Day Trips from Riquewihr
 

We are thinking about staying in Riquewihr for a week next year. I have already emailed and received from StuDudley an excellent overview and driving itinerary, thanks again!

I would love to hear from those that have been in the area their favorite day trips, drives, places they visited, wineries, restaurants.......whatever you enjoyed!

Colmar is fantastic - check out the model of the Statue of Liberty done by the bloke who did the real thing here and shipped it in pieces to New York Hrbor. Just a nice dreamy town.

ttt

Had a wonderful day at Haut Kroeninburg castle, and a busy day in Strasbourg.

Hi W,

http://www.le-maximilien.com is a 1* resto in Zellenberg. Well worth the visit.

((I))

We enjoyed visiting Kayersbirg. There is an Albert Schweitzer museum as he was born in this village when kt was part of Germany. WWII history, US Army too.
In Riquewihr, we ate at La Grappe d'Or twice. Alsatian dishes plus some Moroccan which I loved.
We stayed at L'Oriel Hotel.

Strasbourg is one of Europe's very most underrated cities IMO - so a day trip there could be good too - check out the famous clock in the huge cathedral.

Haut Kroeninburg castle is a definite, as is Colmar and Strasbourg.

I have the days set up this way so far

Arrive in Riquewihr on a Thursday, to market on Friday morning (we'll be staying in an apartment) then ???????? the rest of the day

then 1 day each for
Colmar
Haut Kroeninburg castle
train to Strasbourg? Easier then driving?
"villages"
wine tours

Do I need to separate villages and wine tours, or do they kind of go together?

Ecomusée d'Alsace sounds interesting (thanks Stu!)

When in Italy we loved both Banfi and Volpaia Vinyards/Tours as not only were the tours wonderful, but they both had delicious restaurants for lunch. Any suggestions in Alsace?

Some years ago, I spent six months living in a village near Kaysersberg, and I explored all of Alsace in that time.
Many wine producers in Alsace have Caves (aka Shops) at which you can taste and purchase wines. Most of these Caves are NOT on the vineyards but in one of the nearby villages. For example, Marcel Deiss, perhaps the top producer in Alsace, has his Cave on the roadside just outside Bergheim, and it is a very pleasant and informative place to visit.
However, if you are staying in Riquewihr, then several producers have their Caves therein. Perhaps the best known are Hugel, Dopff, and Dopff & Irion. You could have a very enjoyable afternoon IN Riquewihr, and not have to worry about driving home after an extended tasting period! It would also be useful to have some idea of the various wine types and classification that exist in Alsace, so that you know what to ask for when the nice man wants to know what you want to taste!
In Colmar, visit the Musee d'Unterlinden near the town centre. It contains the Issenheim Altarpiece, one of the wonders of Western Art, and worth a special trip to see.
Another treasure of Alsace is the Humanist Library at Selestat, also nearby, and worth a couple of hours.
If you are seriously interested in restaurants, then I suggest lunch at the Auberge De L'Ill in Illhausern, not far from Riquewihr. I had the best lunch of my life there some years ago. It's 3 Star, costs a bomb, but I did not regret the price. At a lower price range, and also nearby, is Maximilien's at Zellenberg. Great food and ambience, and quite affordable.

Certainly you should include Strasbourg, Colmar and the Route du Vin on your list. The restored castle at Haut Koenigsbourg is interesting and worth seeing as well (Kaiser Wilhelm II had it rebuilt as his hunting lodge.)

I would also suggest a day in the high Vosges. The battlefield at Le Linge is fascinating for its remnants of trench warfare in the mountains.

http://www.linge1915.com/index1-an.html

I second adeben's recommendation for the Auberge d l'Ill--a lovely inn on the river which fully deserves the three stars which it has maintained since 1967. But even if you don't get there you will dine well in Alsace.

Thanks the WW1 site looks really interesting, I know so little about WW1

Auberge d l'Ill ~ It looked a little pricey (and I like nice restaurants, The Inn at Little Washington is not far from us) but I then I saw what I believe are set menus at 125 euro and 168 euro, but not sure, as for some reason Google won't translate the page. Lunch would be an option, but I couldn't find anything about lunch on the website.

Maximiliens looks good also!

We will be staying in Riquewihr (how do you pronounce it ??????) so visiting some of the wine shops there will be fun, and we will take the recommendation for Marcel Deiss. Of course we will also drive parts of the Route du Vin as I'm sure the scenery is lovely.

How about easy hikes in the high Vosges, has anyone done any hikes there?

Is this area known for any particular types of cheese?

Thanks all, exciting to make my apartment booking today!

The main cross country ski route follows the ridge line (except where castles and WW1 trenches make it impossible coming all the way to the Ballon D'alsace (large meadow at the end of the Vosges over looking Mont Blanc in the distance). This is all hikable and pretty flat over most of it, other hikes tend to be up and down the Vosges (which makes them tougher).

