Paris - Strasbourg

Driving is always interesting if you have other interests along the way -- the Champagne region and Reims, historic Lorraine and the cities of Metz and Nancy -- but all of that takes time, so an 8-day trip will not be enough.

Therefore, you must take the TGV to Strasbourg, which was the fastest train in the world until last week when a Chinese train took the title. After spending a day or two visiting Strasbourg, you might want to rent a car to see the rest of Alsace (others will chime in here about things that you should see). If you rent through something like AutoEurope, you might even consider returning the car in Paris at no extra charge.

Here is something I posted earlier about Alsace

Alsace is one of the most beautiful places in France. In fact, the “Wine Spectator” ran a large expose on Alsace about 8 years ago and called it the most beautiful wine growing region in the world. I would probably include the Mosel in this category, but Alsace has gobbled up more of my film per square mile than almost anywhere else in France (we spend 2 months every year in France). It’s kinda like Vermont with vineyards – dozens of picture postcard villages with church steeples sticking up above the houses, surrounded by vineyards, and backdropped by the Vosges mountains. There is also the very pretty town of Colmar, which I would have to rank in the top 5% of all the medium sized towns I’ve visited in France (perhaps #1 even), Strasbourg is one of my favorite large towns in France. We spent a week in a lovely Gite near Riquewihr last year and we’ve visited Alsace on 3 other occasions for a duration of 3-5 days on each visit. If I have any complaint about Alsace, it’s that there is not as much variety to the sites, villages, and countryside as I’ve seen in other areas of France. The villages in Alsace are almost too pretty to be real, but there are a lot of similarities to them. The Vosges are nice, but nothing like the Alps, Pyrenees, or the Cevannes. I would go there in early September, so that the geraniums that are everywhere will be in full bloom. One time we were there the last week of August, and we had no problems with crowds (I hate crowds).

We’re lucky enough to dine in France at least 30 times per year. We found the restaurants in Alsace to be excellent, in most cases. It’s very easy to avoid the pork & kraut, if that’s not your style. If you look at the red Michelin guide, there are more starred restaurants in Alsace than anywhere else in France (except Paris).

If you are starting your trip in Paris, I would recommend that you take the train from Paris Est to Nancy and visit this lovely city. It’s the center of “Beaux Arts”, and the city architecture & the Place Stanislas are spectacular – especially the golden gates around the square. Take the walking tour outlined in the Green Michelin guide for Alsace. Also visit the Musee des Beaux-Arts, if you’re interested in this style. We actually visited Nancy as a day trip by train from Colmar. We had lunch at the Excelsior Flo, which is truly a sight to behold (see the picture in the Green Michelin guide). There are about 6 direct trains from Paris to Nancy daily, and the trip is about 3 hrs or less. There are about 9 direct trains from Nancy to Strasbourg daily and I suspect that most go on to Colmar too (trip is less than 1 ½ hrs). You could stay overnight in Nancy, or even just make it a ½ day stopover, if you can find a way to stow your luggage.

If you stop or stay in Nancy and then go on to Strasbourg and stay there, you perhaps might be getting “a little too much big city”. It would be more efficient that you start your “Alsace central” visit in Strasbourg, but it might be best to stay somewhere in a small village in the countryside and visit Strasbourg as day trips. There are several trains departing from both Colmar & Ribeauville to Strasbourg. If you decide not to start in Strasbourg, I would take the train to Colmar and pick up a rental car there. Colmar is an easy town to get in & out of (Strasbourg is a little more difficult).

If you overnight in Strasbourg, we’ve stayed at the Gutenberg twice, and loved it. It’s small, centrally located, and not that expensive. It’s difficult to park nearby, however, since it’s on the fringe of the “pedestrian only” section. Take the walking tours described in the Michelin guide. I previously said I’m not a pork fan, but we dined at Chez Yvonne twice and enjoyed it. It’s a very popular brasserie serving traditional Alsace food in a rustic décor – reserve ahead. We’ve also dined at Maison Kammerzell, which is more upscale and located in one of the most beautiful buildings in Strasbourg. It was a Michelin 1 star, and the food was OK (we’ve had much better meals at other restaurants), but the main draw at this place is the décor.

