Suggestions for Eight Days in Alsace?
 

My wife and I will be traveling by car in September and plan to include eight days in the Alsace region. We're just starting to plan and have come up with this so far:

Baden-Baden, 2 days - town plus Black Forest drive
Strasbourg area, 3 days - city, wine road, Colmar
Dijon area, 3 days - city, Beaune, vineyards

So far we've been using the RS book and would appreciate any comments on this itinerary and suggestions on things to do. We like a mix of old town walks, exploring villages, scenery, food, and wine. Thanks for any help you can give!

You have 3 days in Alsace.

Yes, only 3 days in Alsace, so you can't see a whole lot beyond Strasbourg, Colmar, and bits in between. Time for bits of the Route du Vin but no time for the Route des Crêtes probably. I guess the best advice would be to stop off at the usual spots on the road between Strasbourg and Colmar: Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé, Obernai, and Kaysersberg.

In Strasbourg go to Züm Strissel, a classic Alsatian wine bar.

Some of the more picturesque villages are north of Strasbourg: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623045335898/ and subsequent pictures.

Last August, we spent three nights at the Best Western just outside the city walls of Riquewihr and loved it! We arrived in Colmar by train from Paris and immediately rented a car and drove to Riquewihr. We were happy to leave the bustle of the small city for the countryside. The hotel was nicely renovated, included a small outdoor pool, and was about a minute walk to the town walls.

We were not looking for big city excitement and were content to spend our days driving around the region, spending late afternoons reading by the pool, and evenings in Riquewihr. Since we had a car, it was easier to get in and out of the smaller town than had we stayed in Colmar.

Have a great trip!

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...658816fedb.jpg

Riquewihr
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...490b196cd0.jpg

Keyserberg

can you elaborate on the car you rented, was it an automatic? hoping to do this also, and this town outside of Colmar is a great idea. How did you find the driving, easy?

There are lots of pretty towns outside of Colmar. Driving is not an issue, except in early spring or mid-fall, when there can be soupy fog in the morning. You can always request an automatic, but there is never 100% guarantee you'll get one; if you rent from a busy location, like an airport or major train station, you're more likely to be able to get one.

We were not able to obtain an automatic car, but, as StCirq mentioned, the driving was relatively easy -- but I won't say it didn't have its minor stressful moments. And, in my opinion, we made a great decision to stay outside the city walls of a small town. It made jumping into the car each morning for a 20-40 minute drive a lot more enticing.

Alsace in September 2017
 

My wife and I spent two days in Alsace in late September 2017 as part of a longer two-week trip to Switzerland and France. Read our entire trip report, Switzerland & France: Bern, the Alps, and Alsace, here: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...lsace-1508934/

Here are some of the highlights we enjoyed in Alsace:

Kientzheim: We stayed two nights at Hostellerie Schwendi, a delightful Alsatian inn which sits on a small square near the east end of the village ( https://www.logishotels.com/fr/hotel...-schwendi-1576 ); had a lovely dinner at Cote Vigne Restaurant (30, Grand’Rue); and visited the tasting cellar of Domaine Paul Blanck & Fils (32, Grand’Rue)

Riquewihr: We spent about three hours exploring the village and visited the tasting cellar of Domaine Roger Jung et Fils (23 Rue de la 1E Armée).

Kaysersberg: We spent about two hours exploring the village and enjoyed an excellent lunch at Restaurant A la Porte Haute (118 Rue du Général de Gaulle).

Eguisheim: We walked the entire Rue du Rempart which traces the old city wall.

Let me add a note about parking in these Alsatian towns: bring lots of change (preferably 1€ or 2€ coins) as all the pay parking machines require coins! We found that local shops were almost always unwilling to make change for us, and no banks were to be found.

Obernai, Mont Sainte Odile -- and if you have nerves of steel, Le Struthof, the only Nazi death camp on French soil. Horrifying in a magnificent location in the Vosges.

In Kayersbeeg we visited the Dr. Albert Schweitzer Museum ; it is his birthplace.

Following. I'm hoping to visit Alsace next summer.

Skip Baden-Baden and the Black Forest altogether and add this time to Alsace. Otherwie you'd miss too much and you'd miss the best. The others have already posted a number of excellent ideas. Let me add the Ecomusée d'Alsace near Mulhouse: https://www.ecomusee.alsace/en/

You all know that Bescancon and Dijon are not in Alsace? (Doubs and Burgundy)

Alsace offers a bunch of different experiences to the visitor, I've been going there every couple of years for the last 25 years and each time I find something new. From the line of castles along the top of the Vosges, the walking paths along the top of the Vosges, the walking on the Alsace side of the Vosges, the inter-vine paths, the cheeses, the individual wine tastings, the small towns, sometimes overwhelmed with tourists, sometimes empty, the bike paths, the flatlands with towns like Colmar, the faded colours of houses in the flatlands, the fortified towns on the side of the Rhine, the massive sewing exhibitions, the industrial museums, the various fortifications against the Germans are all there. Then there are the people who suffered heavily under German rule in WW1 and WW2 so setting up stresses that are still hidden in society today. Finally, the wines, if I had to drink only one white wine for the rest of my life it would be Alsatian.

How to advise, the least you should do is....

1) stay in a small town, the places are a dream before the buses turn up
2) walk in the vineyards, take a camera
3) go to old Strasbourg
4) do at least one wine tasting, if in doubt look on the menus for a "flight" where the restaurant is offering a series of similar wines from the area.
5) taste old Munster
6) eat Flammkuchen

The rest is up to you