Hi em,

It doesn't matter.

You will enjoy them both.

These might help you
Ira Visits Zurich, The Bodensee, Alsace and Paris – May 2008
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=35136218

Ira Visits Europe – May, 2007 (Salzburg, Fuessen, Bodensee, Burgundy, Alsace)
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=35014078

Enjoy your visit

A week is great, the Loire is of course much longer and fully in france compared to the Rhine.

Alsace offers, wine (really only white no matter what Rene Mure says), the Vosges mountains and some very good cheese along with easy access to bits of Germany. A Concentration camp and a variety of WW1 and WW2 memorials. Strasbourg is an under estimated visit as is Bescancon and Mulhouse while the views from the Ballon d'alsace are some of the finest in France.

Loire has a good many white and red wines, a great many chateau and monestries with little evidence of historical invasion apart from the odd thing down on the Atlantic coast.

I love both areas, if you want to try a touch of Germany without spending long outside France than I'd go to Alsace (lots of little houses all painted different pastel colours). If you want a true french visit then I'd do the loire.

Good bike paths in both areas, though only Loire has fine canoeing.

We have been to both places and have to say that we enjoyed Alsace the best. The Route de Vin was especially pretty in Sept. And we loved the wines of Alsace and the foods also. We just thought the whole area was prettier and with a French German influence at times it felt like we were in Germany. Strasbourg was very nice to see also but if you are into seeing castles then you might like Loire better.

Wines, Alsace has a varietal based system (the bottle says what is in it) and generally looking at flavoursome, spicy whites in the Pinot Gris/Gewurtz area with some sweet options.

Loire uses Chenin and Suavignon for the whites and Cab Franc, Pino Noir for the reds (generally) again ranging dry to sweet but few areas with great intensity (for example Savenierre) or intense sweet Vouvray and others. The reds of Saumur and Saumur-Champigny are not to be ignored though watch out for red from north of the river. For example St Bourgueil tend to more intense than the often dried out Chinons, though of course on the ground you will find examples that disprove this general principle.

That is the fun of a holiday.

I vote for Alsace; among other things, the landscape is much more interesting and of course, the German influence in that part of France offers a completely different cultural view.

We stayed in a rented house for a week in Riquewihr: www.i-love-riquewihr.com

Your choice

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157623045335898/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157624575935008/show/

and if going to the Loire by car, do visit the Chartres cathedral

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/sets/72157623401029366/show/

What do you like?

Answer that and you can get answers to your question attuned to your preferences, not just ours.

Along with bb's list

Flammekueche - what pizza would be if it knew how
Spätzle - noodles
Kugelhopf - what Babka would be if it had a French grandmother
Choucroûte garnie, - what Germans would eat if they had French grandmothers
Bäckeoffe - what the French would eat if they had German grandmothers

There is a very good 1* resto in Zellenberg - www.le-maximilien.com

PS,

A very good place for dinner for those who are cheese buffs is
http://www.cheese-gourmet.com/restous.html

There is a beautiful town in the Alsace region, Colmar.

My first trip there, I went for a day, and ended up spending six days there. Very pretty and quaint.

Some wonderful white wines in the region.

http://www.ot-colmar.fr/en/

Hi, I love the Loire - I've just bought a Renaissance house there - but I would vote for Alsace in September during the wine harvest. Beautiful places to see, the weather should be fine, people are very friendly. And try the "vin nouveau", a unique wine experience in France, found only in Alsace (different from the Beaujolais nouveau). You might to read about my experience on http://www.aussieinfrance.com/2011/10/vin-nouveau-in-alsace/. Have a wonderful time!

I'm so glad this was asked, as I've been considering both, as well. Thanks, folks, I'll bookmark this thread!

Thank you all so much for your insights. Ira and bb, wonderful info and I had just about made my decision (of course, haven't shared with dh yet), and then Michael, you totally confused me with those fabulous slide shows. Will make a decision soon, I hope.

BigRuss, I really wanted your preferences, since we really like everything about traveling: history, culture, good food, good wine (is there any bad wine?) sightseeing, touring, absorbing the vibe and meeting the people who live in the area, so was happy to get other Fodorites' faves.

I live a short hop from Alsace and it's wonderful in the fall. But we also love the Loire Valley.

From our perspective (which may or may not match other that of other Fodorites)

Loire Valley:
Better food (we find some of the Alsace cuisine too "hearty")
Better weather (slightly)
More castles and "obvious" historical sites, esp from the 15th-18th centuries

Alsace:
More varied natural scenery (hills, rivers, prettier fall foliage, etc)
Better wine (white, with the exception of the fabulous Sancerre wines in the far eastern LV)
Stronger Art Nouveau connection (if you like that period)
Closer to Germany and Switzerland
Nicer gardens (ex: Villandry)
Angers, one of our favourite French cities

If your trip would also include Lorraine (some people mean both when they say Alsace, some mean only Alsace), then I would also add in the wonder of city of Nancy, also one of our favourite French cities. I like Nancy more than Strasbourg and Colmar.

You're in a win-win situation, lucky you Both of these destinations are delightful and you really can't go wrong either way.

Oops, the "nicer gardens" and Angers belong firmly in the Loire Valley list!!

Better wine (white, with the exception of the fabulous Sancerre wines in the far eastern LV)

Most Sancerre wines are white.

I think better wine in Alsace with the exception of Sancerre (Loire) is the meaning.

Hi! Thanks again everyone for your great advice. We had a hard time deciding but I think we are going for Alsace, with a little northern Burgundy thrown in as we are fond of that area too. Ira, how long did it take to drive from the German border to Beaune. We have always gone south from Burgundy.

I would pick the Loire.

If going to northern Burgundy try and include Chablis and Auxerre

Hi em,

>Ira, how long did it take to drive from the German border to Beaune. <

From Colmar, on the motorway, about 3 hr.

Hi Ira:

Thanks, that's certainly doable. We are now thinking we will now fly into CDG and take the tav right form there to Reims for a little bubbly time and leave the next afternoon for Beaune and environs for a couple of nights. We have been in Burgundy several times when the dh was working in Lyon, but never tire of it (or is it the wine????) . We will then drive on to alsace for 4 days and then take the tav from Strasbourg to Paris for six days (never tire of that either). and then home. How does that sound?