Alsace and Strasbourg recommendations
 

We are really looking forward to spending 2 nights in Strasbourg and 3 nights staying in Riquewihr - with a car, in mid September.

Recommendations and sightseeing ideas?

We love small villages and wandering the countryside.

Dining: in Riquewihr, Le Sarment d'Or
in Kaysersburg, Hotel Chambard

Dining- Riquewehr..A La Grappe d'Or Restaurant and Winstub..we enjoyed it so much that we returned a second night.

I would recommend spending a day in Colmar. Depending on your interests, there are some notable art museums there, especially the Unterlinden. Also there is a traditional dance performance in Colmar once a week in one of the main squares (I believe around 7 PM). Also while in Riquewar, be sure to walk or drive up to the vineyards above the town for a view over rooftops (and for photos). I went to Haut Kronenbourg, which I enjoyed very much. I also liked the towns of Ribeauville and Kayserville.

Take a walk through the vineyards to Kaysersberg.

I agree with Susan -- don't miss the Musee d'Unterlinden in Colmar: www.musee-unterlinden.com.

Oops. Meant to say Kayserburg!

Thank you for your replies.

Grandmere and HappyTrvlr thanks for the restaurant recommendations we enjoy a nice French meal. So looking forward to our stay in the Bastide at Riquewihr

susan001 we drop our car off in Colmar so will spend some time there and will look into your ideas. Yes we would like to walk the vineyards, I have been doing some reading on Ribeauville. Is that Kaysersberg?

Oh sorry I must have been posting at the same time as your second post.

Nanbug a walk to the vineyards to Kaysersberg sounds lovely. We like to absorb the countryside

Definitely spend part of a day in Colmar - an adorable town with an incredible museum.

There is also a facinating stork reserve just off the main road.

In Strasbourg try to stay near the Cathedral (fantastic) and be sure to visit the fold/house museum.

One of these days I'll remember the spellings of these towns. Yes, Kaysersberg.

Hi A,

We enjoyed our stay at http://www.hotel-gutenberg.com/uk/index.php in Strasbourg.

http://www.le-maximilen.com/ is an excellent Michelin 1* very near Riquewiher.

((I))

I think the bowl at Orshwihr is the most impressive and like visiting Materne Haeglin as they are a women managed wine company in a very paternalistic enviroment.( and the wine is good)

I would also stay at one of the two hotels between Guebwiller and the ballon d'alsace as they are so well designed. They are both at
http://www.domainedulac-alsace.com/d...onfort-Alsace/

You may also want to visit Monte Sainte Odile: http://www.mont-sainte-odile.com/index.php?lang=en

When in Riquewiher visit the tasting room for the vineyard, Mittnacht-klack for some great wine.

I second Ira's suggestion of the Hotel Gutenberg in Strasbourg. It's well located, has reasonable rates, it's clean, and has nice people working there.

Alsace in September should be lovely!

Thank you for your replies, links and ideas.

A question about Hotel Gutenberg, has anyone had the breakfast? Is it worth paying the extra? What does it include?
We have an early morning departure by train to Paris (about 7.30 am) would it be better to stay near the Gare or would Hotel Gutenberg location be ok.

I have booked our Riquewihr stay http://i-love-riquewihr.com/ We definitely would like to visit some tasting rooms whilst in Alsace.

Hoping September weather will be nice!

Sept. tends towards chilly morning and bright sunshine in sfternoon

We stayed at the Gutenberg, but didn't have breakfast. We liked to wander around town in the morning for a cafe creme and croissant instead. Much cheaper, too.

It's an easy tram or taxi ride from the Hotel G to the train station, no need to stay near there. The Gutenberg is in the heart of things. To me, the train station felt a bit "out there" location-wise. Not really that far, maybe a 15 minute walk, but not in the thick of it all like the Gutenberg is.

Hi A,

>A question about Hotel Gutenberg, has anyone had the breakfast? Is it worth paying the extra? What does it include?

IIRC, it was a buffet bkfst with the usual breads, cheeses, meats, yogurts, fruit, coffee. They also had pretty good instant decaf.

We have an early morning departure by train to Paris (about 7.30 am) would it be better to stay near the Gare or would Hotel Gutenberg location be ok.

I think that the G is about a 15 min walk to the train station.

Enjoy your visit.

((I))

Bookmarking

It's a perfect time of year to be in theAlsace - keep your eye out for local pottery from Souflenheim (or drive to the vilage yourself and visit the many family potteries)

Nanbug and Ira, once again thank you for your imput.

