What do folks thing about using an Alsace village as a base to explore not only that region but also do day trips into the Black Forest region?
Also - where to stay? Looking for half-timbered small villages with lots of wine and local food. Thanks! KB

www.obernai.fr

Only about 20 km from Strasbourg and also with easy access to the Vosges mountains (don't miss Mont Sainte Odile!) and everything else in the region. A word of warning: totally invaded by German tourists every weekend.

Kaysersberg would be my choice, but there are so many charming towns that you can hardly go wrong. I wouldn't want to stay in Riquewihr, but it certainly shouldn't be missed. If you want to splurge, try to have a meal at the Auberge de L'Ill in Illhaeusern.

kbrennan
I would agree with laverendrye, adding ribeauville as a place I wouldn't want to stay in. You didn't say when your trip is planeed for, these "cute" town are really busy in the tourist months.
These photos were taken May 2005 and there are a number of my favorite subject - food. These include photos from Auberge de L'ill which we both agree was our best meal in France - worth the trip to Alsace.

http://tinyurl.com/jyghv

Hi Kb,

You might find these links helpful:

http://www.travelswithfriends.com/Si...sace_Towns.htm

http://www.abcoffrance.com/alsace/

http://tinyurl.com/yduo6u

http://tinyurl.com/y9o4hh

http://tinyurl.com/ymz79f

http://tinyurl.com/yc9xqo

http://tinyurl.com/ybk4lf

We will be staying in Kientzheim on our upcoming visit/

you might want to take a look at Ribeauville, France - we went for the afternoon while visiting friends who live in Baden-Baden, Germany. Very easy to get to and a very attractive town, can't wait to go back this year. There are also many vineyards in this area, Ribeauville has one that is on top of a hill right outside the town, you can see it from town. Good luck.

Thanks for all the information. I will check out all your suggestions, pictures, and websites! KB

We also enjoyed Obernai as a base to travel the area. There are many lovely villages and I think any of them make a good choice. We were in the area for 3 days and it was just the perfect amount of time. The Alsace is picture perfect and I'm sure you will have a lovely trip.

Obernai or Otrott !

L'Ami Fritz has a nice-looking hotel (we've never staryed) and a very good restaurant (we've eaten twice) at Otrott which is just outside of Obernai.

In Obernai I do not recommend Le Parc.

How about Colmar? Though I have to say that we loved Freiburg, just across the river..esp. if you are traveling in the heat of summer.

Colmar depends on your definition of "village." Population of Colmar = 86,832. That's nine times bigger than a place like Obernai.

The Alsace is amazingly beautitful! We stayed in Obernai for one week this past summer. It's a charming village that we found to be central to the places we wanted to visit: route du vin, route des cretes, route des potiers, regional national park in the northern Vosges, Colmar & Strasbourg.We stayed at the Hotel Colombier. It has air conditioning & private parking - great amenities when travelling in July! There are many good restaurants in Obernai that serve local cuisine. For something special, you can try La Cours Tanneurs.

My own favorite Obernai restaurant is "La Cigogne" -- usually fully booked by Germans on the weekend with a "complet" sign in the window.

And for a dessert at La Cigogne, I absolutely vote for the "myrtille melba" (blueberry melba).

Looking for something even smaller, less trampled? Dambach-la-Ville. My favorite. All the required details w/o the crowds. Our little hotel was the Raisin-d'Or or something like that. J.