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Travel guide
The Vosges
4 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: June to July, September to October, and January to February for snow
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Welcome
The Vosges, in a few days
Rounded summits under fir forest, glacial lakes named black or white after their beds, high pastures where Vosges cattle graze until the first snow: the Vosges are gentle mountains, made for walking rather than climbing.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 2 things
- D2 Day 2 1 thing
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- D4 Day 4 3 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 · Hohneck and the Route des Crêtes free · about 1 h 30A ridge road built in the First World War to supply the front; from the 1,363-metre Hohneck, views reach the Black Forest and Bernese Alps.
- Afternoon · Sentier des Roches free · half a dayA dizzy 3 km path from the Col de la Schlucht along the Hohneck cliffs, with ladders, cables and a tunnel above the Munster valley.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Les Vallées ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€120 a night
D2
Day 2
1 thing to do · at your own pace
- Morning · The Munster valley and its farm inns free · half a dayHome of Munster cheese and the farm inn; some thirty high farms serve the traditional cowherd's meal of pie, smoked pork, cheese and bilberry tart.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Les Vallées ↗€120 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Lac Blanc free · half a dayA glacial lake 72 metres deep at 1,055 metres above Orbey, named for its pale sandy bed; a path climbs past it and Lac Noir.
- Late afternoon · Lake Gérardmer free · about 2 hThe largest natural lake in the Vosges, 116 hectares at 660 metres, with a 6 km path around it, beaches, pedalos and short boat trips.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Hôtel Les Vallées ↗€120 a night
D4
Day 4
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Grand Ballon free · about 1 hThe highest point in the Vosges at 1,424 metres, 20 minutes' walk from the road, looking over Alsace, the Black Forest and sometimes Mont Blanc.
- Afternoon · Hartmannswillerkopf · 2 to 3 hA 956-metre summit where some 25,000 French and German soldiers died between 1914 and 1916; trenches and bunkers still line the ridge.
- Late afternoon · Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle · about 2 hA 12th-century castle ruined in 1633 and rebuilt from 1900 to 1908 by Kaiser Wilhelm II, freely restored, with views over the Rhine plain.
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 €88 a day, mid-range
Best seasonJune to July, September to October, and January to February for snow
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/vosges
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.