Hotel Gutenberg it is I think, sounds like a good location and we do like to soak up the atmosphere. Hopefully the evenings will be nice for a wander.

Yes seafox I have read somewhere about the local pottery. I have been concentrating on our Italy component of our trip but my heart still lies with France. So I will give her some more attention now.

Aussie, in fall of '09 we and another couple stayed in I Love Riquewihr's two bedroom house built into the ramparts and loved it. There was a great "micro" winery just across the tiny street from us, and I wish I could remember the name, but there will probably be a bottle of wine from it in your apartment when you arrive.
We had lovely weather in Oct., and I imagine your Sept. time frame will be even better for seeing the foliage; we were near the end of the "pretty" season.

All the local pottery is lovely, but the Soufflenheim is my favorite, also.

Have fun, both planning and traveling!

We just returned from our vacation in Riquewihr also booked with I-love-Riquewihr. The apartment was the "Gewuerztraminer" Although it had a very impressive living room it also had definately many downsides. The seperate toilet on the main floor (which you had to use because the master bedroom did not have a toilet) was so bad, at first glance I thought they were kidding me, this could not be the washroom in a "luxurious" apartment. It was not only very old (not in a good way), but also smelly...yikes! It had a small room in front which you had to pass where the cleaning lady stored all her dirty rags and other cleaning equipment. The second and third bedrooms had jute carpeting which was very smelly to the extent that I bought some room freshener and small lavender pillows. But it did not help that much. The rooms on the upper level were also very dark because there were only very very small windows, in former times this level was an attic. We had bright sunshine and had to turn on the lights. Can´t imagine how it would be like in rainy and dark weather. The other apartments this company has on offer may be better, but the "Gewuerztraminer" was not what we expected because it was advertised as a "luxury property". And yes, I know that very old houses can have their disadvantages, I live in a timber frame house from the 16th century myself, but the Gewuerztraminer apartment was not well maintained.

Grandmere I think I first heard of IloveRiquewihr accommodations from your trip. I am looking forward to our stay in Alsace.

KarenE I was sad to hear of your disappointment in your accommodation, we are staying in a different apartment, so hopefully it will be ok. It is so hard booking over the internet and hard to make the right choice. So it is important if others share their reviews. So I thank you for your comments. Did you contact the owners and let them know your disappointment?

aussie, yes, I will contact the owner, we just returned yesterday. BTW I forgot to mention the 2 leeks we had on the ceiling when it rained one evening. We had to use buckets. Also the place was full of very old and dusty fake flowers. We gathered them and tried to hide them behind a paravent, but they were too large and too many to hide them all. Oh well...

aussie, I have to add, that I think Jean-Paul Krebs only manages the Gewuerztraminer apartment where we were in, he does not own it. You probably rented one of his own apartments which seem to be a lot nicer. So don´t worry!

This is a timely thread for me. I'm just starting my trip research & planning for a December trip to Strasbourg. I think I see some pottery in my future! :-)

Not to hijack your thread, Aussie, but I was dismayed to read your post, Karen, about Gewurtztraminer. I hope you will report back as to what J-P says. I thought he owned them all, but I could be mistaken. At any rate, it sounds as though it sure did not live up to what's written about it on the site. It must have been a big disappointment, and that's too bad.

Its good for posters to give informative feedback on our travels and findings. That is why I really like Fodors. As most of us do a lot of research online it all helps us make our travelling decisions, so keep us in the loop for your feedback Karen.

I will certainly do a trip report again from our trip this year as I did last time, because although it is a lot of work it is also a record for me and a thank you to those who have helped to make my travels and experiences more enriching.

aussie_10: I think we are following you around Europe. We are planning a trip to this area next year and just starting to gather information on this area and Bavaria. I will be anxiously awaiting your trip report.

I enjoyed your trip reports to Provence & Dordogne. We were in Dordogne in June 2011 and Provence June 2010 and loved them both (but I think the Dordogne has a slight edge).

Karen

Hi Karen (winnick)

We are getting really excited. This time next week we will be in Riquewihr. Maybe sipping a nice Alsacien wine or two.

I'm excited !!

Enjoy!

Enjoy your trip! I'll be looking forward to your report when you get back.

Good luck, aussie_10, and have a blast. Sip an extra glass of wine for the Fodorites. I'll be looking for your trip report down the road, too!

Thank you seafox, winnick and sap for your good wishes! I have enjoyed reading your reports. And appreciate your kind words.

Its hard to believe all the planning, reading and research is coming to fruition.

I will definitely raise a glass in salute to fellow fodorites!

Have a super time, Aussie_10!