Bon Jour! If you like wine or road trips or better yet both, then Its a great experience driving through this lovely lovely region through Vineyards while admiring cute architecture. It doesn’t hurt that its in France, whose language sounds as if someone constantly spouts sweet-nothings in your ear. Armed with my trusty “French for Idiots” booklet , I set out to learn a little bit of French, a little bit about wine and just let the pretty towns that look like a page from a fairy tale awe me.
As it turns out, I didn’t get very far with French, because it is bordering Germany, many people we met there understand and speak a kind of German dialect too. Interesting thing about this region is that it was historically in a tug of war between France and Germany, alternating power exchanges between the two and resulting in both influences seen today. Therefore the architectures present here are also seen in other parts of Germany and the names of places are German with French spelling and pronunciation.
Getting there
So where is this scenic wine route and how to get there. A picture does say a thousand words.
Alsace is on the eastern side of France bordering to Germany and the wine route as depicted is the stretch from Strasbourg to Basel-Mulhouse. There are airports in both Strasbourg and Basel-Mulhouse and a good connection to the TGV trains too.
Should you decide to go this wine route and plan stop-ins on the pretty villages along the way , you have come to the right place. Believe me , I did a lot of research and taking a rental car from either airport is the best way to go. There are bus and train connections to the bigger towns but it is really the small ones that are so quaint and worth stopping to drink a cup of coffee and just to soak up the atmosphere. Having said that , there are possibilities to arrange for tours that pick up from the hotels, a lot of them are more deep into wine tasting in the vineyards.
Through the wine route of Alsace
We started in Strasbourg the capital city of Alsace and worked our way down to Colmar, making little stops in Obernai, Haut Koenigsbourg, St. Hippolyte, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg. Detailed information on each of the places are on my list to write up on. Below are some highlights :
Strasbourg
Obernai
From Strasbourg , we moved on to Obernai about a half hour drive away where we stopped for lunch. Its a pretty place , very relaxing for a walk about.
Haut Koenigsbourg
After lunch and of course a cuppa coffee – the journey continued on amid growing nicer sceneries. The scenic drive took to a gradual increase of height as we go onto the Vosges Mountains. The Chateau is simply majestic as it stands overlooking the valley. I would say this is a must-see if you are in this region.
St. Hippolyte
After the impressive Chateau visit, we drove down the mountains to the valley we just saw – to St. Hippolyte for a night’s rest before continuing. This area is quiet and sleepy , I am really glad to have stopped here because it has all the charms and very few of the tourists. The place is surrounded by vineyards and if you look up the mountains – there sits Haut Koenigsbourg.
Riquewihr
The next day it was onward to the next village and Riquewihr looks amazingly as if you would have stepped into a Hansel and Gretel page , so colourful the buildings and I could imagine some being made out of gingerbread!
Kaysersberg
After all that prettiness, I think its going to be hard to top, but nevertheless the plan is to drive to Kaysersberg with a stop for lunch. Kaysersberg is a little bit different from Riquewihr , the latter looks as if it was setup just for tourists to gawk at while the former is no less pretty but feels more “real” , if i can describe it as such. I like it!
Colmar
On to the last stop of our road trip, the other “big” town on the list besides Strasbourg – A leisurely stroll through Colmar center. For a more in-depth look at Colmar check out the blog.
There are more towns around , it just depends on where you choose to stop. My friend told me that she was in Eguisheim, which she said was nice.
Good to know about this region.
- People here speak French and a lot of them seem to understand and speak German, dialect. I have not heard many people speaking English except in the hotels and some wine shops.
- Tap water is drinkable here. *Money saving Tip : You can ask for tap water in Restaurants.
- Most of the towns here are pedestrian only zones – therefore parking is outside the city walls.
- Bigger towns / cities like Strasbourg have parking garages. It is not that easy to find a park place in the city center.
- Besides the architecture , the food here seems to be partially German influenced as well – they have their Kraut specialties. Another specialty in this region is the Flammekueche or Tarte flambée. It looks like very thin Pizza, smells like Pizza but is NOT pizza.
Tarte flambée in Alsace There is also the Kougelhopf
Kougelhopf is another specialty of the Alsace region - You are in wine country here, what else but do wine tasting. I am by no stretch of any imagination an expert in wine – but I did get a crash course from an American friend with a French husband. In this region is mainly white, dry Riesling wine.
- You will find “Dégustation de vin” in many shops , it means they offer wine tasting or sampling. Don’t ask me why..but when I first saw the signs of degustation…my first thought was regurgitation , and I thought that they offer regurgitation stations so that people are able to taste MORE wine. (That would be a business idea..)
- Do check if the hotels come with free parking, more often than not if it is the city center – you have to pay from 20-40 Euros to park at a garage overnight.
- French pastries are the to-die-for kind, if you have no self control whatsoever do not go anywhere near the Pâtisserie. Just walk past without looking!
A Pâtisserie with all sorts of goodies - If you are with the car and are looking to park by the road , it is denoted by a box with “Payant” , there should be a park machine close by for you to pay in advance.
Parking boxes with parking ticket meters nearby.
Amusez-vous bien! (Have fun!)
