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Alsace village and Black Forest route sequence suggestions

Posted by on

Hi,

We will be visiting in June and have limited time in the Colmar/Black Forest region. We will be driving a rental car and staying in Colmar, and I am trying to make the most of 1.5 days with a focus on scenic drives, charming towns, and photography (no long hikes).

Part 1: Heidelberg --> Colmar (via Alsace villages)
Plan is to depart Heidelberg around 7:00 AM and follow this route:

Ribeauvillé --> Riquewihr --> Kaysersberg --> Colmar

Ribeauvillé: Park near the historic center and explore Grand’Rue

Riquewihr: Park outside the old town and enter via Dolder Gate

Kaysersberg: Walk through the village and old bridge (optional short castle walk)

Evening: Check-in and explore Colmar (old town/Little Venice)

Questions:

Is this the best sequence for a smooth and efficient day? Would you skip or replace any of these villages if short on time?

Part 2: Black Forest Day Trip from Colmar
We are planning a full-day scenic drive with short stops:

Colmar --> Titisee --> St. Märgen --> St. Peter --> Hexenlochmühle --> Triberg --> Schiltach --> Colmar

Planned approach:

Titisee: Short lake stop for photos

St. Märgen/St. Peter: Scenic drive-through

Hexenlochmühle: Quick photo stop

Triberg: Lower waterfall section only

Schiltach: Final stop for half-timbered town views

Questions:

Does this route make sense as a one-day Black Forest overview? Would you recommend skipping or replacing any stops for better scenery or flow? Are there better scenic roads or hidden photo spots along this route?

I understand this is an ambitious plan with significant driving, but given our limited time, we are comfortable with a fuller day if it allows us to experience more of this beautiful region

Thanks in advance, really appreciate any advice.

Posted by
220 posts

The biggest problem I see in this routing is you are trying to see things in such a way that you IMO you won't see much of anything. If your checking things off a list go for it. If you want to enjoy each village spend a day. Two for Colmar. I would honestly say rethink and slow down.

Posted by
11751 posts

I agree with Lifetime travel. If you only have one and a half days, the schedule is way too much. I would focus on either Colmar or the Black Forest, but you don't have time to see both.

It would help to know where you are coming from (before Colmar) and where you are going to after, and what your full schedule is.

Posted by
33 posts

Thanks for feedbacks. We are actually from Heidelberg, where we will be staying with friends, and then heading onward after Colmar. Given this, we have about 1.5 days in this region and are trying to make the most of that limited time. Later, we will go to Strasbourg to stay and see that city.

We completely understand that this is a faster-paced plan and that we won't be able to explore each place in depth. Our goal is more to get a scenic overview, experience a few of the Alsace villages, spend a proper evening in Colmar, and also see a bit of the Black Forest landscape.

We are comfortable with some longer driving and shorter stops, as this trip is more about seeing a variety of places rather than slow exploration.

That said, we are very open to refining the plan, if you had to prioritize within this timeframe, would you adjust the villages or the Black Forest route in any way?

Posted by
2633 posts

I've never understood this type of "touring".

To see the places you want in the Alsace, you're going to spend 3 hours driving, minimum, and another hour trying to find a place to park, just to hop out, take a picture, and leave some of the nicest places you could spend a day in. If you figure 2 hours in each town, which is basically running through the old part of the city, dodging other tourists, that's going to be a very long day. And you won't really get to know anything of the town. And that's without factoring in a couple hours for lunch.

Now those towns are nice. They're very popular. They get crowded, and expensive. But really, why go there? there are other, just as nice places, hidden away within an hours drive of Heidelberg. Plus, you pass some fantastic places on the drive down.

You want a scenic drive? From Heidelberg head west to Bad Durkheim, Then south on L516, through Wachenheim, Deidesheim, to Neustadt on the Weinstrasse. Then take L512 through Maikammer, and Edenkoben, to Edesheim. From there take L507 through Frankweiler to Albersweiler, and from there head to Annweiler. From there take 48 to Bad Bergzaben and Wissembourg. On this route you pass over a dozen castles, including the one King Richard was held prisoner in. You'll drive through towns that go back over 1300 years, medieval walled places, vineyards full of grapes, fantastic scenery, and on any given day you'll pass 2-3 car clubs making the same run just because it is such a great drive.

Just a taste of that route:

[img]https://i.imgur.com/VCO8sj1.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/xKhvXjj.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/A8SjewM.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/BAYsufk.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/4mjNnVo.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/RqhpbSM.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/GgqpLHd.jpg[/img]

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