mariana

I do loads of research before trips....but also like to get PERSONAL ideas for accommodations, restaurants, towns etc from people who have fairly recently been to an area. What good experiences have you had in the Strasbourg, Colmar region?....We will be driving from Paris and possibly on up to Bruges Belgium, or down through Geneva to the French Alps after Alsace. We know it is "part France, part Germany' in character. This would be late October or November....our favorite time to travel.
Thanks!!!

Steve Mueller

We just returned from Alsace earlier this week. It was our first visit, so I don't have the experience necessary to answer many of your questions.

We stayed in Strasbourg at the Hotel Suisse. It is located across the street from the Cathedral. The staff were extremely helpful and seemed genuinely interested in chatting with us about our vacation, the US, etc.

As I mention in another thread, the spire of the Strasbourg Cathedral is covered with scaffolding and unsightly netting. Judging by appearance, I would guess that this work will not be finished by the end of this year. It is still possible to go up to the viewing platform, but visitors are restricted to the central area (the balconies are off limits). The Cathedral is inspiring despite its current appearance.

The Wine Road is absolutely beautiful. I say this despite the fact that we saw most of it in a downpour. We have a strong desire to return one day under better weather conditions.

One word of caution. Despite the fact that Alsace is part German and part French, there is one sharp distinction from most of Germany - most people there do not speak English. I'm not referring to the mythical stubborness of the French to speak English when they are perfectly capable of doing so. The vast majority of smaller establishments were staffed by individuals that spoke no English whatsoever.

If you are driving from Alasace to Belgium, you might consider a few days in Luxembourg City. We found this little explored part of Europe to be spectacular. Luxembourg City has the most dramatic setting of any city that we have ever visited.

Julie

We stayed last year in Obernai on the Alsatian Wine Route at the Le Parc hotel. Lovely town, typical with halftimbered houses adorned with geraniums everywhere. Hotel very nice. Area one of the nicest in Europe by my lights. Great food--more Michelin stars per capita than most others. Lovely scenery. Only problem. I expect fields, etc. at peak beauty in late Sept. early October rather than when you expect to be there.

Diane

Last summer I spent two weeks in Brugge, Alsace, and Black Forest. You can read my trip report at
www.travelswithdiane.homestead.com/trip2001pg1.html
We stayed at L'Ami Fritz in Ottrott, a neighboring town to Obernai, and were very pleased with our choice. From there we drove to the small towns in Alsace.

Elsa

We stayed in Colmar at Hotel Les Tetes. Although it was no 4 Seasons, it was very nice and comfortable. The room we had was a suite. The staff was very friendly and helpful. We paid 168 euro the beg. of May. If I remember correctly that was the middle price range. It is located right in "town", so walking everywhere is very convenient. They also have a VERY good restaurant. We preferred Colmar to Strasburg, b/c it is smaller and more charming - but Strasburg is also nice.

Rex

Although I have said this many times before, it bears repeating: Chateau de Haut Koeningbourg, overlooking the town of St. Hippolyte, is a "don't miss".

I also enjoyed Musée National de l'Automobile (Collection Schlumpf) in Mulhouse, for something failrly different. For "car people".

192 avenue de Colmar
68 100 MULHOUSE
Tél. 03.89.33.23.23
Fax. 03.89.32.08.09
E-mail : [email protected]

Best wishes,

Rex

Daniel

Message: The most picturesque wine villages are near Colmar: Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim. They are full of German and Swiss daytrippers all year, especially at weekends. Gueberschwihr is more quiet, but also beautiful. I walked between the villages on the small roads across the vineyards. The walk down from Voegtlinshofen to Gueberschwihr is very beautiful. Mid-October may be the best time, because of the wine harvest.

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Rachele

We were in Alsace a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. We stayed in Eguisheim at the Hostellerie du Chateau which was very nice. Eguisheim is a really nice little town and is a good base for exploring Colmar and the other neighboring towns on the Rue de Vin.

Doug Weller

Any suggestions for inexpensive eating in the area? We will be based in a gites in Riquewihr for a week at the end of July.

Doug

Susieeff`

Alsace is one of our favorite places to visit. We love to stay in the smaller wine villages and have stayed in Andlau, Eguisheim and Bergheim. Although there are some outstanding restaurants here, we have found excellent value in food, wine and lodging. There are many gites to be found in winemakers' homes which is always interesting. You will find good sources by doing searches online. Patricia Wells' book, Food Lovers Guide to France, was a big help in searching out specialty shops, etc. It is a very easy area to drive around. Be sure to drive into the mountains and eat at one of the many ferme auberges. We also found that many don't speak much if any English, but the younger people do and are generally eager to practice with us. I believe the Alsatians are among the friendliest people anywhere.

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Dick Yeager

We just returned from Europe this week, including a 2 night stop in the very small village of Itterswiller in the Alsace.

While Itterswiller is on the wine road, it is VERY difficult to find. We stayed at the Hotel Arnold with a very nice room and a balcony that overlooked the vineyards.

The restaurant of the Hotel Arnold was superior. We had one of our top three meals of our entire trip at the restaurant.

Other than that, we were not that impressed with the Alsace region.

We do, however, heartily agree with Steve (above) regarding Luxembourg City.
It is spectacular and will definitely be included for at least 2 nights on our next trip.

Dick

CaptB

Hope I can help. My wife and I just spent last week in Colmar and arrived home just this past Sunday. We had previously spent one week driving around Switzerland and one week driving around Northern Italy - so we appreciated the slower pace of Alsace. I agree with all of the above and would like to add some of my own. If at all possible visit Colmar on a Friday or Sat - they have a computer light display through out the town - displaying different aspects of the most beautiful buildings. If there are enough English speaking tourists the TI will lead a group tour. Colmar makes an excellent base to visit all the smaller towns and offers more dining & entertainment options.
We especially recommend Schwendi's Wistub near the Douane(sp) Old Toll House and Square. Also for real French cooking (not Alsace) La Petit Noack on 14 Rue Etroite. A small neighborhood restaurant.
Also Colmar has two conveniently placed super markets for stocking up on jams, wine, cheese etc - Monoprix near the TI and ATAP near the Ibis Hotel.

I also recommend driving into the Vosges through Munster to the Grand Ballon approximately 5,400feet and the only true wilderness in France.

I would be happy to answer any specific questions that you may have. One last suggestion - review Rick Steves recommendations - he was right on target!

Ana

I'm sorry but I haven't visited Strasbourg yet. I too will be visting this October. I just wanted to mention that I checked several hotels in Strasbourg, Colmar, and even in Freiburg, Germany (at the border). For some reason all hotel staff that I corresponded with were very helpful and courteous much more so than the ones in Paris.

If you stay in Strasbourg I'd recommend the Hotel de l'Europe. One of the desk clerks, Marie, is so helpful. I asked her if there were convenient trains to Freiburg and she took the time to research the schedule and emailed the information to me. Also I found the same service at Hotel des Rohan but we chose the de l'Europe instead.

Linda

Dear Mariana,
The Alsace region is beautiful in the fall and is full of quaint villages as others have mentioned. For a day trip you might want to consider a visit to Verdun, site of World War I battles. There is lots to see there, esp. the bunker tour is very enjoyable. Have a good trip. Linda