I'm looking for recommendations on which towns to visit in the Alsace region. There are so many neat villages; but, we need to prioritize as we have limited time. In addition, are there wineries in this region that you can recommended? Any other special places that are "must see" suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Posted by
Washington DC
28085 posts
Will you have a car?
Whatever your answer to that question, I would include Colmar. It gets a lot of tourists, but it is drop-dead gorgeous and also has a very fine museum, the Unterlinden.
If you get tired of touristy places, you might consider Selestat.
Posted by
San Francisco
14980 posts
Very close to Strasbourg is the town of Obernai...quaint, not swamped with tourists as is the case with Colmar. I liked Obernai...lovely, charming place.
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1678 posts
I just posted this under another topic:
"I liked Colmar and Freiburg. Riquewihr, Keysersbug, Eguisheim, Ribeauville (castle ruins, hike) are all worth a visit or to use as a base. Bergheim is a lovely, little visited place (hardly any shops, beautiful streets). Hiking galore through the vineyards throughout the area. Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg my favourite castle visit so far - hiking opportunities here as well. Staufen is a fabulous little place, hiking from here and in the gorgeous hills to the south in the Munstertal area. Endingen is also a pretty but little visited town. A spa at Bad Krozingen for a rainy day (I've never been). If I had to pick a favourite place it would be Gengenbach, too far north to use as a base."
Some of the towns I write about are in Germany, a hop, skip and a jump if you have a flying car. You can add Obernai, as mentioned by Fred above, and Strasbourg if you want to include another city visit. Wissembourg is further to the north but well worth it if you have the time. Surf for information on the monastery at Mont Sainte-Odile. It's a great area for hiking, if you have any interest.
Posted by
Portland, Maine
2916 posts
Colmar and Freiburg. Riquewihr, Keysersbug, Eguisheim, Ribeauville
I've been to all these villages except Freiburg, and would recommend any of them. I'd probably place Riquewihr, Colmar and Ribeauville at the top. As to wineries, they're all over, and I don't think we encountered a bad one on our visits. There are some very good cave cooperatives in the area; they can be good places to visit because they're generally always open (except for lunch closure) w/o appointment, and will have a wide array of wines to try. The one in Ribeauville is particularly good, as are those in Beblenheim and Turckheim.
Posted by
IJzendijke, The Netherlands
2087 posts
Riquewhir and Kaysersberg are very touristy, Bergheim is much calmer, more natural and really enjoyed my visit there last September. As Fred already says Obernai is lovely and nearby Bœrsch too.
If cars are of interest is not to miss the Bugatti museum in Mulhouse.
Posted by
3440 posts
We only had one full day in Strasbourg when we were there in 2015. We really enjoyed the "Pearls of Alsace" small group tour offered by Ophorus - we got a quick look at most of the highlights, with a wine-tasting thrown in. They have tours that are more focused on wine-tasting, but we're not all that crazy about Alsatian wine.