BevK

We are planning a trip to France in late September of 2006. We're trying to decide whether to go to Normandy or Alsace. Which do you prefer? And does the time of year make any difference? Thanks for your help.

Underhill

How much time will you have?

BevK

Probably 10 days or so and we'll be traveling with two other couples.

laverendrye

This is a hard one, but if you're planning a return visit, I'd pick Alsace. It's wine harvest time in September, and spending a few days traveling the Route du Vin at that time is marvellous. Each area has its attractions for sure: Strasbourg and Rouen are equally interesting cities; each is famous for its regional cuisine; Normandy has Mont St Michel, Bayeux, the beaches and port towns such as Honfleur and Dieppe, all of which will be over the tourist crush by then; Alsace has dozens of very attractive towns and villages, the Vosges mountains, and the proximity to the Black Forest and Freiburg across the river. In Normandy, the gardens at Giverny may be past their prime, but will still be open. If you think that your next trip may be in the July/August however, you might want to save Alsace for then, as it is less jammed with tourists in the summer. Ideally, I would visit Normandy in May/June and Alsace in September/October.

RuthMc

I haven't been to Alsace, but I thought the food in Normandy was heavenly, especially the cheeses. So if you're interested in food, you might want to consider the different types of cuisines in the two areas. A friend (a real gourmand) who went to Alsace said it was more of a German-type cuisine.

Again, I can only comment on Normandy, but it was lovely and the people very welcoming.

billy_boy

We've never been to Normandy (just passed by on the train). But, we've been to Alsace 4 times in the last 10 years.

Some of the prettiest villages in Europe are in Alsace, especially along the wine route.

The food are much more French than Germanic, especially in their application of sauces, herbs, taste, overall presentation. Choucroute (sp?), trout in riesling sauce, foie gras, tarte l'ognion (sp?), muenster cheese are some of their specialties. Alsatian white wines are simply world class - riesling, gewurtstraminer, pinot gris, pinot noir (rose).

I'm obviously biased, but I'd urge you to go to Alsace.

mamc

Do you plan to spend all 10 days in either Normandy or Alsace? If so, I would choose Normandy. I like the countryside and the food better in Normandy and it also has some lovely villages and the sea. However, it is clearly a matter of preference and once you have feedback and have done research, you will have to decide which sounds most appealing to you.

cigalechanta

I prefer Normandy and like the food better, but Alsace is beautiful and if you are a beer drinker, you'll be in brewery heaven, ( and if you like Germanic food.) I loved all the flowers everywhere, lovely villages and dining at A special restaurant.

s1951

We went to Normandy on June 6, 2001 (D-Day anniversary), and I would have to say it was one of the most meaningful days of my life. We both love history, and we would recommend every American going to the American cemetery if possible. Even though it was June, the wind off the English Channel was very cold. The day was very emotional for us as we visited the cemetery and stood on the beaches, reflecting the sacrifice that was made for our freedom. Please go to Normandy if you have the opportunity.

laverendrye

I'm not sure that I would call Alsace "brewery heaven". If there's anywhere in France that deserves that accolade it is in the North around Lille. Alsace certainly has a number of breweries, and the beer isn't bad, but the drink of choice in Alsace is its white wines. Although consistently under-rated and somewhat ignored, Alsatian wines are among the best in France.

Similarly, I think that calling Alsatian food "Germanic" is something of a sterotype. Some of the traditional Alsatian dishes such as choucroute, baeckeoffe, and the charcuterie certainly show their German origins, but Alsatian cooks have moved well beyond their traditional German roots. Similarly, across the river in Baden, the German cuisine has been much influenced by French cuisine, and is in my opinion, among the best of that country.

If you want to splurge on a meal, try the 3star Michelin Auberge d l'Ill in Illhaeusern, or Crocodile in Strasbourg. But you can also eat very well indeed in most other restaurants without resorting to the ubiquitous choucroute garni (which I do like). (If you're interested in an innovative approach to sauerkraut, try l'Alsace à Table, a seafood restaurant in Strasbourg, whose signature dish is choucroute aux poissons. Delicious!)

Alsace is also, after Périgord, the major producer of foie gras, which combines beautifully with a late harvest Gewuerztraminer.

As I wrote in an earlier post, both Normandy and Alsace have excellent regional cuisines, and it would be just as unfair to characterize Norman cooking as drenched in butter and cream, and flambéed with Calvados (not that there's anything wrong with that!).

Bon appetit!

StuDudley

I've been to both places several times. There are more Michelin starred restaurants in Alsace than anyplace else in France except Paris. It is very easy to stay away from the pork & potatoes, if you so desire. The Alsace villages have used up more film in my camera than almost anyplace else in France (we spend 2 months vacationing in France most years). The only drawback, however, is there is not as much diversity of things to see in Alsace as in other regions of France that we have visited. Most of the villages are very similar, and perhaps 10 days is too much time there. The Vosges are OK, but not nearly as spectacular as the Alps or Pyrenees, if you have been there. I would try to tag on sometning else - perhaps a trip to Nancy or to the Jura & Besancon.

In Normandy, there are cute village, but not as many & perhaps not as cute as the ones in Alsace. There is the coast, D-Day beaches, Honfleur, Mont St Michel, and Brittany is right next door, which I like even more than Normandy.

Ten days is perhaps too much for Alsace, and not enough for Normandy & Brittany.

Stu Dudley

cigalechanta

I agree about the Alsacian wines, and my special meal was at the Auberge D'Ill.

billy_boy

I don't think Alsace qualifies as a beer heaven. A couple of relatively small breweries (Fischer and Koenigsburg) doesn't make it anywhere close to brewery regions or cities in Germany, Holland or Czeckoslovakia (sp?).

Rieslings, Tokay Pinot Gris, Gewurtz, Pinot Noir - these are world-class Alsatian beverages.

cigalechanta

To me it was billy boy, because of the beers like Fischer Gold and Wieckse Witte that are unavailable here.
it was my small heaven. The wines are without saying, as we also buy them here.

mikemo

With ten days in September, I would do Alsace and the Moseltal (Trier to Koblenz).
M

billy_boy

Wieckse Witte is an Alsatian beer?
I'm sorry but your post is confusing.

cigalechanta

I had that beer in Alsace.

cigalechanta

Sorry, I hit my key too fast. It's a Belguim beer but never found it anywhere but in Alsace.

cigalechanta

Billy, I apologize I'm wrong, I went to check the spelling of that beer and found it to be Dutch.

billy_boy

OK. I don't mean to harp but I don't think Wieckse Witte (beer from Holland) is that difficult to find - I remember having had it in small bars in California and New York, plus have also bought a 6-pack in Trader Joe's.

I am also not sure whether Fischer makes a Gold label?