Alsace area or Burgundy area

I did both in June this year by car, 4 nights based in Avallon and 3 in Eguisheim. I didn't notice a lot of difference in the landscape but the villages and small towns were very different. I did see a few cyclist groups. I wouldn't advise biking on your own, roads are narrow and without shoulders. Someone wrote a couple months ago about spending several days based in Colmar and seeing the sights with public transportation. It sounded like they saw pretty much what I saw with a car.

2 yrs ago i saw burgundy by car based in mostly colmar. It was beautiul and varied, very enjoyable
Every village diff ,picturesque, charming. Beaune was another base i used and took daily trip out to wine countryside, a little more hilly. 5 star visit on both locations

Is this part of a larger trip? If so, that context may be helpful.

-Matt

Thanks so much Chani! It was very helpful about the advise on not doing biking on our own. Will stick with either the bus system or renting a car for a day. Can I just go into a car rental shop and rent for that day? I know you're supposed to arrange from the states but since it's just for a day, can I do it at the moment? RS states it's about 60 euros to rent for the day. Don't know if I'd be saving all that much if done from here.

Thank you also JS. Great info also, but you make it difficult to eliminate one :-)

Matt, yes it's from a larger itinerary. Instead of going straight to Colmar from the airport, I have decided to spend first day there in Paris and leaving first thing in the morning. This puts the rest of my plans one day later (can't extend the vaca by another day). I still plan on visiting both Colmar & Beaune (2 nite stays), but could cut one of these second day plans to tour the area. Can't, and don't want to, cut anywhere else of my 13 day (11 on land) trip. I will be going to the French Alp area (Annecy & Chamonix) from Beaune and then on to Paris for a few days before flying home. (Also, not interested at all in open jaw).

Thanks all!! Linda

If you are into white wine, do Alsace, if you prefer red, do Burgundy.

And of course my opinion is totally different than Ilja's! My favorite white wine is Chablis from Burgundy, so I'd advise to go for Burgundy for white! (which is just another way of saying that everyone has different preferences.)

My wife and I spent a few days in each of Beaune and Colmar this past June, and did biking and driving trips on our own around both. Bike rental was easy in both towns, and there was plenty of choice for routes. We found the Alsace routes more interesting, in that there was more to see in the towns we stopped in, and there are more of them. However, the actual biking experience was in Burgundy was nicer- almost entirely off-road, through the vineyards on paved laneways. The Alsace biking involved more time on public roadways and traffic. In Burgundy we biked as far as we were able in one direction, then hopped on a train back into Beaune, which was very convenient. If/when we go back to the area, I'd bike in Burgundy, and drive or take public transit around Alsace.

I went in the opposite direction, taking a car when I left Chamonix, driving to Cluny, then Burgundy, then Alsace and returned the car in Strasbourg.

Car rental - you will usually get a better rate if you reserve in advance online that if you walk in. You will have limited options. There are few rental offices. You will find that a single company will have not have an office in your starting and ending towns and have to adjust your schedule. You will usually get a better rate for a longer rental (4-5 days). I used autoeurope.com and europcar.com to look for rentals. Auto Europe is an agency working with all the major companies, so it's a good place to start. Europcar's rates looked higher at first, but when I read the fine print, the rate included surcharges (rail station in Strasbourg, high altitude in Chamonix) that were extra with Auto Europe. If you reserve in advance the car you want will be there for you. If you walk in, they may only have a more expensive car available. Most smaller cars are stick shift. If you need an automatic, there may not be one if you haven't reserved. In smaller towns, office hours may be short. Except at airports, expect very limited hours on Saturdays and none on Sundays.

If you are planning to drive, use viamichelin.com to estimate distances and driving times. The most scenic routes are the ones that avoid toll roads, but they are much slower.

I did see couples on private bike tours.

I biked through Alsace in September and Burgundy the previous September. Both areas can be biked easily; in fact, I would suggest it's one of the best ways to see the country and enjoy the culture. I booked self-guided tours through Discover France, and though your time frame doesn't appear to allow you to spend that much time (each was 6-7 days), I highly recommend them. The website (www.discoverfrance) could give you ideas on rides, and many of the towns have shops that rent bikes for daily use.
As far as the particular areas, Burgundy has a wonderful trail that runs right through the vineyards, and is bike-only. Alsace is a little more crowded. Locals are very polite and welcoming to cyclists.
As someone said before, if you enjoy wine, do Burgundy for reds and Alsace for whites. Burgundy also has outstanding whites, but Alsace is lacking in reds.
Enjoy!