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So glad I came across this post of yours! I was recently in France on a tour bus where we only got to drive past some of the villages and they looked so inviting, a part of me knew immediately I’d have to go back there! I would absolutely love to experience it in this way next time we go. Particularly to see which town feels like a real life version of the town in the movie Beauty and the Beast where Belle lives 🙂
Loved the pictures and the details. This reminded me of my trip to Paris 🙂
Such a detailed post! I have not been to Alsace yet, but it’s definitely on my list. And you had me at wine route!
Fantastic information. We had plans to visit this region 2 years ago, but changed our itinerary to Provence. We need to get there. Love your photos, and the selection of towns visited.
These small towns look so cute! It really makes me want to return to France.
I love visiting wine regions! I’ve not been to Alsace yet, I will keep it on my bucket list now
While I don’t drink wine, all of these charming small towns and region in particularly are high on my list of places to explore.
This is one of my favorite regions in France and your article makes me realize that it’s been too long since I’ve visited. Gorgeous photos! And that tarte flambée looks delicious!
Ohh I live in Switzerland and thats not very far away from Alsace with these cute german influence towns! But I have never been to any of it! And I have to say that going there in autumn must be even more spectacular as all the vineyard get all golden! Perhaps less people by then?
Great article. We were recently in Strasbourg but did not know about the towns outside that you have mentioned. They are beautiful I think my favourite has to be Riquewihr and as you say it looks like something out of Hansel and Gretel. A great tip when booking hotels, the car parking costs seem quite high at between 20-40 euros. We would always hire a car so that is something we should consider.
THe architecture looks stunning and I would love to see Alzace one day. I love to go for wine tasting and this region reminds me my time in French Alps and trying wine and cheese. I am looking forward seeing more from this region.
Yep, I love both wine and road trips so I’m keen for a wine tour in Alsace. We did a road trip through Bandol in and had a taste of the delicious French wines, so your post inspired me for more wine tasting and site seeing. I love the Little Venice in Colmar! What a scenic place!
I loved Strasbourg in France due its lovely town center and cathedrals. I never knew that wine tours can be done from this region. My favorite is Au Petitie and those timber houses. Thanks for sharing other details. Will plan next time.
This is such a lovely place. France is so full of surprises when it comes to exploring the small towns and countryside. The photographs are just fantastic. I love the pictures of the chateau. The vineyards are also beautiful
This is another gorgeous city in France, oh I wish to experience and breath its local breeze! Those foods are delectable, and I am all ears for winetasting and tours. Saving your detailed post and will share to my beau.
Though I have been to Paris, a large part of your post was new to me. There is so much to experience in the countrysides, especially when you do road trips, walk around, relax and enjoy slow traveling. I loved your picturesque pictures. Colmar is so colourful and I wouldn’t want to miss Obernai.
I used to live and work in France but this part of the country I haven’t been to…yet! Dam I am missing so much. I love the looks of the buildings, they are so Germanic (but I knew this part of France belonged to Germany at one point before the land grab took place after the World Wars). I sure could spend a lot of time hiking in the surrounding hills taking in all the beautiful towns and villages. One day I will return!
I love France! I haven’t spent any time in the wine region, sadly. I have in Napa, and loved every minute of it. I would love to spend some time wandering around the vineyards and practicing some French and German. Colmar has been on my bucket list for a while now. The architecture and colors of the buildings are straight out of a fairytale!
The countrysides look so breathtaking. I would love to visit now after seeing all of your gorgeous photos. Colmar sticks out to me and looks so pretty, I would love to travel there for sure!
The wine trail sure looks inviting. The small towns look straight out of a story book. Strasbourg is full of just great buildings especially the Strasbourg Cathedral. Would love to visit Riquewihr to experience what Hansel and Gretel might had.
We love small wine towns. So we would definitely be up for a tour through Alsace. Strasbourg looks like a pretty town to start. Good to read that the Chateau in Haut Koenigsbourg is a must-see stop on the route. A view of the vineyards would definitely tempt me to move on. Riquewihr does remind me of a Hansel and Gretyl town. I do love the French canal towns. So I would probably want to spend a few days in Colmar to soak up the atmosphere. Good tips for first time visitors.
It would be so much fun to visit all these little towns in France. I like that a lot of them are set up for pedestrians and not cars. Riquewihr does remind me of a fairytale village. It makes sense there are a lot of tourists there. Kaysersberg does look just as pretty as Riquewihr. That gingerbread man peering down is pretty funny!
I love these types of cultural and historical nuances that you discover when traveling and how that spills into the architecture, language and cuisine. All of these little towns and neighborhoods do look like they’re out of a German fairytale. I don’t have self control around sweets, but I think I’ll let myself divulge while I’m in France. 🙂
So, this is perfect for me. I love both wine and road trips!
The map is indeed very clear. We’ve been to both Strasbourg and Mulhouse, but haven’t been on this road-trip yet!
Strasbourg is so so so beautiful. The historic charm of the city is exceptional. The view from Haut Koenigsbourg is just so spectacular.
I need to plan a trip again to this region. Thanks for the inspirational post.
Here’s hoping you get there soon!
I am a huge Francophile and Oenophile. And, this place seems to be perfect for me. I mean who doesn’t like wine, road trips and cute timbre architecture. And, there can’t be better place than France for that. I would make sure not to miss the Chateau in Haut Koenigsbourg on the route. And, French canal towns are my ultimate favourites. So I would definitely spend a few days in Colmar. Very helpful post, indeed.
My thoughts too and I hope you make it there in this lovely region and it will be my turn to read all about it!