amarisla

I will be travelling through Alsace in late May (approx 4-6 days). Can you recommend some places to see and activitiesto do? We enjoy wine and relaxing with a nice, long meal.
Thanks in advance!

jmw44

I'll start. If you're interested in visiting an off-the-beaten-track village, then Dambach-la-Ville is the place for you. I used it as a base some years ago and found it to be delightful. Tiny square, vined hillsides topped by a little church, picturesque, quiet streets, a couple of good restaurants, a cave or two. I'd return in a minute if I could pry myself away from Switzerland. J.

JulieVikmanis

You probably can't go wrong with any of the cute little towns along the Alsatian wine road. We stayed in Obernai and enjoyed it a lot. Riquwhir (sp?) is possibly the cutest of all and also the most touristy. Equsheim is good and so it turkheim. In the latter, look for the stork nest over the entrance to the city.

Budman

We stayed in Ottrott which is a couple of miles from Obernai. Our highlights were Mont Ste Odile, Haut Koenigsbourg, Petite Venice in Colmar, and Hohneck, as well as driving around some of the little towns & villages.

As far as wine tasting, there was a wine shop in Obernai and lots of places when you drive thru the villages.

Do a search on "alsace" as this is a cut/paste from a previous post.

Betsy

If you're anywhere near the village of Pfulgriesheim, north of Strasbourg, be sure to eat at Burestubel at 8 rue de Lampertheim. Tel: 03 88 20 01 97. Open Wednesday thru Sunday for lunch and dinner. Inexpensive and delicious food. We loved it.

MaisonMetz

My personal favorite is Eguisheim not far from Colmar. It's one of the quintessentially picturesque villages along the wine route with a wonderful central place and circular streets that are great for strolling. It was our base for touring the area, and we found it convenient and charming with a number of good restaurants.

maitaitom

It's as easy as ABC (Anywhere But Colmar).

We liked all the rest.

CRAZY4TRAVEL

They are all beautiful like pictures on a postcard. I could not believe the flower boxes everywhere in every town...must be the law. We stayed in Obernai our first night and Colmar for another 3 nights...visited just about every town in the region in the 4 days and loved them all...you can not go wrong...just follow the wine road and stop for degustations along the way. May the flowers will be in full bloom for sure....enjoy.

platzman

What's the problem with Colmar?

Budman

Compared with all the other villages in Alsace, Colmar was like another big city. I agree with maitaitom - ABC - Another Big City. Maybe day trip to Petite Venice, but that's it, in my opinion.

cigalechanta

Nothing wrong with Colmar but it's not a small beautiful village like on the wine route. We stayed at the hotel Marichal (sp?) overlooking the canal in "Little Venice." This is the home town with a small museum dedicated to Frederic Bartholdi who designed the Statue of Liberty.
I liked stoppiung in Riquewihr, Kayserberg, Barr, Obernai.
One of the best meals in France we had at the Auberge de L'ILL in Illhaeusem near Ribeauville.

waggis

Hi amarisla: Eguisheim is a particularly picturesque village, but you can't go wrong with any of the suggested locations.

The showpiece of Colmar is the "Isenheimer Altar" by Matthias Grünewald, now in the Unterlinden Museum.

Alsace is especially a favorite destination in the spring for those who love the white asparagus, harvested in May, and, the flowering of masses of Lily of the Valley in the woods of the upper Rhine. For a local speciality, try "Flammekuchen" - Alsace's answer to pizza - maybe with a nice dry Gewürztraminer if you like a fruity wine. If you want to splurge a bit, go to the "Auberge de l'Ill" in Illhäusern.

luvtotravel

We stayed in Ottrott and thought it a good base for touring. You can read my journal and see my photos at
http://www.travelswithdiane.homestea...ip2001pg6.html

luvtotravel

Almost forgot, we stayed at the Ami Fritz, www.amifritz.com. I recommend it highly.

_jinx_

If you have the inclination and time (half-day), visit the incredible auto museum, Musee National de L'Automobile-Collection Schlumpf, 192 Avenue de Colmar, in Mulhouse (just south of Colmar). Beautiful old cars including a big collection of Bugatti's.

Cheers,

Jinx Hoover

prr761

Yes, Jinx

The Schlumpf collection was one of the great highlights of our visit in Alsace (1994). We stayed in Strasbourg and in Mulhouse. The Isenheim altarpiece in Colmar is also a great site to visit. We discovered many charms of Alsace, originally only being there because we were to visit with friends in Basel, across the river. Gorgeous countryside, all of it!

BootsN

www.photo-alsace.com/index.php

RobynFrance

We stayed in Dambach la ville a few years ago and found it lovely and convenient. The storks'nest on the village gate was inspiring for our early warning walks when we saw both the male and female above the village--walked up among the vinyards and then headed out. It was lovely.

jmw44

Hi, Robyn. Was the big crucifix still at the vineyard corner somewhere between the town gate and the train station? J.

scubapuppies

We just spent 3 days last week in Colmar and drove the Route des Vins. My husband and I vowed to each other we'd go back in warmer weather someday to Kayserburg, bring a bottle of Cremant d'Alsace (the delectable Alsatian champagne) and a picnic and trek up to the ruined castle there perched high on the hill that overlooks the vineyards and other towns. I think you'll have fun exploring the area and I agree about not staying in Colmar. It's quite pretty but we would have stayed in Riquewihr or elsewhere had we known just how charming the smaller towns are. One of the highlights for us was meandering around Kayserburg and knocking on the door with the sign "Vins Degustation" - having a private wine tasting that delighted us even more when we saw how cheap the bottles were (average 8 - 11 Euro). Buying wines there is worth it - bring bubble wrap from home and have extra room in your suitcase to get it back safely!