Alsace

Picture of Alsace, France

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Visit Alsace

Alsace is a lovely region to explore, with important cities such as Strasbourg and Colmar, the Alsace wine route, historical castles, and many pretty villages sitting quietly in the vineyards and forests of the region

Six unmissable highlights of a visit to Alsace

StrasbourgThe city of Strasbourg and its historical centre is one of our favourite places in France.
Strasbourg
EguisheimJust one of many beautiful villages in Alsace, Eguisheim has numerous traditional half-timbered houses
Eguisheim
chateau haut-koenigsbourgBoth the history and setting for Chateau Haut-Koenigsbourg make it one of our top recommendations
Chateau Haut-koenigsbourg
Mont Sainte OdileThe monastery at Mont Saint Odile is one of the most visited pilgrimage sites in France
Mont Sainte Odile
ColmarMuseums, historical buildings and colourful medieval houses make Colmar an unmissable town in Alsace
Colmar
HunspachHunspach is one of our favourite Alsace villages, in part because of the many well maintained gardens
Hunspach


Alsace general information

Alsace is found in eastern France, on the border with Germany to the east and the Lorraine region of France to the west. It is the smallest region in France and very pretty in its location between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine. The setting also means that it has a perfect, fertile environment for grape growing and wine production.

The 'trademarks' of the Alsace region include:

  • the attractive villages with streets of half-timbered houses overflowing with geraniums. One of the best ways to see many of these villages is to follow the popular 'Alsace Wine Route ('Route des vins')
  • the attractive mountain scenery of the Vosges range
  • the castles, many in ruins, that dot the region, and bear witness to the long (and often conflict ridden) past that Alsace has 'enjoyed'.

Northern Alsace (the Bas-Rhin department)

photo of RosheimStrasbourg is the capital if this heavily forested region, in which the climate is almost 'continental' - hot summers and dry, cold winters.

Destinations in northern Alsace around Strasbourg include several of the better known Alsatian castles, and a good selection of very pretty villages.

Less well known perhaps, Le Struthof, the only WWII concentration camp built in France (part of Germany during the war) is in this part of Alsace

Selected Bas-Rhin highlights

Barr : Chateau Andlau : Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg : Ebersmunster : Epfig : Fleckenstein : Hunspach : Kintzheim : Le Struthof : Marmoutier : Molsheim : Mont-Sainte-Odile : Neuwiller-les-Saverne : Obernai : Rosheim : Saverne : Selestat : Strasbourg : Wissembourg : Mittelbergheim

See Bas-Rhin for more details.

Storks of Alsace

A particular distinctive feature of Alsace is its storks. At one time every tall roof and steeple seemed to have a resident stork. These then suffered a serious set-back and almost disappeared from Alsace.

Happily a successful breeding programme has succeeded in re-introducing the storks and they are again a popular sight, and a number of towns have a 'stork park'. To keep the storks in the area a stork is kept in captivity for 3 years and then loses its migratory instincts (though its young will still migrate).

Southern Alsace (the Haut-Rhin department)

main street in BergheimThe larger towns in southern Alsace include Mulhouse and Colmar - not major tourist destinations in themselves but each has its own attractions.

Apart from more 'most beautiful villages' (of which there are several here in southern Alsace) the other major attractions include the very substantial ecomuseum at Ungersheim. This is the largest of its type in France and a very interesting glimpse of life gone by, with more than 70 historic buildings reconstructed in one site.

Selected Haut-Rhin highlights

Altkirch : Bergheim : Colmar : Eguisheim : Guebwiller : Hunawihr : Kaysersberg : Mulhouse : Munster : Murbach : Neuf-Brisach : Ottmarsheim : Ribeauville : Riquewihr : Soultz-Haut-Rhin : Turckheim : Ungersheim

See Haut-Rhin for more details

Traditional recipes of Alsace

As well as its fabulous wine Alsace has some hearty food specialities. Baeckeoffe, a hearty stew with pork is a favourite as is Flammekueche which is a kind of cross between a savoury tart and a pizza and appears on every menu in Alsace. Bretzels, a savoury salty bread in the form of a knot, and Kougelhopf, a delicious brioche with sultanas and almonds, are sold in most bakers.

See more ideas at Alsace tourist information, with more towns, national monuments, national parks, towns in bloom etc across the Alsace region.

Map of Alsace

'most beautiful village' Heritage site National monument Place of interest

Page in French? See Alsace (Francais)

Alsace holidays and travel

Hotels: book now, pay at the hotel, 'best price promise': Alsace Hotels

Great value & locations: Holiday villages in Alsace

Holiday rentals: Alsace gites and holiday rentals

Move to Alsace? Find Property for sale in France

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