for the car. Alone, you pay the whole of either.

What you get for it is control. The private three-hour run collects you from any address you give and lets you shape the route; one traveller had it changed so it would not repeat a day they had already booked. It names no tasting in the fare, so ask for a cellar when you book. If you are travelling with a friend you met on the way, splitting a private car is the one time it gets cheaper.

Solo on a budget

Price per seat is where solo travel here is easiest. Domaine Gueth costs $19 and pours seven wines. The Ophorus villages half day costs $87, though tasting fees are extra. The ICONICS half day costs $111 with the tasting in the fare. The shared days are priced per person, so you pay the same fare per head as a couple does. Put the money you save towards a bottle at the cellar door, or a second day on the wine route later in your stay.

Practical tips for a solo day

• Meet early. Be at your kerb ten minutes before the start; one full-day traveller arrived four minutes late and the minivan had gone.
• Eat first. No food comes with the tastings, and Alsace Safari bans eating in the van.
• Carry water. Only a few days put bottled water in the fare.
• Spit if you like. Nobody at the counter minds, and your afternoon stays clear.
• Keep your phone on. A moved date or a pickup change reaches you by message.

The full list of kerbs and start times is in the visitor guide. If you are not sure what to ask at the counter, read how a tasting runs, glass by glass.

What to combine it with

A half day leaves you the other half. Take the 1:45pm ICONICS start and spend the morning at the Musée Unterlinden, open Wednesday to Monday from 9:00am. Or take the 9:00am Ophorus villages run and see the Musée Bartholdi in the afternoon; it closes on Mondays. Both museums, and the rest of the town, are on things to do in Colmar. Every day out of town sits in one place, with its start time.

Days you can book on your own

Cellar tour & tasting of organic wines with a feminine touch

One hour in a family cellar at Gueberschwihr and seven organic wines; you get there yourself, by car or by bus.

From $19 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

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Alsace villages half day tour from Colmar

Kaysersberg and Riquewihr with a guide, at 9:00am or 2:00pm; tasting fees are extra, and children from four can come.

From $87 per person

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