The charm of Alsace is the countryside & cute villages. We’ve stayed in Oberni, Kayserberg twice, and in a Gite near Riquewihr. I would recommend that you stay in the Kayserberg/Riquewihr/Ribbeauville area & take day trips from there. These villages are very close together & the area around the villages is stunning. The Route du Vin is a good road to use to visit all the villages, but it gets a lot of heavy truck traffic & there’s a little too much not-so-scenic commerce on it. There is a prettier and less traveled road that goes from village to village just west of the Route du Vin. It’s actually a very well marked bike route that is much more scenic than the Route du Vin. It probably doesn’t traverse the entire length of the Route du Vin, though. There are a lot of signposts along this route that indicate the direction to the next town, distances, etc. The best way to find this route is to go to Riquewihr & walk or drive around the perimeter of town until you find one of these signposts – it’s actually quite easy to find this route.

Villages not to miss are Oberni, Ribeauville, Riquewihr, Kayserberg, and Eguisheim. There are ramparts around Bergheim and its fun to walk on the top of them & circle the village, looking down into everyone’s back yard. There is a very nice lookout in the town of Zellenberg. Go up into the village & try to find it. There is a viewing table there that’s a little hard to locate, but worth the effort. There is also a very scenic lookout in a cemetery just outside of Sigolsheim – it’s marked on the Michelin map. Hike up to the old Chateau above Kayserberg in the early AM or late PM to get some wonderful views. Visit Haut Koenigsbourg. We really enjoyed the Ecomusee d’Alsace, although I’m usually not a fan of this “Williamsburg” type of stuff. It’s a collection of old houses that gives an insight into housing in the different periods & rural areas of Alsace. There are a lot of storks nesting on the roofs of the buildings in this Ecomusee. The Beauville linens factory & 2nds store is just west of Ribeauville on the road to Ste Marie aux Mines, but expect no bargains.

As I said earlier, Colmar is a gem. Follow the walking route indicated in the Michelin green guide & take plenty of film with you. My wife purchased some wonderful lace in this town. We enjoyed the Musee d’Unterlinden. Spend a ½ day at least in Colmar. It’s easy to drive in & out & parking is no hassle. Stores may be closed on Sunday and Monday.

Here’s a pretty drive through some villages, and then into the Vosges. Head south of Colmar going through the villages of Eguisheim (spend several hours in this village – one of our favorites), Husseren, Hattstat, Gueberschwihr, Rouffach, Westhalten, Bergholtz, and then Guebwiller (visit). Then drive to Murbach to see a nice church in a pretty setting. Take the D430 west through Lautenbach and further until it hits the D27. Take the D27 north over the Col du Platzerwasel toward Munster. Continue on to Munster (D27 changes to D10). Stop & wander around in Munster (of cheese fame). Continue on the D10 to Turckheim (visit).

A farther away trip:
Visit Wissembourg and take the walking tour described in the Michelin Green guide. Then follow drive #3 described in the VOSGES DU NORD section of the Michelin guide. This will take you to Chateau de Fleckenstein, Lembach, Hunspach, & Seebach. In these latter two villages, the houses are half-timbered & painted white – it’s quite a contrast from other villages in Alsace. If you want to see how France attempted to defend itself from the Germans and Russsians after WWI, visit a section of the Maginot line at Four-a-Chaux just outside of Lembach. We enjoyed the tour of underground fortifications, hospitals, barracks, etc.

An excellent way to get back to the CDG airport in Paris for your return home is to stay in Dijon the night before. You can take the early TGV to CDG, which leaves Dijon at 7:47 & gets you into the airport at 9:35 (Sunday schedules might be a little different). We drove from Alsace to Dijon (an easy all-freeway drive), and dropped our car off at the train station and walked across the street and checked into the Hotel Jura. Dijon is a beautiful city. We were there on a Saturday AM and we immediately went to the outdoor market next to the “Les Halles” permanent indoor market. Lots of foodstuff, brocante, etc. The “Les Halles” market is one of the largest I’ve seen. Dijon is a very lively town – especially on a Saturday. Take the walking tour described in the Green Michelin Guide (you’ll have to buy or borrow the green guide for Burgundy Jura). We dined at Pre aux Clercs which was a 1 star and also got raves from Patricia Wells. It was good, but about twice the price as places in Alsace. This year it lost its star.

