I am putting together a last minute trip (next week) to Alsace region and would love your advice. We are living in a tiny village in Germany and have never been to France, so this will be just a taste for us. Our train tickets are to Strasbourg. We are traveling with a 9 year old - kid friendly ideas?? I heard about Haut Koenigsbourg.

- Can we day trip by local bus/train to villages, or must we have a car? (Flexibility vs stress free wine drinking!)
- Does anyone know of an apartment vs a hotel in Strasbourg? We have had great luck in other cities, but I am not finding anything in Strasbourg.

Thanks in advance for your opinions.

Strasbourg has a print museums which can be pretty hands on for a 9 year old. Might be worth research.

You need a car. Period.

Attractions:

- The city of Strasbourg with old town, the cathedral, the tanners' district.

- Haut-Koenigsbourg is gorgeous.

- See pretty villages by driving the back roads through the vineyards. Near Strasbourg, take the D35 Rosheim - Boersch - Otrott - Barr etc. Don't forget the short sidetrip to Obernai.

- Near Colmar, the beautiful villages are Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim, Gueberschwihr.

- Visit Colmar. The most beautiful city in Alsace. Outstanding museums.

- Drive up into the Vosges and see the three lakes (lac vert, lac blanc, lac noir) north of Col de la Schlucht.

- Visit some of the wineries. Enjoy the Alsatian cuisine - from down-to-earth onion pie over cock in riesling to high-sophisticated gourmet cuisine. Get a copy of Guide Michelin for recommendations.

- BTW, Alsace is not France. In many respects, it is still German (the names of towns and families!), but the Alsatians prefer to be people with their own culture and language. Unfortunately, the French government has almost succeeded in eradicating the Alsatian language (like the celtic language in Brittany, the basque and the catalan languages in southern France).

- My favorite hotel is Le Clos des Delices in Otrott. Good food.
http://www.leclosdesdelices.com/

Traveller makes some great points. We loved Obernai. We stayed at Hotel Dilegence right on the square and loved it. Prefered the smaller cities instead of Colmar. Our other fav was Kayserburg. I would suggest renting a car for flexibility and time saving.

Is your child a boy or girl. Haut Koenigsbourg would probably interest boys more than girls. Either way, it is outstanding. Alsace is my favorite region of France. Try a Tarte Flambee, kind of an Alsatian pizza.

Thanks for the feedback. I am investigating rental cars now. I know this area is more German than the rest of France, but we are looking forwad to the wine country after 6 months in Bavaria!

Any thoughts on Hotel des Arts in Strasbourg? thanks again.

Here is a link to an apartment that I have bookmarked for a future stay, the owner was great with emails.

http://www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame...urnurl=/101260

Écomusée d'Alsace in Ungersheim, near Mulhouse. A museum village with old houses from all over Alsace, fully furnitured, animals, shows etc. That should be interesting for the child as well as for the adults.
Website (in French): http://www.ecomusee-alsace.fr/accueil.asp