Hi all,

I'm in the process of planning an anniversary trip to Western Europe for my wife and I. One of the must sees for us is the
stereotypical "Pinocchio village" with cobblestoned streets and half-timbered houses. We're trying to decide between Rothenburg or the Alsace. I know they are both very touristy but I haven't found anything else that meets my criteria as well as these do. Right now I'm leaning towards the Alsace region because of the wine tasting and all the creperies (my wife loves crepes). Any suggestions or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Besides Rothenburg ob der Tauber, there are many more quaint little towns in the area, e.g. Nördlingen, Dinkelsbühl, Feuchtwangen.

You find quaint villages elsewhere in Germany. Perhaps the most beautiful historis towns are Quedlinburg and Wernigerode in the foothills of the Harz.

In Alsace, Eguisheim and Riquewihr are most picturesque.

However, be aware that Crepes are not typical for Alsace. Crepes are typical for Brittany, and Alsace and Brittany have less in common than Australia and Canada.

Rothenburg is very near the Franken wine region along the Main River.

Likewise, there are many nice villages along the Rhein and Mosel Rivers, another major wine region. Your choices are many.

Regards, Gary

Hi nc,

We've been to both.
See the Rothenburg and Alsace parts of
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35014078 and the Alsace part of http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35136218.

Alsace has so many lovely little towns that one can experience "quaint village overload".

Cuisine à l'alsacienne includes Choucroute, Flammekeuche, Spaetzle. Crepes, though available, aren't a speciality.

The wines of Alsace are excellent.

I'd choose Alsace. Include a daytrip to Nancy, if you can.

Enjoy your visit.

Crepes no but they do a sort of Pizza covered in cream in alsace.

I like both areas but I give you.....drum roll...

http://www.ot-eguisheim.fr which is so twee they have a special coach park nest to the town the same size as the town.

Solution stay the night.

Now I like Franken wine but seriously Alsace is better. And Eguisheim has 2 of the best inside its walls.

Thanks for all of the replies. All of you have been very helpful.

bilboburgler- Thanks for the link. Eguisheim is an incredibly beautiful village. They have this really great video on their website about the history and evolution of the city.

ira- I enjoyed reading your threads. Engineering professor turned cultural vulture? Interesting. Flammekuche...do they make sweet ones? How many villages would you recommend visiting in a three day period to avoid "quaint village overload"? They all have their own unique charm and architectural highlights but yet they all look very similar as well.

As of right now I'm definitely sold on Eguisheim. There's just something about the Alsace region that's so appealing. It must be the unique fusion of German and French character. I still haven't ruled out Rothenburg but I'm one step closer to making my decision.

Any additional info on Rothenburg or any of the Alsatian wine villages would be great.

Thanks everyone.

Flammekeuche are the pizza type thing bilboburgler refers to. No they don't come in a sweet option.

Flammkuchen does come in a sweet version with apples and cinnamon just beyond the Rhine in Baden, though. A quick hop across the river from Alsace.

Hi ncs,

Quokka brings up a good point.

Alsace borders the Black Forest.

>How many villages would you recommend visiting in a three day period to avoid "quaint village overload"?<

You won't get overload in only 3 days.

Where will you be before you go to Alsace? This will help in suggesting where to stay.

Another nudge toward Alsace where besides the villages already mentioned we like Turkheim and the somewhat larger Obernai. The flammekuche often comes smothered in cream, onions and bacon--some of the best foods in the world. Oh, and look for the stork nests atop the buildings. turkheim has a particularly well placed one over the entry towers to the village. Enjoy.

I published a thread/ holiday report in Oct/Nov this year which died without trace. If you search back on my name you will find it. Might help.

This part of the rhine valley is very lovely. Alsace, Baden, Pfalz are very nice, have good wines, some unique foods and are basically pretty. I actually like the towns north East of Colmar and not in the wine growing area at all.

The wine route seems to follow a lot of the old Roman road up from Lyon so towns date form that date.

Two good web sites ...67 and ..68 are listed in my thread

Flammekueche (tarte flambée), one of my all-time favourites, does indeed come in sweet versions as quokka wrote. I've never had one, preferring the original, but I know that they are available at the 3 Brasseurs micro-brewery chain throughout France and I'm sure in many other places, even in Alsace.

Crêpes are widely available in Alsace. It is France, after all. (In fact I can recall many years ago having "Crêpes Strasbourgeoises" at a Strasbourg restaurant. They were similar to Crêpes Suzettes, but were flambéed with kirsch rather than Grand Marnier.)

I can't imagine getting tired of the wine villages of Alsace, especially those south of Strasbourg in the foothills of the Vosges. Do visit Riquewihr, although it can get as crowded as Rothenburg at the height of the season. Kaysersburg might be a nice place to stay, but your choise of Eguisheim is a good one.

Don't miss a visit to the mediaeval castle of Haut Koenigsbourg, restored by the Kaiser Wilhelm as a hunting lodge.

If you want to splurge for a meal, l'Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern is magnificent. It has held its three Michelin stars continuously for over 40 years (only Paul Bocuse has done so for longer).

You can buy a version of an Alsatian Tarte Flambe at Trader Joe's. Its called Tarted'Alsace and is delicious.

<i>If you want to splurge for a meal, l'Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern is magnificent.</i>

I can't comment on the food, because we DIDN'T get to eat there (even tried for waitlist, but weren't successful), but we did go in, and it's a very very lovely place. I'd definitely try to have a meal there if the price is in your budget.

Here is a site for all size accomodations in the medieval village of Riquewihr..beautiful places..

http://tinyurl.com/4pcaa2

Thanks again for all the great information.

I definitely need to study up on my French cuisine. I always thought crepes were a &quot;French&quot; specialty and not specific to one region. I was doing some research and it appears that &quot;fruit tartes&quot; are popular in Alsace?? They look very appetizing.

laverendrye-Thanks for the restaurant suggestion. I'll look in to it although I could never dream of pronouncing it.

ira- We will be coming from Paris and then heading to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Alsace seems to work better than Rothenburg although we do plan to spend a couple of days in Bavaria to see Wies Kirche and Neushwanstein.

So I'm thinking of spending about 3-4 days in the region and using Colmar as a base, and then make day trips to some of the wine villages. Colmar has a wine school that looks interesting. Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Kaysersburg are the villages I have on my list so far. Riquewihr is a Michelin three star village but it looks very crowded and I HATE crowds. Does anybody have any suggestions on a better base? Any other towns that may be better?

Thanks as always.

colmar is a bit busy for me.

I'm told the wine school stuff needs booking months ahead. There is another at Riqwhir. Do tell us how you get on if you do anything with them

Hi ncs,

&gt; any suggestions on a better base?

Kientzheim or Kaysersberg.

The two are about 1 km apart. You can walk or bike through the vineyards to Riquewihr from either.

Ribeauville, not far up the road, is worth a visit.

With the little time that you have on this trip, I suggest saving Colmar for another time.

&gt;We will be coming from Paris and then heading to the Lauterbrunnen Valley.&lt;

You are planning on motoring?

If so, I suggest that you take the TGVest to Strasbourg and pick up your car there.

You might also wish to consider taking the route to Interlaken via the Bodensee, with a couple of nights in Konstanz or Lindau.

&gt;we do plan to spend a couple of days in Bavaria to see Wies Kirche and Neushwanstein.&lt;

Where will you return the car?