Restaurants.
Maximilien at the base of Zellenberg was our favorite. The ambience was very relaxed (we had to talk in a whisper) and the setting was lovely. This is a Michelin 1 star restaurant and the food was supurb. Auberge du Schoenbourg in Riquewihr was also excellent. It is a Michlein 1 star. We did not like Table du Gourmet, also in Riquewihr (also a 1 star). I had a very sloppy presentation of overcooked Sandre on a bed of scalloped potatoes (very unimaginative). My wife’s dish also did not please her. We dined at Auberge de Norbert in Bergheim, which was excellent. In Colmar, we dined at the Maison des Tetes, which is one of the most photographed buildings in the City. Our dinner was only so-so and the service was painfully slow (we usually spend at least 2 ½ hrs at dinner).

Stu Dudley

My husband and I and another couple spent a week in Alsace in Oct., renting a wonderful apartment/house in Riquewihr. www.i-love-riquewihr.com It was built into the ramparts of the medieval town; it had been authentically renovated but had modern conveniences like a pellet-burning fireplace, memory foam mattresses, etc.

We took day trips every day to different villages and especially liked Ribeauville and Kaysersberg, in addition to our home base of Riquewihr.

For dining, recommend Le Sarment d'Or in Riquewihr and Hotel Chambard in Kaysersberg.

Since you don't have a lot of time in the area, I would suggest going straight to Strasbourg by TGV and renting a car there. If you amble along the way from Paris to Alsace, you won't have time to see Alsace.

Happy planning and travels!

We spent a week in Alsace in September. It's very beautiful, but the villages are more "touristy" than other French towns. The small villages are full of tourist shops. The villages are all so close together it's easy to see many in a short time. Leave time for walks through the vineyards. There are walks which welcome visitors and you'll see all the varieties of grapes grown in the same area. Ask at the TI for a brochure. We were there at the start of the harvest and a woman loaded us up with grapes she was picking! What a treat.

It's even possible to drive into Switzerland for a day trip. One day we drove to the alps and hiked in the Berner Oberland. It was a long day, but well spent with our daughter who hadn't been to Switzerland previously.

Mulhouse has excellent museums, including the Cite du Train and Cite de L'Automobile. Both are worth your time, but the city isn't!

Just outside of Bergheim, where we stayed, right off the main hwy. is a large grocery store, which has wifi if you can't find it elsewhere!

Have a great trip.

Enjoy your trip!

topping

StuDudley,

Are any of the restaurants in Strasbourg that you mentioned kid friendly? Wife & I plus our three kids (all under 5) will be in Strasbourg this September.

Don't recall - we don't have kids.

Stu Dudley

That's apparent.

"That's apparent."

What a totally uncalled for, snarky remark.

StuDudley:
Thank you for your great advice about visiting the Alsace region, I enjoyed reading your synopsis. We are planning a trip to France Sept 4-14. We are arriving/departing from CDG airport. We want to visit Strasbourg, Villages along the Rout du vins & Colmar then move onto the Burgundy region (probably base ourselves in/near Beaune and visit some wineries and enjoy the food and scenery for a few days and then on the way back to Paris explore Flavigny-sur Ozerain, Abbey de Fontenay,Chateauneuf-en Auxois and Semur-en Auxios (staying overnight somewhere in the area the night before our Paris flight).

So Stu...(others please chime in as well) do you think this itinerary too busy? Also...where would you stay and how many nights? We don't like big cities but could probably enjoy mid sized cities like Colmar & Beaune. You mentioned a gite you stayed in near Riquwehr....can you share the name and a bit more about it? Do you have any information to share about the Burgundy region? Thanks in advance

In Strasbourg I spent three days at the Rohan hotel in the pedestrian area steps from the cathedral and enjoyed the hotel and the location.

I would like to second Stu's excellent ideas on how to go about visiting Strasbourg and the region! I was very keen to go to Strasbourg last year and somehow couldn't quite fit it into our plans. Again this year we are missing out because our main aim is to get to Paris for the end of 'Le Tour' - however, armed with Stu's advice we will eventually make it oneday!

If you look back on my name to 2007 I did a bike tour through Alsace (one of a number of visits to the area). Well worth the visit.

Starsbourg, Colmar and a number of wine villages will eat up 3 days without much bother (mullhouse also interesting). Watch those alcohol limits

Going all the way to Burgundy makes no real sense. I would look at one the following.

Champagne, well its kinda on the way. Epernay or Rheims.

