The village is very well maintained and decorated. The Petite France: It is a very picturesque neighborhood that fishermen, millers, and tanners once inhabited. But since you are struggling to find a place to stay, including one of the nearby towns is a great idea.
Alsace is a region in northeastern France. Colmar is the best town to stay in, in my opinion, since there is so much to do here and has a great location. 9:15 am to 5:15 pm, longer hours during the summer months, shorter hours during the winter months. Basel also has an airport, and from here, it is takes just 50 minutes to reach Colmar by train or car. If you are visiting the Alsace wine region during peak season, it will be almost impossible to get seated at a restaurant for dinner without a reservation. Their collection, located in one of their former factories, contains the largest and most comprehensive collection ofBugatticarsin the world. The ground floor is from the fifteenth century and is made of stone and includes arcades, under which were the shops. For a full list of our favorite towns, read our article: To find out where we stayed and to get hotel recommendations in Colmar, read our article, How to Plan Your Alsace Wine Route Itinerary, Best Time to Visit the Alsace Wine Region. There are many different ways to plan your time, but here is what we did. If you are thinking about distributing your visiting days, my recommendation is that you spend at least one day and one night in Strasbourg. We started this day with a visit to the Castle of Haut-Koenigsbourg. Tour Rue de Gaulle, with its old half-timbered houses, gaze at the Weiss from its fortified 1511 bridge. Ideally, visit the castle as early as possible since it is one of the most visited monuments in France. The ticket to the castle is included in de Pass Alsace.
The two largest towns on the Alsace wine route are Strasbourg in the north and Colmar in the south. Your email address will not be published. We will be hiking 8 days straight in Bavaria and Austria, and then will rent a car in Germany and drive to Alsace.
Colorful, half-timbered houses line cobblestoned streets. On the way, you will cross vineyards, the small town of Husseren-Les-Chteaux, and a bit of forest at the end of the hike. They still are nice to visit in the morning, but these quieter towns may be better to visit in the afternoons, when other towns like Colmar, Riquewihr, and Eguisheim are packed with visitors. Good luck making your reservations and booking your trip. Return to Paris by train (or continue on to somewhere newZurich and Lucerne, Switzerland are another quick train ride away) and fly home from Paris. Alsatian food is a wonderful blend of German and French cuisine, with spaetzle, foie gras, tarte flambee, and baeckeoffe all making their way onto the local menus. And finally, the streets in Colmar fill with smalls shops and decorations during the Christmas market season.
Make all of your dinner reservations in advance. Is there any part of Colmar on which I should focus my attention for a place to stay or alternatively any one or two other villages that you think would be right for us? Our website uses cookies. However, we wanted to see as much as we could so we could gather information for this article. When you read the names of the villages, it looks more like a German region than a French one, and this is because it was once German territory. Take the trail starting at the camping site Les Trois Chateaux in Eguisheim. However, you have to go up to the church, where the practice of simultaneous is held, that is, a place of worship where both Catholics and Protestants practice their faiths in the same place. The train does not travel to the small towns. Best companies for activitiesCheck out Civitatis.com and find the best tours in English (French, Spanish and Italian), Are you looking for the best companies to save money with?Check out myresource pagefor the best companies to use when you travel! Our dates are fixed at this point. It is a typical Alsatian town, of those that seem fairytale-like, that make you smile just by walking through its streets. During these dates, you can observe the beautiful decorations that adorn the streets. For your stay in Riquewihr, book the charmingHotel lOriel, located in the heart of the Old Town. Check out these accommodations. Thanks for sharing. Strasbourg has an airport and a large train station. Totally recommendable. If you want, you can also visit the Castle of St.-Ulrich, which was the residence of the Countess of Ribeaupierre, one of the noblest families of the Alsace. If you want to take a break from fairytale towns and wine tastings, put on your hiking shoes and hit the trails. You can walk through many of them in just a few hours, or even less, as some are tiny. The Alsace Wine Region can be visited year-round. Spend the middle part of the day in the second town. In the 20th century, the castle went through an extensive restoration under the direct supervision of the German Kaiser William II, who visited the works regularly. If you have an idea of which towns you want to visit, you can do some planning in advance by looking on Google Maps and marking the public parking lots for those towns. Go wine tasting and have dinner here or in the town where you are staying. Please read disclaimer for more info. You have to let yourself be carried away by its streets, and it is a very picturesque village. This medium-sized city is frequently voted as one of Europes most beautiful cities, and it has many monuments and typical neighborhoods. It really looks like the setting for a story. Without a doubt a must on your trip to Alsace and the Wine Route.
