The Vosges in 4 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.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Hohneck and the Route des Crêtesfree · 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 Rochesfree · 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.
Day 2
- Morning
The Munster valley and its farm innsfree · 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.
Day 3
- Morning
Lac Blancfree · 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 Gérardmerfree · 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.
Day 4
- Morning
Grand Ballonfree · 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
Hartmannswillerkopf2 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 Castleabout 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.
Where to sleep in the Vosges
- ibis La Bresse Gérardmer · €80 a night
- Hôtel Les Sapins · €80 a night
- Hôtel Deybach · €75 a night
- Hôtel Les Vallées · €120 a night
- Hôtel Interlaken · €120 a night
- Les Terrasses du Lac Blanc · €115 a night
- Le Manoir au Lac · €250 a night
- Grand Hôtel & Spa · €200 a night
- Les Bas Rupts · €200 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.