Trier/Luxembourg, could be on the way and there is more wine

Bescancon, no more wine but very pretty fortress

Follow the Rhine North and then cut West up the Mosel. Pfalz region wine is v good and it allows you to pop by Rhingau

>>explore Flavigny-sur Ozerain,<<
Probably the most disappointing village we've visited in France - and we've been to hundreds. I would skip it - visit Noyers instead.

Alsace & Burgundy would be a good combination. It's only about 2 3/4 hrs between Colmar & Beaune. Mostly freeway.

We spend 2 weeks in a Gite near Beaune & enjoyed the region and Beaune. However, many of the northern Burgundy sites (Auxerre, Vezelay, Ch Tanley, Ch Ancy le Franc, Fontenay, etc) are pretty far away from Beaune. We spent too much time on the freeway on our multiple day-trips to these places.

Here is a site for Chateaux to visit in Burgundy.

http://www.routedesducs.com/

Save your ticket from your first chateau for a discount on the second chateau.

Also visit Cormatin just north of Macon. Excellent chateau & fabulous garden.

The gites we stay in rent for a minimum 7 days - Sat to Sat.

For 10 days I would allocate about half in Alsace & half in Burgundy. If you really only have 9 days, 4 in Alsace & 5 in Burgundy. You can get directly to CDG airport from Dijon by TGV. We've taken the early morning train to CDG in time for our connection home.

Top 3 restaurants

Stephane Derbord in Dijon – one of the top 5 meals of all time in France (we dine out about 40 times per year in France)
Michelin 1 star

First round of Amuse Bouches
Bite sized squares of Croque Monsieurs
Carp mousse with black & white sesame seeds
Parmesan chip and a bite sized tomato “truffle” with a semi-liquid center
Second round of Amuse Bouches
Sushi (California roll) with cockle, with Asian spices & bean sprouts
Potato puree
Leek Mousse with green beans
55E menu
-Smoked sander – thin rolls stuffed with finely julienned vegetables served with tart greens (incl dandelion greens) topped with paper thin lengthwise sliced carrots. The plate was edged with a piping of honey mustard and crumbled hazelnuts
-Perch with a wild mushrooms and green beans served in a deep plate with a “soup de poisons” reduction sauce
-cheese chariot
-Poached , pealed pear with a red wine sauce in pain epice with sage ice cream – all very refreshing

65E menu
-Sauteed scallops, each served on a cucumber “coin” with a topping of lemon cream & caviar, with julienned apples & dandelion greens
-Sandre on a bed of spinach with a butter sauce accompanied by a small tomato stuffed with diced cepes on a squash “coin”
-Filet of Cerf, served with berries & a dark berry reduced sauce with green beans & wild mushrooms with a ‘grain” of some sort
-Cheese chariot
-pre-dessert refresher
-Chocolate fondant – top & bottom layers of dark chocolate “sandwiching” lighter chocolate mousse with dark chocolate wafers & vanilla ice cream
-Post-dessert refresher


Hostellerie du Vieux Moulin in Bouilland, just north of Beaune
Also a hotel
www.le-moulin-de-bouilland.com
Michelin 1 star

Amuse Bouches
Skewered rolled duck breast slice, with mustard dollop
Homard tartare “confit”
Arugula sorbet with whipped cream top layer & balsamic drizzle (in a glass cylinder)
39E menu
-Seared tuna with fennel sorbet and a side of pickeled vegetables
-Supreme de Pintade thinly sliced in a “spiral” presentation on a bed of herbed crushed potatoes, with vegetables in a side casserole
-Excellent cheese chariot
-Seasonal fresh fruit with pepper-flecked yoghurt ice cream

65E menu
-Daurade with vegetables a la Pistou
-Rougets with a confit of fennel and a bouillabaisse reduction with macadamia nuts
-Pigeon with polenta and zucchini “packet” stuffed with caviar d’aubergine and a rich reduction sauce
-Cheese chariot
-Poached plum with amaretto cream and puff pastry triangles

-Post dessert if Marc de Bourgogne ice and assorted sweets


Charlemagne in Pernand-Vergelesses just north of Beaune
Slight Asian twist
Michelin 1 star

