{"id":1244,"date":"2018-05-12T12:05:14","date_gmt":"2018-05-12T12:05:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeweekendtraveller.com\/?p=1244"},"modified":"2019-11-22T06:12:25","modified_gmt":"2019-11-22T06:12:25","slug":"sur-la-route-des-vins-dalsace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeweekendtraveller.com\/index.php\/europe\/france\/sur-la-route-des-vins-dalsace\/","title":{"rendered":"Sur la route des vins d’Alsace"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Getting there<\/h3>\n

So where is this scenic wine route and how to get there.\u00a0 A picture does say a thousand words.<\/p>\n

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Route des Vins d’Alsace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

Through the wine route of Alsace<\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0 \u00a0Detailed information on each of the places are on my list to write up on. Below are some highlights :<\/p>\n

Strasbourg<\/h3>\n
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Strasbourg Sights<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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At Petite France<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The architecture unique to this region – Half timbered houses<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Grande \u00cele<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Strasbourg Cathedral<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Obernai<\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Obernai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Obernai<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Obernai city wall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Haut Koenigsbourg<\/h3>\n

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.\u00a0 I would say this is a must-see if you are in this region.<\/p>\n

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Along the way to Haut Koenigbourg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Along the way to Haut Koenigsbourg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Haut Koenigsbourg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Haut Koenigsbourg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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View of the valley below – from Haut Koenigsbourg<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/h3>\n

St. Hippolyte<\/h3>\n

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 ,\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

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Very few traffic in the sleepy St Hippolyte<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A view of the Vineyards<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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So many grapes, so little time<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/h3>\n

Riquewihr<\/h3>\n

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!<\/p>\n

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Riquewihr looks like Disneyland<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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So pretty everything<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Prettiness attracts tourists , lots and lots of tourists..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Kaysersberg<\/h3>\n

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!<\/p>\n

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Gingerbread man peering down from the window… Sca…ry….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Kaysersberg , my favourite spot!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Kaysersberg gets my thumbs up!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Colmar<\/h3>\n

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<\/a> check out the blog.<\/p>\n

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Little Venice in Colmar ( not hard to see why )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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People like hanging by the water, not literally though<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Some obsession with Watering cans perhaps ? But at least there are no more creepy gingerbread man peering from windows..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Pretty area in Colmar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Good to know about this region.<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. 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.<\/li>\n
  2. Tap water is drinkable here. *Money saving Tip : You can ask for tap water in Restaurants.\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Most of the towns here are pedestrian only zones – therefore parking is outside the city walls.<\/li>\n
  4. Bigger towns \/ cities like Strasbourg have parking garages. It is not that easy to find a park place in the city center.<\/li>\n
  5. 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 flamb\u00e9e.\u00a0 It looks like very thin Pizza, smells like Pizza but is NOT pizza.\n
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    Tarte flamb\u00e9e in Alsace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    There is also the Kougelhopf<\/p>\n

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    Kougelhopf is another specialty of the Alsace region<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n
  6. 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.<\/li>\n
  7. You will find “D\u00e9gustation\u00a0de\u00a0vin”\u00a0in 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.\u00a0 (That would be a business idea..)<\/li>\n
  8. 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.<\/li>\n
  9. French pastries are the to-die-for kind, if you have no self control whatsoever do not go anywhere near the\u00a0P\u00e2tisserie. <\/strong><\/strong>Just walk past without looking!\n
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    A P\u00e2tisserie with all sorts of goodies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

     <\/li>\n

  10. 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.\n

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    Parking boxes with parking ticket meters nearby.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Amusez-vous bien! (Have fun!)<\/p>\n

    \n

    If you like this, Pin It!<\/p>\n

    \"One
    One of the Best Travel Experiences is on a Road Trip through the wine route of Alsace Region , France. If you like wine there are plenty of stops for wine tasting from this region. Combined with the half timber architecture and the great French pastries, this region is a gem with lots to discover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

     <\/p>\n

    -The End-<\/p>\n

    <\/div>\n
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    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…<\/p>\n

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