Image: Europa-Park
Alsace runs along France's eastern frontier with Germany, a narrow strip of vineyards, forests and half-timbered towns pressed between the Rhine and the Vosges mountains. The region's long history of shifting borders has left a distinctive culture—Alsatian dialect, timber-framed architecture painted in ochre and pink, and a cuisine that blends French finesse with German heartiness.
Strasbourg anchors the north with its Gothic cathedral and European Parliament, while Colmar offers canals lined with flower boxes and medieval merchant houses. Between them, the Route des Vins d'Alsace threads through vineyard villages producing Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Self-catering gîtes here put you within reach of castles, Christmas markets, and walking trails through the Vosges.
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About Alsace
Alsace has changed hands between France and Germany five times since 1681, and that tug-of-war shaped everything from the language to the gabled rooflines. The region kept its own dialect—a Germanic tongue still spoken in villages—and architectural traditions that look more like the Black Forest than Paris. Strasbourg, the regional capital, grew wealthy as a medieval trading city and now houses the European Parliament alongside its sandstone Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg, a 12th-century masterpiece whose single spire dominated the skyline for centuries.
Colmar, smaller and quieter, preserves one of the best-intact old quarters in France. Its Petite Venise district takes its name from the canals that once served tanners and fishmongers, now lined with restaurants and geranium-filled window boxes. The Route des Vins d'Alsace connects the two cities through 170 kilometres of vineyard slopes, passing stone-walled villages like Riquewihr and Eguisheim where wine cellars open directly onto cobbled streets.
The Vosges mountains form Alsace's western boundary, their rounded peaks covered in beech and fir. Hiking paths cross the ridges, and the hillsides are dotted with ruined castles—more than any other region in France. Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, restored in the early 1900s, sits at 750 metres with views across the Rhine plain to the Black Forest.
Things to do in Alsace
The Cathédrale Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg anchors the old quarter, its astronomical clock drawing crowds at 12:30 when mechanical apostles parade past Death. Climb the 332 steps to the platform for views over the city's tiled roofs and canals. In Colmar, Colmar Old Town and La Petite Venise cluster half-timbered houses along narrow waterways—early morning before the tour groups offers the best light for photography.
Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg, perched above Sélestat, is a medieval fortress rebuilt by Kaiser Wilhelm II with Romanesque arches, a drawbridge, and panoramic ramparts. La Montagne des Singes, nearby, is a 24-hectare forest where 200 Barbary macaques roam free among visitors—feeding time is mid-afternoon. For theme-park thrills, Europa-Park sits just across the German border, one of Europe's largest amusement parks with roller coasters themed to different countries.
Strasbourg's Place Kléber hosts the region's largest Christmas market each December, while Parc de l'Orangerie offers boating lakes and a small zoo year-round. The Struthof, higher in the Vosges, is the site of a former Nazi concentration camp, now a memorial and museum that documents a sobering chapter of the region's wartime history.
Typical climate
Typical weather
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Food & drink
Alsatian cooking owes as much to Germany as to France—choucroute garnie piles sauerkraut with sausages and pork, tarte flambée (flammekueche) is a thin-crust flatbread topped with crème fraîche, onions and lardons, and baeckeoffe slow-cooks three meats with potatoes and white wine. Munster cheese, pungent and creamy, comes from the Vosges valleys and pairs with Gewürztraminer.
The vineyards produce mostly whites—Riesling, Pinot Gris, Muscat—sold in slender green bottles. Cellars along the wine route offer tastings, often in vaulted stone rooms that predate the French Revolution. Christmas brings bredele, spiced biscuits baked in dozens of varieties, and vin chaud mulled with cinnamon at the markets.
In Strasbourg, La Fignette is a well-rated French restaurant showcasing regional ingredients with modern technique. Colmar's covered market, Marché Couvert, runs Tuesday to Saturday with stalls selling charcuterie, local cheeses, and seasonal produce from the Rhine plain.
Getting there
Strasbourg airport is 18 kilometres west of the city, with direct flights from London, Manchester, and several European hubs. From Paris, the TGV Est reaches Strasbourg in 1 hour 45 minutes; Eurostar passengers change at Paris Gare de l'Est, making the total journey from London around 5 hours 30 minutes.
Driving from Calais or Dunkirk (496 kilometres) takes roughly five hours via the A26 and A4 motorways—budget for tolls. Geneva airport, 262 kilometres south, offers another entry point if you're combining Alsace with the Alps, though the drive crosses the Jura and takes close to three hours. The region's narrow roads and village centres reward a smaller car.