Paris/Alsace in the Winter
 

Hello.

My husband and I with our 2 yr. old are looking at traveling to Paris and then to Lorraine/Alsace either in December (Christmas) or the first part of January. We are wanting to spend maybe 3 days in Paris and then a week in the Alsace area.
Any advice would be wonderful as neither one of us have been to France.
Would like to know:
Traveling options between Paris and Alsace? (Preferably the least expensive)
Getting around Alsace; renting a car?
Where to stay in Lorraine/Alsace? (least expensive)
When is the best time to go; December or January?
Must see places to visit
Place to eat or go for hot cocoa, etc.
Outdoor activities; Iceskating, sledding

We are on a budget, but would like to make the most of our time there.

Thank you!!!

We stayed in Strasbourg for a week at Christmas a few years ago and it was (to us) extremely cold. Some days it didn't get above minus 2 celsius. We really found it too cold some days to enjoy being outside.

We visited a couple of the small towns nearby and they were very quiet, hardly anyone about. Some shops and cafes were open but not all. I remember seeing a fountain that had frozen solid. There were some small Christmas market stalls in the towns and lots of market stalls in Strasbourg. Strasbourg was quite busy with everything open and lots of places to eat.

I think December would be better than January as the markets do give the area some atmosphere and I guess they must pack up after Christmas. Just be aware of the cold and bring appropriate clothing. An apartment would give you more space and for a week should work out cheaper than a hotel.

Public transport was good in the area, we used trains to get to the towns and the TGV from Paris to Strasbourg. I think the TGV has specials sometimes, you could try signing up for email alerts.


Kay

If you want the white stuff you are more likely to get it in January. Alsace/Vosges mountain range is not very high (800m?) and does not always get it, though if you head south into the Jura you get up to about 1000m by Hopiteaux Vieux/Neuf etc. If you want more advice on individual ski-areas (to call them resorts is miss-leading) come back

http://www.monts-jura.com/welcome/index.php
http://www.skiresort.info/ski-resort...ura-mountains/
http://www.tourisme-alsace.com/en/winter-activities/

Both these areas have some fine cross country skiing, and just a little down hill, while town squares may have skating rinks

Getting there from Paris catch the train, if you look at the sncf time table (there are other better sites), look at www.seat61.co.uk for advice, you will find that prices drop midday and if booked ahead.

Strasbourg might be nice though Colmar is the more obvious centre. Appartments will be cheaper but lack the concierge service you may feel you need. A half way house is to look out for B&B. Tripadvisor is a good place to start.

There are only two ways to get to Alsace, by train or car. I wouldn't know which is cheaper, but I don't think that is the whole issue, it could be which is more convenient, also, in terms of how comfortable you are picking up a car in center city and driving out of it (as well as how much you value your time, of course, as traffic can be terrible in the city). As for cost, it would depend on your car rate in general and how long you expected to have it, so hard to say. Rates for 7 days aren't usually different from 6, for example. However, if that driving doesn't bother you, it would make it easier to go right to a small place in Alsace, rather than a bit city where you might find it easier to rent a car.

Given you are on a budget, I presume you are aware you have chosen the most expensive time of the year to go to Paris, hotel rates are at their peak around Christmas and perhaps first week in January. Given the notoriety of the Christmas Markets in Alsace, I bet their rates are higher than, also. But then they drop, so if you really don't care about Dec or January and want cheaper rates, you should go after about January 6th, but you can check rates.

You might also want to check out Metz or Nancy as a place to spend a couple of days -- they are both cheaper and less crowded than Strasbourg, which I consider to be a must in any case but not a place to spend an entire week, especially during the winter. Naturally if you choose to go at the beginning of January, hotel rates and occupancy will fall dramatically everywhere.