Sibelius

We will have just one day to get from Freiburg to Rothenburg (Romantische Strasse) and wish to drive through the Route du Vin mostly without stopping (don't panic, we will be back in the future!). Can someone recommend a practical yet scenic route that might even afford me at least a glimpse of Strasbourg before heading on? Also, despite the hoardes of fellow tourists, I do not want to miss Riquiwhr village because it is featured in EPCOT's Impressiones de France at their pavilion.
Merci beaucoup! Steve (etienne)

StuDudley

Without stopping? That doesn't make any sense. You won't see any of Strasbourg with just a drive through - all the good stuff is on pedestrian only streets. Same with Riquewihr - the entire town is a bit off the Route de Vin.

Stopping in Riquewihr & walking through town & back can't take more than 30 mins - with minimal browsing in shops. Somehow find 30 mins and stop in Riqhewihr - it's lovely. Don't visit at lunch time, however, when many of the shops will be closed.

Stopping in Strasbourg will consume more time because parking is difficult & the outskirts are a little hard to navigate through. If you want to visit a larger town, stop in Colmar - there is a huge parking lot next to the old town.

Obernai is another town worth a stop & it's quite easy to access the town from the Route du Vin. Same with Kayserberg.

Stu Dudley

Michael

Alsace is west of Freiburg, Rothenburg to the east. I suggest that you enjoy a meander through the Black Forest rather than spend time going to the route des vins which would add at least one hour in each direction from the German border.

laverendrye

Alsace is one of my favourite parts of France, and I would rarely advise anyone not to visit. But in this case, I agree with Michael. You simply don't have time to do it justice, and it will make for a long day's trip to Rothenburg because you simply won't be able to drive through without stopping!

I have two suggestions. One, as Michael has suggested, is to drive through the Black Forest. There are many routes, and you could simply pick one that takes you on the green marked roads on your Michelin map. One that I could suggest is to follow the B31 east from Freiburg almost to Titisee, and then turn north on the B500 through Furtwangen and Triberg. Then follow the B33 north to Hausach. From there, you could continue on the B33 to Offenburg, making sure you stop to visit Gengenbach, and then head north on the autobahn to Rothenburg. Or, at Hausach, you could head east and then north on the B294 to Pforzheim, at which point you could gen on the autobahn to Rothenburg.

While few routes compare to the Route du Vin in Alsace, the foothills of the Black Forest are also wine-growing areas, and if this is your interest, instead of heading through the Black Forest from Freiburg, you could follow the Badische Weinstrasse north from Freiburg to Baden-Baden. Many of the towns along the way are quite picturesque, including Emmendingen and Gengenbach. As in Alsace, there are also many ruined castles. The route runs along or parallel to the B3, and is marked. There are a number of websites with the route, but most are in German.

If you do go to Alsace, StuDudley's recommendations are worth following.

Sibelius

Thanks everybody for the helpful advice. I forgot to mention that we will have already driven through the Black Forest from Baden-Baden to Hinterzarten the previous 2 days. I believe with an early start we can head directly to Riquewihr and enjoy an hour there and then head directly to Place de la Cathedrale or Petite France for an all too brief visit to Strasbourg before heading to Rothenburg. This is an extremely ambitious itinerary for one day, but with ViaMichelin directions in hand on a Sunday late in October, I believe we can do it. This is not the way we usually travel but in this particular adventure, the agenda is trying out our new car before it is shipped to America. I am still extremely open to any helpful hints that will make the journey smoother. Thanks! Steve