kraines

Hi Everyone: I am in the preplanning stages for a trip to the Alsace Region and I am planning to go around the end of May. I usually like to rent an apartment and spend one or two weeks concentrating on an area/region of a country. I have not read much hear about this area, and would love to get some feedback. I am trying to decide if I need one week or two weeks in this area. I will have a rental car and I love visiting anything historical and quaint villages. I must mention that I love to shop, eat and have that wine. Any feedback? Thanks so much.

kerouac

If you did not have a car, I would have said that Strasbourg is obligatory, because all of the regional train and bus lines converge there. But since you have a car, you can stay just about anywhere, including a small village. Alsace is really quite small, so if you were to stay two weeks, you could have an amazing time, not just in Alsace but also Lorraine (Metz, Nancy), the Black Forest in Germany, and of course Basel in Switzerland.

Besides the obligatory sights of Strasbourg (cathedral, Petite France, boat rides), I would also say that you should not miss Mont Sainte Odile, Haut Koenigsbourg and for a smaller town -- Obernai. Of course, other people will add lots of other great towns to see. Mulhouse also has some fantastic museums (automobile, train) -- but then you cannot forget Colmar or Sélestat either.

Are you sure that two weeks will be enough?

kraines

Thanks for the reply, kerouac! Two weeks will have to suffice in that region. We will be moving on somewhere else after that.

Michael

For a taste of what's to see:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7623045335898/

grandmere

We used Riquewihr as a base for a week in Oct. of '09, and we didn't get to see nearly as much of Alsace as we had planned. It's a lovely area. Kaysersberg was another village that we liked a lot.

We rented an apartment/small house that was located in the medieval remparts of the old town. Highly recommend it; it had mod cons but was restored so as to retain the integrity of the structure. www.i-love-riquewihr.com

NanBug

You'll love Alsace. Lovely villages, scenic landscapes, lots of wine, incredible half-timbered buildings...

You've gotten lots of good advice from the others above.

I'll just add that we loved staying in Kaysersberg for about 5 days. We didn't have a car and took buses or hiked to other towns, such as Riquewihr.

Kaysersberg was just gorgeous, plus it had dozens of restaurants, cafes and shops to keep us happily fed and occupied for days. It also felt like a "real" town, with locals out doing their business daily and we liked its authentic feel.

We stayed in Strasbourg for 3 additional nights and loved it, too.

ira

Hi K,

>I have not read much hear about this area,

Really?

You might find my trip reports helpful:
Ira Returns From 22 Loverly Days in Europe - Sep, 2009
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-europe.cfm

Ira Visits Zurich, The Bodensee, Alsace and Paris – May 2008
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...2&tid=35136218

Ira Visits Europe – May, 2007 (Salzburg, Fuessen, Bodensee, Burgundy, Alsace)
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...2&tid=35014078

kraines

Thank you, Ira. I will check out your travel reports. I have read many of your postings in the past when planning trips, so I am surprised to read that I missed thaws!

kerouac

<i>I am surprised to read that I missed thaws!</i>

It can indeed get extremely cold in Alsace in the winter.

kraines

Sorry about the spelling erros; I was posting from my ipad and I make lots of errors doing that! I know how to spell those and here!

kraines

errors

bilboburgler

I think you could stretch it out to the Vosges, the Pfalz, Bescancon and even across the Rhine into Germany in that time.

French laws are tight on booze in the blood so you may prefer to ride a bike or catch buses along the wine trail. I maintain a web site full of info on holidaying in Alsace, come back if you want the link

kraines

bilboburger, I would love to have the link that you have on information for Alsace!

TPAYT

bookmarking

bilboburgler

http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Alsace_Guide.php

Its a bit bike focused but has a few useful links.

What wines do you like? Gewurtz vendage Tardive or Pinot Blanc grand cru?

nytraveler

I would say a week is enoug if you mena just Alsace. I would stay in Strsbourg (good for 2/3 days) and rent a car to visit Colmar (1 day) and several of the wine villages (1 to 2 days).

If you want to pair Alsace with Burgundy that could esily make a 2 week trip - staying in possible 2 or 3 differnt places. (I would definitely stay in a chateau somewhere in burgundy.)