Riquewihr or Ribeauville
Sep 12th, 2014, 12:12 PM
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Riquewihr or Ribeauville
Hi.
I'm trying to decide between staying for 3 nights in either of these 2 villages. I have found nice self catering accommodation in both. Having never been to Alsace before, I need some help. If you have been please state which one you liked the most and why? Or are they much of the same and it doesn't really matter either way?Opinions please
I'm trying to decide between staying for 3 nights in either of these 2 villages. I have found nice self catering accommodation in both. Having never been to Alsace before, I need some help. If you have been please state which one you liked the most and why? Or are they much of the same and it doesn't really matter either way?Opinions please
Sep 13th, 2014, 08:04 AM
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Hi simjay
You have selected a beautiful area for your 3 nights in Alsace. The choice between the two is second order.They are neighboring towns, a few kms and less than 10 minuets apart. In fact you would shop at the same supermarket, e-leclerc in the suburbs of Ribeauville.
Size matters. Ribeauville population 5,000, Riquewhir population 1,300. So things are more concentrated in Riquewhir. Ribeauville has more shops and a larger old town.
Location, location, location. One thing I liked about staying in the old town Riquewhir was we could step out of our apartment and have a choice of several really good restaurants for dinner, each only a few steps away. If you are eating in your apartment this would not be as important. But it still might be for an evening stroll.Do you want to be in a residential area or in the old town?
Riquwhir is more famous,"Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" (The Most Beautiful Villages of France),not damaged in WWII, more picturesque, and thus more touristed. But I found both crowded during the day, but a delight in the morning and at night.Waking up and looking out at the old town was really nice, climbing 2-3 flights of stairs within the building to our apartment not so nice.
Parking can be a consideration. You do not want long walks to/from your car. We had a parking pass which eliminated having to have coins for parking meters.
If you can give us the websites of the accommodations you are considering perhaps you will get additional comments.
You have selected a beautiful area for your 3 nights in Alsace. The choice between the two is second order.They are neighboring towns, a few kms and less than 10 minuets apart. In fact you would shop at the same supermarket, e-leclerc in the suburbs of Ribeauville.
Size matters. Ribeauville population 5,000, Riquewhir population 1,300. So things are more concentrated in Riquewhir. Ribeauville has more shops and a larger old town.
Location, location, location. One thing I liked about staying in the old town Riquewhir was we could step out of our apartment and have a choice of several really good restaurants for dinner, each only a few steps away. If you are eating in your apartment this would not be as important. But it still might be for an evening stroll.Do you want to be in a residential area or in the old town?
Riquwhir is more famous,"Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" (The Most Beautiful Villages of France),not damaged in WWII, more picturesque, and thus more touristed. But I found both crowded during the day, but a delight in the morning and at night.Waking up and looking out at the old town was really nice, climbing 2-3 flights of stairs within the building to our apartment not so nice.
Parking can be a consideration. You do not want long walks to/from your car. We had a parking pass which eliminated having to have coins for parking meters.
If you can give us the websites of the accommodations you are considering perhaps you will get additional comments.
Sep 13th, 2014, 10:07 PM
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Hi. Thanks so much. I think i have decided on the smaller town. I like the fact that we will be there morning and evenings when it will be quieter and then leave during the day to see other things when the town gets busy. Seeing as you have been there before maybe you can give me more advice. We are catching the train from Paris to Strasbourg where we will be hiring a car and then driving to Riquewihr where we will be staying for 3 nights thus 2 full days. When we leave we are driving to Beaune and i thought we would stop on the way and have a look at Colmar, arriving in Beaune in the evening.
My question is how to best use the 2 days we have. We all love looking at smaller villages and i know there are a plethora of those in that area. Should we spend one of our days visiting Strasbourg? Will we miss out on a lot if we don't make the effort to go there or is there just actually too much to see in a day so best to concentrate on what we can see?
My question is how to best use the 2 days we have. We all love looking at smaller villages and i know there are a plethora of those in that area. Should we spend one of our days visiting Strasbourg? Will we miss out on a lot if we don't make the effort to go there or is there just actually too much to see in a day so best to concentrate on what we can see?
Sep 14th, 2014, 12:32 PM
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What I would do is take the TGV train Paris Est dep 8:25 AM arriving Strasbourg 10:45 AM. There are even earlier trains, but you do not want a family rebellion. Then spend 4 hours in Strasbourg seeing the ND Cathedral and La Petit France. Take Batorama boat ride.
http://www.batorama.com/
http://www.batorama.com/departure-times/ (click on the map, see train station upper left).
Arrive Strasbourg train station, rent car, store luggage, take tram or walk(15 min) to cathedral(visit),stop at TI (optional), boat ride, walk back to car(follow route in Rick Steves France or one picked up at TI),lunch or picnic(see Rick Steves) along the way, and off to Riquwhir (1 hour).
In Our 2+ days(3 nights) last year we visited our base of Riquwhir and Ribeauville-including the petit train ride,surrounding villages-Zellenberg and Hunawhir to the north and Beblenheim, Mittenwihr,Benwihr, Kientzhelm to the south.
Equisheim on a Sunday which had a market day (real nice), Kayserberg, Chateau du Haut-Konigsbourg (Hint: On the way up the hill you will see people parking, keep going you will be able to park at the top near the castle entrance),
Meandered the back roads from Chateau du Haut-Konigsbourg to Colmar(stayed there on a previous trip).
Beaune is a short drive(3 hours) so you could stop in Colmar. By the way there is a nice Carrefour supermarket in Beaune. Visit the Hotel Dieu (medieval charity hospital) in Beaune.
http://www.batorama.com/
http://www.batorama.com/departure-times/ (click on the map, see train station upper left).
Arrive Strasbourg train station, rent car, store luggage, take tram or walk(15 min) to cathedral(visit),stop at TI (optional), boat ride, walk back to car(follow route in Rick Steves France or one picked up at TI),lunch or picnic(see Rick Steves) along the way, and off to Riquwhir (1 hour).
In Our 2+ days(3 nights) last year we visited our base of Riquwhir and Ribeauville-including the petit train ride,surrounding villages-Zellenberg and Hunawhir to the north and Beblenheim, Mittenwihr,Benwihr, Kientzhelm to the south.
Equisheim on a Sunday which had a market day (real nice), Kayserberg, Chateau du Haut-Konigsbourg (Hint: On the way up the hill you will see people parking, keep going you will be able to park at the top near the castle entrance),
Meandered the back roads from Chateau du Haut-Konigsbourg to Colmar(stayed there on a previous trip).
Beaune is a short drive(3 hours) so you could stop in Colmar. By the way there is a nice Carrefour supermarket in Beaune. Visit the Hotel Dieu (medieval charity hospital) in Beaune.