Read more about road tripping in France: Click here to see this Road Trip Alsace Map on Google. It is a fortified city with 13th-century walls and dominated by the ruins of a castle whose homage tower is circular. PRO TRAVEL TIP: The castle tends to get very crowded midday. Bike trails connect many of the towns, so if you like the idea of getting around by bicycle, its relatively easy to do here. Colmar is a very popular spot on the Alsace wine route so it will be crowded midday and accommodations can sell out during the peak seasons. Dont miss the central square with its magnificent stone fountain and the colorfulSaint Leo Chapelinside. Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, is also known as the Capital of Europe, because of both its central location and it plays host to more than 20 European institutions. 3 days on the Alsace wine route gives you enough time to visit a handful of these charming towns and to explore the countryside. In early July, classical musical artists perform at the Colmar International Festival. 10 Fairytale Towns to Visit Along the Alsace Wine Route, 10 Fairytale Towns on the Alsace Wine Route, Paris Bucket List: 45 Must-Have Experiences in Paris, Easter in Paris: How to Have the Best Experience, 3 Days in Paris: The Perfect Itinerary for Your First Visit, 20 Amazing Things to do in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland, 14 Days in Italy: How to Spend Two Weeks in Italy, 3 Days in Barcelona: The Perfect Itinerary for Your First Visit, 10 Fairytale Towns to Visit on the Alsace Wine Route, One Day in Colmar: Best Things to Do, Where to Eat & Where to Stay, A Brief Tour through the Provencal Wine Region, Fairytale Destinations: 15 Magical Places to Visit in Your Lifetime. You can do it as we have gone from Madrid and the route through the Alsace was part of a longer road trip, or you can go by plane to Strasbourg and rent a car there. After visiting Chteau du Haut-Koenigsbourg, drive to Strasbourg, the last stop of this Alsace Road Trip. I visited Alsace in 2016 and immediately fell in love with this beautiful wine regions. Once in the town or city, the best form of transportation is your feet. Click here to book your stay at Hotel Bristol. I didnt plan on getting so wrapped up in this post of the Road trip through the Alsace region in 4 days, but I have not been able to avoid it. The streets will still be quiet and uncrowded. If theres time to visit only one museum in Mulhouse, we recommend LaCit de lAutomobile. Soy Vernica, una apasionada de los viajes, me gusta compartir mis experiencias viajeras en mi blog. Even though we saw a lot, it left us feeling exhausted by the end of our visit. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. Apart from its beautiful half-timbered houses and picturesque alleys, Riquewihr has no less than 40 classified Historical Monuments.
