It seems that most people think that going to Alsace in September is the nicest time (May being the second most popular). I was wondering if it is particularly crowded at that time of year because of the harvest? My husband and I have the luxury of traveling at any time of the year and I'd like to avoid the "high" times as far as crowds are concerned. Thank you.

September is THE best time for visiting Europe, and especially the wine regions.

From the number of posters asking questions about Alsace on this forum I would think that the number of foreign visitors there would be very small, whatever popularity it may have amongst the French and other Europeans.

September is of course well after the resumption of school classes and it also would find most people back at work after their summer break.

So all in all I think you would have the place to yourselves, at least during the working week.

Harzer

We was there late August and also in September. Less traffic in September but still busy.

I was there last October (the last 2 weeks), and it was fairly busy. There were many German tourists, as I'm sure there always are. Very few Americans. The Wine Route had alot of traffic. I imagine September would be the same. I really enjoyed it, though, as I'm sure you would.

European tourists flock to Alsace. Places like Colmar, Strasbourg and towns along the wine route (e.g. Riquewihr) are very busy in September.
Besides, the second harvest of the year really happens mostly in late September to mid-October.

I lived for about nine months in a village near Colmar. September is a most pleasant time there, and I don't recall it being any (or much) busier then than in other months. The Route de Vin is always heavily touristed, with Riquewihr having a claim to being the most visited village in France. I don't remember many folks from the US being there at any time: Alsace is THE most popular destination for Germans, who would make up 90o/o+ of visitors.

I would like to ask about the crowds and the weather in mid-April?

We visited Alsace in September 2003. It was not overly crowded and there were relatively few Americans as compared to other European destinations I have visited that time of year. The Routes des Vins is great.

We were there in September '02. Driving was easy and most of the small towns and vills cleared out prior to dinner time.
M

WE were there last September, not overly crowded, except in the small villages during the day when the tour buses came in. Lovely at night