Private Tour: Alsace Villages and Wine Day Trip from Colmar

fozwanderer, May 2023

Colmar is an enchanting town but it's great to get out into the nearby towns, villages and countryside covered in vineyards. This day trip organised by Ophorus Tours was the perfect opportunity. Our tour guide was Thierry who gave us a wonderful explanation of all things Alsace. He had a lovely sense of humour and a wide knowledge of the region which he imparted in an informative and entertaining way. The nine seater van we travelled in was comfortable and stops frequent and well-timed. We started with an enjoyable wine tasting in Eguisheim followed by a stroll around its quaint circular streets within ancient walls. We had the chance to look at other towns such as Turckheim before having free time including lunch at Riquewihr. Thierry pointed out suitable restaurants to choose from. In the afternoon the highlight was a visit to Haut Koenigsbourg Castle. Thierry had spent time there previously as a guide so was able to expertly bring its history alive for us. It was a delightful tour which we can highly recommend.

Jennifer D, Aug 2018

We enjoyed a wonderful day of beautiful towns, a castle, history, shops, lunch and wine tasting. Myself, au pair, and 2 children were thoroughly entertained and enjoyed learning so much about the region. I highly recommend and would do another tour when we return to the area.

epipk, Oct 2017

From tasting the best of Alsace to lovely villages and chateaux and castles to some really great lunches to Colmar's Statue of Liberty (just like ours but not as tall), our three days with Pieter went by far too quickly.

We had a very general idea of what we wanted, Pieter filled it in with energy, experise, and enthusiasm.

Beginning with the 7 main grapes of Alsace and vineyards in the hills, we visited small boutique wineries to large super-colossal establishments and all were pertinent, tasty, and, well, fun!

Most importantly, wines presented & tasted were well planned, chosen with purpose, their place explained thoroughly: compare and contrast.

We visited a friend of Pieter's who is building an earth-friendly modern winery -- we interrupted their construction to say hello. We went to a winery guarded by a blind dog, he never moved. We went to the greatest Christmas store in the world. Castles, chateaux, quaint towns -- I don't know how we packed so much into 3 days.

And, of course, the wine. Red, white, and rosé, still, bubbly, and sparkling, sweet, dry or in-between -- truly we had it all.

Pieter's English is perfect, his French must be good because he fits in like a Frenchman, and he seems to know everybody and everything pertinent in the region.

We had such a great time, we're trying to get him over to Bordeaux next September for another visit to other vineyards.