Much of the route du vin is on farm roads rather than the main road and that makes a fair bit hikable and in the local tourist board has put up signs explaining the grapes in a lot of places to entice tourists into the vinyards. Pop into any local TI office for little maps of local walks.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natzweiler-Struthof is still open as far as I know, Mulhouse has a splendid paper museum and the Eastern side of the Vosges deserves a visit

must be going mad, meant western side (little wooded valleys)

We used Riquewihr as a base during our week in Alsace in '09. We liked the neighboring villages of Kaysersberg, Ribeauville and of course, Colmar (not a village). Also a trip to Haut Koenigsbourg.

I am a fan of the Alsatian artist who used the name "Hansi", and there is a little museum in Riquewihr dedicated to him and his works, primarily townspeople in Alsatian dress. He was staunchly pro-France during WWI, and his drawings reflect this. You will see his drawings on many objects in Alsace.

Restaurants we liked:in Riquewihr, Le Sarment d'Or and in Kaysersberg, the Winstub of Le Chambard.

I think Riquewihr makes a great location for exploring the area; it does have many tourists in the afternoon, but in the mornings and evenings, it is a quiet little village. We stayed in one of the apartments of www.i-love-riquewihr.com, built into the ramparts of the village; super!

Strasbourg has a handy park & ride system. From Obernai where we stayed, we drove & parked in the Elsau lot and caught the tram into the city centre. It was very easy & convenient. If you google 'Strasbourg park & ride', you will find a number of websites with maps and directions.

If you like pottery, you might want to go along the Route des Potiers. We often use the pretty blue jug which we purchased in Betschdorf and it reminds us of our visit to this lovely region of France!

Just some thoughts on the area. My husband and I were there in Sept 2010. Stayed one night in Strasbourg. Enjoyed our dinner at Zuem Strissel, near the cathedral. Typical Alsation fare- I had the Tarte l'oignon (onion Tart) and DH had grilled pig kunckle. Food was delish. For dessert- also typical- plum cake. Found Alsatian museum very interesting- showed customs of the area, clothing, traditions.

Stayed 2 nights in Riquewihr. It is a very small town with not much to do in the evening. Ate 2 dinners in town- can't remember the restaurants but also typical food. I enjoyed the Tarte Flambe- like pizza with cheese, onions, cream and bacon on a very thin crust. DH had some sort of stew with white wine and 3 kinds of meat- lamb, pork, and beef. Enjoyed the white wine in the area- Riesling and also the sweeter but more costly gewirztraminer. (not sure of spelling).

We visited several of the small towns on the wine route, each is a little bit different. Look for the stork nests, and maybe storks, on the tallest buildings in the towns.

Enjoyed the Chateau du Haut Koenigsbourg and I was also interested in the Ecomusee de Alsace but it was not open the day we had free to go.

I thought that Colmar was overrated after seeing Strasbourg. But if you are there and like religious paintings, I would recommend the Eglise des Dominicains. The painting by Martin Schongauer called the Madonna of the Rosebush was one of the most beautiful paintings I have ever seen. (no photos allowed)

Thanks Debbielynn, I will put the Eglise des Dominicains on my list.

I'm not really worried about Riquewihr being too quiet, we typically go out for dinner and then back to the apartment, sit on the terrace, drink Limoncello/single malt/wine and just veg. My favorite evening memories on vacations are of quiet.

I'm excited for both Strasbourg and Colmar. This area has been on my "radar" for years. I found out recently that some of my ancestors came from the Alsace region so that will make it special for me.

<<Is this area known for any particular types of cheese?>>

Indeed it is. Munster is the principal cheese of Alsace and you will find it everywhere. If you want to get it at the source, there are fromageries in the Munster valley, but better still go up into the high Vosges where you will find a number of fromageries near the villages of Orbey and Lapoutroie. They are not far if you are going to the Le Linge battlefield, but even closer is a small Ferme-Auberge at Glasborn with a fromagerie. Too many years ago I lived in the area of Alsace and visited Glasborn to sample the Munster many times. I see that it is still there and I have happy memories of it.

If you want a very traditional Winstub when visiting Strasbourg, try Winstubb Hailich Graab (Saint-Sépulcre) in the Cathedral quarter. You will get the old Alsatian cuisine there so go with an appetite. Zuem Strissel mentioned above is also quite a good traditional Winstub/Restaurant. You must indeed try flammekueche (tarte flambée)but you can get that anywhere in Alsace. When I go for flammekueche that is the meal (perhaps with a green salad). In traditional places the waiters will keep bringing it until you tell them to stop!

Maison Kammerzell is an old half-timbered restaurant right on the Place de la Cathédrale, and while a bit of a tourist trap, it is quite picturesque and the last time I ate there a couple of years ago, the food was very good indeed. It is more upscale in offerings and price than the winstubs.

Riquewihr is pronounced (approximately) "REE-ke-veer".

Enjoy your stay in my favourite part of France.

Be careful of Munster cheese! It is delicious, but VERY aromatic! (You have now been warned!)