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Travel guide
Alsace
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: May to September, and December for the Christmas markets
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Welcome
Alsace, in a few days
Strasbourg's canals, Colmar's half-timbered lanes and, between them, a 170 km Wine Route through flower-hung villages at the foot of the Vosges, watched over by Haut-Koenigsbourg castle. People come for the riesling and stay for the wine taverns and the sauerkraut.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 2 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Strasbourg Cathedral free · about 1 hIts 142-metre pink sandstone spire made it the world's tallest building until the 19th century, and the astronomical clock inside parades its automata daily.
- Afternoon · Petite France free · about 1 h 30The old tanners' and millers' quarter holds Strasbourg's finest half-timbered houses along the Ill, ending at the Covered Bridges and the Vauban Dam.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel du Dragon€140 a night
D2
Day 2
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle · about 1 h 30A mountain fortress at 757 metres, restored under Kaiser Wilhelm II, whose armoury, drawbridge and medieval garden recreate life in a 15th-century castle.
- Afternoon · The Alsace Wine Route · half a day170 km from Marlenheim to Thann through some 70 wine villages, where riesling, gewurztraminer and pinot gris are tasted in the growers' own cellars.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Beaucour€160 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Riquewihr free · about 1 hInside its 13th-century walls, the main street climbs between ochre, red and green houses to the Dolder, the gate tower that symbolises the village.
- Afternoon · Unterlinden Museum · 2 to 3 hA 13th-century Dominican convent housing Grünewald's Isenheim Altarpiece, the high point of Rhineland painting, plus a modern wing by Herzog & de Meuron.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Hannong€150 a night
D4
Day 4
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Little Venice, Colmar · about 1 hFormer market gardeners' and fishermen's houses line the Lauch, and flat-bottomed boats glide under the flowered bridges of the Quai de la Poissonnerie.
- Afternoon · Eguisheim free · about 45 minOnce voted France's favourite village, it winds in concentric lanes around an octagonal castle, with storks nesting on the roofs in spring.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel de la Cathédrale€160 a night
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Baguette: the daily bread, bought fresh from the boulangerie. Ask for a "tradition", made with nothing but flour, water, salt and yeast.
- Croissant and pain au chocolat: breakfast pastries, best in the morning while still warm.
- The cheese course: served after the main dish and before dessert, from Comté to Camembert.
- Steak frites: the bistro standard. Order it "saignant" for rare or "à point" for medium.
- Galettes and crêpes: savoury buckwheat pancakes from Brittany filled with ham, egg and cheese, then sweet ones for pudding.
- House wine: ordered by the carafe or the "pichet" at lunch, and often better value than a bottle.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Say "bonjour" when you walk into a shop, a bakery or a café, and "au revoir" as you leave. Skipping it comes across as rude.
- Lunch runs from about noon to 2pm and dinner starts around 7.30pm. In between, most restaurant kitchens are closed.
- Most shops close on Sunday, and many small towns shut on Monday too. Bakeries and markets open on Sunday morning.
- Do not pay for bottled water at the table: ask for "une carafe d'eau", tap water that is served free with a meal.
- Around the big Paris sights, walk past anyone with a petition or a friendship bracelet. They are there to distract you while someone else takes your wallet.
Getting by
Words that help
English ↔ French
| English | French |
|---|---|
| Hello | Bonjour |
| Thank you | Merci |
| Please | S'il vous plaît |
| Yes | Oui |
| No | Non |
| Excuse me | Excusez-moi |
| Goodbye | Au revoir |
| Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais ? |
| I don't understand | Je ne comprends pas |
| How much is it? | Combien ça coûte ? |
| Where are the toilets? | Où sont les toilettes ? |
| The bill, please | L'addition, s'il vous plaît |
| Help! | Au secours ! |
| Cheers! | Santé ! |
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyEuro (EUR, €)
BudgetAbout €110 a day, mid-range
Best seasonMay to September, and December for the Christmas markets
PlugC/E · 230V
Tap waterSafe to drink
TippingService is included by law, round up
Emergency112
EntrySchengen area: an ID card or passport for EU citizens, 90 days visa-free for UK, US, Canadian and Australian passports.
HealthNo specific vaccination needed. Check that tetanus, diphtheria, polio and MMR are up to date.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/alsace
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.