msinformation

I am hoping to get some honest advice from Fodorites who have traveled between Paris and Alsace.

My husband and I are taking our first trip to France in May 2008. We will be arriving on a Friday morning and leaving on a Sunday afternoon (9 days). We fly both in and out of CDG.

For a variety of reasons, we feel the highlight of our trip is definitely Paris. We want to soak up as much of the lovely city as we can, and we generally enjoy a moderate pace of travel. We do want to experience iconic Paris institutions (famous churches, museums, etc.), but we aren’t hung up on seeing every last attraction or “sightseeing” every waking moment. We want to visit markets, sip wine in cafes, and enjoy the city!

However, we also would like to see something outside of Paris. My husband is particularly interested in the Alsace region and would very much like to visit. Given our travel goals, we are tentatively planning to stay in Paris for 6 nights, leaving on the TGV train to Strasbourg on Thursday morning.

My question:
Is 2.5 days/2 nights an acceptable amount of time for Alsace? (We could make it 3 nights by catching an early train from Strasbourg to Paris on Sunday before our 1pm-ish flight, though instinct tells me we should head back to Paris Saturday night to avoid complications...?)

We would probably limit ourselves to the northern region of Alsace, just for focus. We plan to rent a car in Strasbourg to use in the region. We are very interested in wine tasting and, again, just soaking up the beauty, culture, and (our favorite part!) food. We realize 2 nights is very short, but is it so short that we will end up feeling frustrated and overwhelmed? Would we be better off sacrificing one more night in Paris to spend another in Alsace?

I know questions of “Is X enough time…” are all relative. So I guess I’m asking for your own personal, experienced opinions. Thanks!

wanderfrau

Two nights in Strasbourg is fine. It will give you enough time to see the major sights, eat some great food, relax and enjoy. Just realize there is much more to the Alsace than just Strasbourg!
Have fun!

2010

My husband & I were in the Alsace for 6 nights (July, 2006). We were particularly struck by the beauty of the region --- the pretty villages, the parks, forests & mountains! Also, the white wines were wonderful! I understand your husband's interest to travel to the Alsace! However, two and a half days will afford you time to explore just a small part of this region.

With Strasbourg as your homebase, you will be well situated to drive along the Route du Vin visiting Colmar and some of the smaller villages such as Riquewihr & Ribeauville. If you have time, stop at the Chateau du Haute Koenigsbourg, a fortified castle built in the 12th century. From various vantage points in the castle you will see magnificant views of the plains below!

If pottery appeals to you, visit Soufflenheim and Betschdorf just north of Strasbourg!

Or, depending on your interests, you might want to look into one of these scenic drives: to the northern Vosges & into the regional park or along the Routes des Cretes, starting in Thann & concluding at Col du Bonhomme.

When you are not on the road, you will be able to explore Strasbourg with its magnificant cathedral & charming old town.

Catching an early morning TVG on Sunday will give you more time here. However, whether you choose to stay an extra night depends on how your feel about travelling from Strasbourg to CDG to catch your flight home.

Good luck with your plans!

2010

Oscar_James

Rent a car. We landed in Paris took our car from the airport to Metz, spent the night. This was one of our best trips. Visit our site emilyandjim.info to see our pictures. If you want more answers send me questions from my site and i will answer.

bill_boy

Alsace remains one of our favorite drive around destination in France. Strasbourg is a good base, but make sure to drive the Route de Vins and visit towns like Obernai, Riquewihr (very touristy, but worth spending a half-day at the very least), and the old portion of Colmar.

The restaurant L'Ami Fritz at Otrott near Obernai is a terrific lunch stop.

If you like good white wines, the food-friendly local rieslings are
well worth tasting at wineries.

crazyfortravel

We picked up a car in Strasbourg at the airport and drove to Obernai for the 1st night and then spent the next two nights in Colmar. You can see quite a bit of the region in 2.5 days as the quaint little towns are close together. I would base myself outside of Strasbourg in one of the picture perfect villages. Kayserberg, Riquewhir, Ribeauville, Obernai, Colmar and Eguisheim to name a few.

If you love flowers, wine and post card pretty villages...you'll love the Alsace. Good luck with your planning.

