staying in Alsace

We stayed at Hotel St. Martin in Colmar. I thought Colmar was a good base for touring the wine route, plus there is quite a lot to see and do in Colmar itself. The hotel is in a semi-pedestrian zone, so we had to park in a public lot a block or so away (don't leaven anything in the car), but could drive up to the front of the hotel to unload, etc. IMO the problem with staying in one of the villages is that there isn't much to do once you've toured the village, especially at night. There are lots of restaurants in Colmar as well as some excellent museums, and strolling the canals after dinner is very pleasant.

Are you looking for suggestions in addition to what you have in a guidebook, or starting from scratch? Your drive time to connect any of these is all doable in a day, but then you have to plan how much sightseeing time you want at stops along the way. Rick's driving itinerary at http://www.ricksteves.com/europe/germany/itinerary shows about the fastest way to connect those sites.

As far as just enjoying wines in shops, pubs and restaurants, you can do that in all of the towns mentioned, but strolling the vineyards and possibly meeting the winemakers would smaller-town activities.

Thank you for your information. I still can't decide on Colmar or Ribeauville as a base for 4 nights in Alsace. Any preferneces anyone?

I had mixed goals for going to Alsace. The hills were more important than the grapes:-)
We stayed at http://www.hotel-panorama-alsace.com/
in the Munster region.

The car gives you the freedom to eat supper anywhere you want, wander the town, and then drive to any place that suits your fancy.

I just got back from a few days in Burgundy and then Alsace. I had a rental car and stayed in Eguisheim for 3 nights while in Alsace, then returned the car in Strasbourg and stayed there 2 nights. I really enjoyed staying in tiny Eguisheim and using the days to visit some of the many charming villages in the area. I thought I would visit wineries and do some tasting, but I found I enjoyed seeing the villages more, buying fresh produce and cheeses in the markets for lunches, visiting a castle or two and even the Barbary apes. I ended up having dinner at the same restaurant all 3 nights, so I enjoy the wine and could walk back to my B&B. There weren't many choices for dinner. Many of the restaurants were closed on Tues/Wed and at least a couple were on vacation - my guess, taking the slow time of late June, then back for the tourist season int he summer. If dinners are a big priority (I'm not a foodie), you may want to stay in Colmar or one of the larger villages, like Kaysersberg . Remember that the blood alcohol limit in France is about half that of the U.S. so take that into account if you plan any wine-tasting during the day. The roads in Alsace are well-maintained, but most of the roads connecting the villages and towns are narrow 2-lane roads without shoulders.

Our preference would be Colmar. We also stayed at Hotel St. Martin and were very pleased. It is a good base for touring the area and Colmar has a lot to offer on it's own. There are many restaurants there, several excellent museums, and it's a great place for strolling and people watching while having a sidewalk meal.

This past May, I stayed on the outskirts of a small village and then took day trips to the surrounding villages and Colmar. We would enjoy wine tasting and a dinner before returning to our country farm B&B or have a picnic dinner back at the B&B.

Where to go afterwards? How much time do you have? Are you returning the car back to Basel/Mulhouse? Or, what city are you flying out of? I have flown into/out of Basel/Mulhouse several times. If you need info, send me a personal message.