37E menu
Six amuse bouches which arrived on a Plexiglas “cube” with holes & shelves to present the various items
California rolls with a “crisp”, held in place by a teeny wooden clothes pin
Fish mousse on a cracker
Parmesan pastry palmier
Pickled fish filling wrapped in a won ton wrapper on a skewer
Marble sized savory (no idea what it was)
Small piece of spiced pork on a bone
Second Amuse Bouche course
Glass of creamy smoked fish puree (to drink)
A herb-crusted langoustine
-Bread presentation – 3 different breads stacked on a skewer, with a wooden base into which a recess had been routed to hold a corked vial with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, which were to be shaken before pouring onto your bread plate as a dipping sauce
-Tuna ceveche served at the bottom of a glass with a smoked tomato cream, slivered green onions, and a dot of washabi cream
-Cabillaud a la vapeur with a vanilla/olive oil drizzle, layered with wild mushrooms, served with a pork bun with a crustacean filling, on a bed of cucumber-wrapped ratatouille. This was not your grandmother’s cabillaud recipe
-Strawberry/red berry gazpacho – heavenly creamy/frothy served in a slanted glass with a brochette of halved strawberries and strawberry marshmallow cubes

45E menu
Same Amuse Bouche courses
-California rolls with snails and langoustines speckled with black and white sesame seeds
-Lisettes (small mackerel) served atop a bone marrow tube filled with spinach & julienned carrots tossed in Asian spices
-Porc cotolet (cutlet/loin) served with artichoke mousse, drizzled with peanut butter with a cluster of small wild mushrooms in tempura
-Pyramid of chocolate with other sweets

Other restaurants – all were excellent
Le Jardin des Remparts in Beaune. We dined here several years ago, and it was one of our top 5 of all time then. It didn’t “wow” us as much this visit. Michelin 1 star.

La Rotisserie du Chambertin in Gevrey Chambertin. It has an upstairs Bistro, and a downstairs restaurant in a wine cave, with animated winemaking scenes as you descend into the cave. We dined downstairs.

Le Montrachet on Puilly Montrachet. It was “complet” the first few times we tried to reserve. Obviously very popular. My St Pierre was overcooked. Lovely setting.

Relais de la Diligence in Meursault. Excellent value. It was the “sleeper” of the group

Les Gourmets in Marsannay la Cote. Michelin 1 star. Very nice

One day we took an overnight trip to Troyes, and dined there. On another occasion, we met some friends at a Michelin 1 star restaurant in Macon – which is not in Burgundy. We also spent 2 weeks in Beaujolais

We “checked out’ about 10 other restaurants in Burgundy (including 1 stars) and the menus did not seem interesting enough to make us choose them over the ones we selected. There’s a lot of Charollais beef on menus in this region. I have not experienced any beef in France that’s as good as the beef we have in the US, or beef I’ve tasted in Italy (one exception may be Aubrec beef). Bresse chicken is also a very popular item on menus. I’ve tried this several times in other areas of France & thought it wasn’t really that much better than a good farm-raised chicken.

Stu Dudley

Thank you Stu!

In an earlier post....you mentioned that you would stay in a village in Alsace as opposed to perhaps Colmar. Can you share why....and would you choose Riquewihr or Euguisheim?

We're looking for quaint accomadations in a charming area...but walkable restaurants for dinner to avoid drinking & driving

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Thanks Stu for all the great tips.

We will be in the Strasbourg the first week in Nov with a car. Any recommendations on a place to stay that has parking availible?

Is it reasonable to assume that you could take the train our of Paris to Stasbourg, rent a car; and drive to a town like Colmar in one day - relatively easily. (Not a 6 - 8 hour trip). What about recommendations on places to stay (B&B possibly) in and/or around Colmar?

TGV from Paris to Strasbourg takes 2 h. 20 min.; car rentals are just across the street from train station, and a little over an hour's drive to Colmar--easily done.

Cwn, I like the Hotel de Rohan in Strasbourg; it is on a pedestrian street just opposite the cathedral. They have some parking arrangements; you could email or call them to get exact details on how that works.

http://www.hotel-rohan.com/

tttt

Excellent info. Thanks.

We stayed a week in a gite in Bergheim. There are several gites in this village. It's small but beautiful with a good walk around the village walls, and several excellent restaurants. Parking is simple and it's a very short drive to other villages so picking out restaurants is simple. We much preferred it to Colmar.

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I stayed in Colmar, (delightful as Stu says) in "Little Venice at the Hotel Romantik Marechal

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