Here is a useful website for the Route des vins.

http://tinyurl.com/yv4n2e

ira

Hi Ms,

I would put 3 nights in Alsace in the middle of your trip.

Have a nice visit.

KarenKM

Thanks for asking this. I long to meander Alsace.

Karen

auleen

Last May my husband and I spent a week in Paris then drove to the Alsace staying overnight part way. After a week in a big city, even Paris (!) it was lovely to be in the countryside. We stayed a few days in tiny, beautiful Equisheim and I would do it again in a minute! My advice, IF you like soaking up beautiful countryside and small villages, is to stay in one of them-much easier to drive out of than a busy bigger city like Strasbourg. Driving south from Strasbourg would be delightful. Then when you fly out (from Strasbourg)later you could stop in different towns on the way back. Don't miss Colmar; it is an in-between size and a very nice town.
Whichever way you do things will just whet your appetite to return to The Alsace as soon as you can!

richardab

This is a tough one. I loved the Alsace region but I also love Paris.

Here is what I think...

Day 1 - Arrival Paris
Day 2 - Paris
Day 3 - Paris
Day 4 - Paris
Day 5 - Paris
Day 6 - Early morning train to Strasbourg
Day 7 - Strasbourg / Route du Vin
Day 8 - Route du Vin
Day 9 - Route du Vin
Day 10 - Return home

I really think you need 2 full days to wander the Route du Vin and small villages. Strasbourg is a great city but you can see a few sights and wander the streets in a day.

Here are some good priced hotel suggestions-

In Strasbourg - http://www.hotel-rohan.com Its a cute little place and right in the pedestrian tourist area. You can walk to everything from here.

On the Route du Vin, there are many small hotels in the villages but I choose to stay at this nice little place which was located between the villages. It is called the HOTEL LE MITTELWIHR and it is located in MITTELWIHR.

http://monsite.wanadoo.fr/hotelmandelberg.fr/

It didn't have air conditioning but based on the time of year you are visiting you may not need it.

The two main villages which are the most beautiful are Ribeauville and Riquewihr. You can also spend a lot of time driving along the route and seeing other towns and villages. You will have a great time.

nytraveler

We were in the middle of a road trip and spent 4 nights in Strasbourg. The first we arrived late, we then spent 2 days exploring Strasbourg and the third day drove down to check out Colmar and see a couple of wine villages on the way back. This was a long day (we started early to get there shortly after the Museum opened).

IMHO this is the minimum amount of time to really see anything of Alsace.

msinformation

Wow, there is some great information here! So to those of you who feel like 2.5 days is not enough, would you feel 3 days is enough? What are the absolute "must sees"? We are thinking of staying in Colmar or a smaller village that will be most central for exploring.

ira

Hi M,

>3 days is enough? What are the absolute "must sees"? We are thinking of staying in Colmar or a smaller village that will be most central for exploring.

We did 2.5 days and 2 nights last year.

This year we are going back for a full week.

I can highly recommend http://pagesperso-orange.fr/schwendi/index.htm in Kientzheim, a very pleasant restored village on the route du vin, just outside Colmar, within walking distance of Kaysersberg and Riquewihr.

2010

We stayed in Obernai on the Route du Vin. It's a pretty town with many good restaurants! Our hotel had a private parking garage which made it easy to come & go by car.

2010

richardab

I didn't really like Colmar, staying in, or near, the villages are more fun.

msinformation

We're not set on Colmar, and Kintzheim sounds lovely, as does Obernai. I didn't know you could walk between any of the towns! That would be nice so we could do at least a little sightseeing without a car, then save the car for the longer distances.

ira

HI Ms,

You can get the Michelin Map 315 (BasRhin, Haut Rhin, Ter.-de-Belfort) at www.languagequest.com

It is 1:1.5k and is much better than the 516 Map- 1:2.75k.

travelschultz

We loved Colmar, stayed there 3 nights and drove out to smaller wine towns. Stayed in a lovely hotel called Le Colombier, a little pricer then our usual (153E), but very very nice. We are looking forward to a week's stay there in the future. It is a little bigger town with lots of restaurants, a good Monoprix store & lovely photo opportunities. We also spent 3 nights in Stras on this same trip. We enjoyed that too, but could probably see the hilites in a day.