This is a fortified castle built in the 12th century but deeply transformed over the centuries. Its your protection in case anything goes wrong. Some towns feel like ghost towns before noon. Many parking lots have automated pay booths where you pay a few euros and then enter in the license plate number of your rental car. These towns can be found along the entire 170 km route, but the most popular and the most picturesque are located near Colmar, at the southern end. The refinement of its interior rooms is impressive, with wall paintings, Renaissance furniture, and huge iron stoves. DoDontorget Travel Insurance.Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. This hotel has spacious and stylish rooms, a bar, and a garden in which to relax. You cant leave without seeing the covered bridges and the Barrage Vauban. This lovely little town is more of a local spot so it feels gloriously quiet compared to Riquewihr and Colmar. All were very nice, but of course, we had our favorites. We will stay there 3 or 4 nights (tbd), then fly home to US from Frankfurt. These two top museums reflect the history of the city which is strongly influenced by industry. Julie Last updated: July 2, 2022 France 7 Comments. The Old Town of Colmar is very picturesque, with half-timbered houses, cobblestone lanes, and quaint canals. This Road Trip Alsace is one of the best road trips in France. I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel and I think I will help you too! After a good breakfast with no rush, spend the morning visiting the old town. Have a leisurely lunch, go shopping, take your time exploring the town. We arrived for dinner in Colmar and visited Little Venice at night. It has suffered much damage from the wars between France and Germany but has never lost its elegance. Most of the towns have parking areas located just outside of the city center, so you dont have to do any real driving through narrow city streets with lots of pedestrians. Its a beautiful village with half-timbered houses and one of the villages of the Alsace wine route. Located in the center of Alsace, between Strasbourg and Mulhouse,the oh-so-prettyColmaris one of the must-stops of any Alsace road trip. Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg is a medieval castle located in the Vosges Mountains. Eguisheimhas a unique layout, where the streets are arranged in concentric circles around the Eguisheim Castle. In 1919, the castle became French property with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. At the beginning of the 12th century and during the thirty-year war, it was severely damaged and completely destroyed by fire in 1633. Dambach-la-Ville | 3 Day Alsace Wine Route Itinerary. Hi Julie, I have been reading your posts regarding Alsace and they are very helpful! And within those villages any insights on the more spa-like places to stay? By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. ), in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. It is a large city and is the location of the headquarters of the European Parliament; it is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is very beautiful. The 13th-century tower gate is located on the first wall; you can visit the small museum of local history and archeology.
Is it very overwhelming or fairly easy country roads? I am thinking this will be our next tripParis then to the Alsace region. Day 2 of this road trip Alsace is dedicated to visiting Colmar. Hello Margaret. All rights reserved Earth Trekkers. One of the highlights of Ribeauville in the House of the flutists, 16th-century Pfifferhes, the 18th-century Hotel de Ville, the 13th-century tower gate, the Gothic church, and the Renaissance fountain. ThisAlsace Road Tripfrom Mulhouse to Strasbourg(or vice-versa) covers part of theAlsace Wine Region, but it also visits other interesting sites near this route. Designed & Developed by France Bucket List || Disclaimer ||Privacy Policy || Contact |, The Food Market (consider having lunch inside for a super local experience), The Petite-France, a picturesque district, The covered bridges and the barrage Vauban. Its city center, developed on the River Ill banks, not far from the Rhine River, is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. TIP: This museum is huge! On the way to Strasbourg stop atChteau du Haut Koenigsbourg, one of themost fascinating castles in France. Eguisheim is only a 10-minute drive from Colmar, and some people like to take this excursion to Eguisheim by bike. My recommendation is that you have at least three nights sleep here and use it as a base of operations to make the rest of your visits. Ribeauville | 3 Day Alsace Wine Route Itinerary, Riquewihr | 3 Day Alsace Wine Route Itinerary. Where do we start? The Three Castleson the Schlossberg hill (591m) is a beautiful trail to walk, and it starts from Eguisheim.
On the way back, at the entrance of Riquewihr, you will find a couple of wine producers offering wine tastings and their best bottles of Alsace wine. If you want to avoid the crowds, visit the Alsace Wine Route in late winter and early spring, in between New Years and Easter. This is the starting point of theGovino Trail, which goes through the Alsace vineyards of the communal territories of Riquewihr, Beblenheim, Benwihr, Hunawihr, and Zellenberg. Book Your FlightFind a cheap flight by usingSkyscanner. You could spend hours in Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Eguisheim, and Strasbourg. Chateau du Haut-Koenigsburg | 3 Day Alsace Wine Route Itinerary. Eguisheim is a great town to visit first thing in the morning. And well, its been about 300 years back and forth, but from World War II to the present day, its been French territory. Touristear.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.es, Amazon.fr.
The best time to go is at Easter, in August with the stork party and the winemakers festival, and in December for the Christmas decoration and its markets. From Colmar, it is just a short drive to some of the best towns on the Alsace wine route. We made a 4-day road trip through Alsace, including a 1-day visit to Strasbourg, the Alsace regions capital that includes a castle of an unpronounceable name and a few of the most beautiful villages in France. Follow the towns walls and visit the villages three defense towers, some of the oldest fortifications here. Four towns per day is a lot and it did feel rushed. This article may contain compensated links. This town has been populated since Gallo-Roman times, as evidenced by the coins, tombs, and ceramics found on the site.