or learn which food to try and souvenirs to buy on your next trip to Europe
Alsace travel guide
Guide me through Alsace
Alsace region resembles a giant open-air museum. It proudly preserves its own identity with its candy-colored towns, gently rolling countryside, and half-timbered houses decorated with scarlet geraniums in summer and magical Christmas markets in winter. Visit lovely Alsace and feel like you’re jumping right into a children’s bedtime story.
Not yet sure where to travel after Alsace?
Alsace Top 5
Village Hopping between Colmar, Eguisheim and Riquewihr
Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg
Wine Tasting
Christmas Markets
Try Kougelhopf and Flammekueche
Best things to do in Alsace
The Highlights
Top 5 • Strassbourg • Colmar • Riquewihr • Other Activities • Delicacies • Transportation
Alsace prides itself on offering several towns and cities worth exploring, such as Strasbourg, Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr, and Ribeauville.
The region as well stands out with a wine route, the stunning castle Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg, and Vosque National Park, which is perfect for trekking.
Choose your favorites and get your itinerary organized around your priorities to visit two or more of these charming Alsatian gems.
Visit Strassbourg in Alsace
Strassbourg
Top 5 • Highlights • Colmar • Riquewihr • Other Activities • Delicacies • Transportation
If Strasbourg is on your itinerary, check out the charming Petite France neighborhood, the twisting lanes and cafe-rimmed plazas of Strasbourg’s Unesco World Heritage-listed island Grande Île, Notre Dame cathedral, and l’Orangerie park.
A free walking tour will teach you something about Alsace’s history while a visit to one of Strasbourg’s plenty museums like Palais Rohan – hailed as a ‘Versailles in miniature’ – is filled with artistic treasures. Stop by the ‚Cave Historique des Hospices de Strasbourg‘ wine cellar for regional wine testing.
Don’t miss a visit to the impressive medieval castle Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg towering above vineyards, soak in the panoramic views over Vosques National Park and the Black Forest and let an audioguide tell you the exciting history of the fortress.
Visit Colmar and Eguisheim
Colmar
Colmar awaits you with the enchanting Little Venice quarter. Whether exploring on foot or by rowboat, its alleys lined with half-timbered houses painted in sugared-almond shades and decorated with thickets of geraniums make Colmar fairly a storybook-pretty village.
Stroll around the former fishers‘ quarter and Rue des Tanneurs and visit Musée d’Unterlinden – housed in a Gothic-style Dominican cloister, this transformed museum hides a prized medieval stone statue collection. Don’t forget to pay a visit to closeby Eguisheim, one of the most authentic and prettiest villages of Alsace.
Visit Riquewihr in Alsace
Riquewihr
Top 5 • Highlights • Strassbourg • Colmar • Other Activities • Delicacies • Transportation
With hundreds of miles of vineyards interspersed by medieval villages, Riquewihr and close by Ribeauville are two of them well worth a visit.
Mosey through Riquewihr’s charming historic center and enjoy the old town of Ribeauvillé. Look out for the 17th-century Pfifferhuis, the Butcher’s Bell Tower, and Hôtel de Ville, all of them are adorable buildings not to miss in Ribeauvillé’s enchanting old town. Founded in 1895, Cave de Ribeauvillé is a true heaven for all wine lovers amongst you. Serving a viniculture museum and free tasting of regional wines, France’s oldest winegrowers’ cooperative will let every oenophile’s heart beat faster.
Don’t miss a visit to the impressive medieval castle Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg towering above vineyards, soak in the panoramic views over Vosques National Park and the Black Forest and let an audioguide tell you the exciting history of the fortress.
More fun activities to do in Alsace
Other activities
Top 5 • Highlights • Strassbourg • Colmar • Riquewihr • Delicacies • Transportation
Being located in the northeastern of France and bordering Germany and Switzerland, the Alsace region is rich in century-old traditions and boasts stunning landscapes. The vistas in Alsace are awe-inspiring, from medieval villages to endless stretches of vineyards. No wonder why there is so much more to do in and around the region.
If you count yourself as one of those wine lovers, don’t miss your chance to follow the Wine Route winding through storybook-pretty villages and vineyards and talk to vintners that run their family businesses for decades.
Another great way to enjoy the panorama of the Alsace region is to take a boat tour that practically connects some of the main attractions.
If you fancy nature and trekking, visit Vosques National Park for a hike and stay at a charming hiker’s guesthouse.
For those of you that happen to be in Alsace during one of the most magical seasons of the year, make sure to spend a visit to the world’s ‚Capital of Christmas‘ Strasbourg. Christmas in Alsace is a month-long event with lights, delicious treats, and Christmas markets spreading all over the Alsace region – an exceptional experience!
Best food to try in Alsace
Local Delicacies
Top 5 • Highlights • Strassbourg • Colmar • Riquewihr • Other Activities • Transportation
Make sure to try some of the regional dishes such as Tarte flambée (a pizza-like dish with onion, cheese, cream, and bacon), Bäckeoffe (meat, potato, and vegetable stew), Choucroute Garnie (a sort of glorified sauerkraut), Tarte à l’oignon (pie with mounds of caramelized onions) and the local wine of course!
Transportation Tips for Alsace
Transportation
Top 5 • Highlights • Strassbourg • Colmar • Riquewihr • Other Activities • Delicacies
How to get there and around? Some trains and busses connect bigger cities like Strasbourg and Paris and the villages in the Alsace region, whereby trains are often faster, but busses are cheaper. Another way to get around is through car sharing via platforms such as blablacar. Towns and villages are walkable and best explored on foot.