I am planning on being in Freiburg im Breisgau in early October and want to visit the Colmar area for a few days. I should mention that I am not a big city or "touristy" type of man. I'm not all that interested in historical sites or museums, for example. I prefer less crowded, more charming types of smaller cities/towns where I can, hopefully, more easily experience the areas true culture - the people, the food, the wine, the beer, the lifestyle. I am a very active middle aged man and really enjoy hiking and bicycling.
Any suggestions on specific destinations, where I can get a reasonable private room to stay, restaurants, etc... would be most appreciated. Thanks.

My wife and I travelled thru Colmar and stayed 3 nights. Very lovely town. We stayed at the Hotel Tourenne and found it adequate. Smallish room but comfy. Breakfast was good. Close to centre of the town and easy walking distance to sites.
Quirky little town though. I was out early one morning taking pics and no one was out. 2 police officers past me, no greeting and stood 15 paces away right in my frame of view. I motioned for them to please move to the side and they ignored me . At about 8:30 AM the church bells rang and shutters and doors opened and people came out to the streets .
Later that night, after a late supper around 9 PM, the church bells sounded and the shutters and doors closed up for the night. The whole town went to bed.
WIERD !!

We stayed in Eguishem, just outside Colmar, for a few nights this summer. We drove around to several small villages; I think I liked Kayserberg the best, but they were all cute and charming. The area is flat, so it looks good for bicycling.

+1 for Kaysersberg.
It is one of the Alsace wine road villages.
If you go there, might want to check out the Hotel Le Chambard. We only dined there. Execellent food.

Some pictures of the area:
http://stefanofoto.smugmug.com/Trave...015826&k=Wa27d