A one-week loop from Strasbourg: Mont Sainte-Odile, the Alsace Wine Route from Obernai to Eguisheim, Haut-Kœnigsbourg, Colmar, then the Route des Crêtes along the Vosges ridges to the Grand Ballon. The stages are short, the A35 is toll-free and the only things to watch are Strasbourg's low-emission zone and the winter closure of the ridge road.
Road route calculated from the stops (OpenStreetMap). Driving times assume no stops and no traffic: add time for photo breaks.
May, June and September: the Route des Crêtes is open and there are fewer people than in July and August. In December, Christmas markets (26 November-24 December in 2025 in Strasbourg), but the ridge road is closed: do the loop without it.
🚗 56 km · 1h05 of driving from Strasbourg
Toll-free M35 and A352 towards Molsheim, then Rosheim, Ottrott and the climb to Mont Sainte-Odile on the D426.
🚗 66 km · 1h30 of driving from Obernai
The Wine Route via Barr, Andlau and Dambach-la-Ville, then the climb to Haut-Kœnigsbourg via Kintzheim. Tight hairpins on the way up to the castle.
🚗 22 km · 30 min of driving from Riquewihr
The Wine Route via Kientzheim to Kaysersberg, then the D415 to Colmar. Park in a covered car park.
🚗 68 km · 1h20 of driving from Colmar
The D415 via Kaysersberg to the Col du Bonhomme, then the Route des Crêtes (D148, D61) to the Schlucht, coming down on the D417.
🚗 75 km · 1h30 of driving from Munster
The D417 to the Schlucht, then the Route des Crêtes (D430, D431) via the Markstein, the Grand Ballon and the Vieil Armand. Closed in winter.
🚗 121 km · 1h30 of driving from Thann
Skip Obernai and Munster: see Mont Sainte-Odile on the way to Riquewihr, and drive the Route des Crêtes in one go from Colmar to Thann. Nights: Strasbourg 1, Riquewihr 1, Colmar 1, Thann 1.
| Car hire only, Strasbourg average | ≈ €39 a day (Kayak, Sept. 2026) |
|---|---|
| Small car | ≈ €34 a day |
| Cheapest month, January | ≈ €38 a day |
| Most expensive month, December | ≈ €54 a day |
| Your own car | The simplest option: the A4 from Paris (€44.70 toll), then the toll-free A35. Check that it has a Crit'Air sticker. |
|---|---|
| Where to pick it up | In town or at Entzheim airport. It's a loop, so no one-way fee. |
| Vehicle | A city car or compact: narrow lanes in the wine villages, car parks on the edge of town, hairpins on the passes. |
| Age | At Europcar, from 18 with 1 year's licence; under 26, €40 a day extra. |
⚠️ In the Strasbourg Eurometropolis, a car rated Crit'Air 4, 5 or unclassified risks a €68 fine, even when parked. The same applies without a sticker on the windscreen.
Motorways 130, 110 in the rain. Roads at 90: only 54 km in the Bas-Rhin, 16 in the Haut-Rhin.
The whole Eurometropolis, 24 hours a day. Crit'Air 3 banned from January 2027. 24-hour ZFE pass: 24 a year.
0.2 g/l on a probationary licence. Up to 0.8 g/l: €135 and 6 points; above that, a criminal offence.
Sections not cleared of snow (D148, D430, D431), usually open from April to November. No charge.
From 1 November to 31 March in mountain municipalities. Tyres with the alpine symbol, otherwise chains on board.
From Strasbourg to Colmar and Mulhouse. Only the western bypass (A355) is tolled, and you don't need it here.
Speed camera cars driven by private operators. Detectors are banned: up to €1,500 and 6 points.
€4.20 a day, tram included for 1 to 7 people. In Colmar, covered car parks at €3 a day.
Probationary licence: 110 on motorways, 100 on expressways, 80 elsewhere.
≈ €2.15 per litre of SP95-E10 petrol, €2.40 for diesel (23 Sept. 2026)
Price recorded in September 2026: it changes every week, sometimes by 10 to 20 cents in a month. Today's price: prix-carburants.gouv.fr →
⛽ 408 km at 7 l per 100 km: about €60 at September 2026 prices, to share between passengers.
National averages from ministry data. Prices vary widely between stations: compare on prix-carburants.gouv.fr.
| A4 Paris-Strasbourg | ≈ €44.70 (Ulys, class 1) |
|---|---|
| A35 and M35, Strasbourg-Colmar-Mulhouse | Toll-free |
| A355, Strasbourg western bypass | Tolled (Ittenheim), not needed on this route |
| Wine Route and Route des Crêtes | Toll-free |
| Strasbourg tram park and ride | €4.20 a day, bus and tram for 1 to 7 people |
| Colmar, Saint-Josse, Gare and Lacarre car parks (lower levels) | Free for the 1st hour, then €3 a day |
| Colmar, central streets (orange zone) | €2 an hour, charged 09:00-12:00 and 14:00-19:00, except Sundays |
| Riquewihr, Vignoble car park | €4 for the 1st hour, €9 for 7 hours, from 09:00 to 19:00 |
| Kaysersberg, car parks on the edge of town | €1 for the 1st hour, free from 12:00 to 14:00 |
| Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle | €12, €8 for ages 6 to 17; free parking |
| Crit'Air sticker | €3.85 on certificat-air.gouv.fr |
| Route des Crêtes, Markstein-Grand Ballon (D431) | Not cleared of snow, closed in winter; usually open from April to November |
|---|---|
| Route des Crêtes, Rainkopf-Markstein (D430) | Not cleared of snow, closed in winter |
| D148, Col du Calvaire towards the Gazon du Faing | Not cleared of snow, closed in winter |
| D148, Col du Bonhomme-Col des Bagenelles | Not cleared of snow, closed in winter |
| D431, Vieil Armand-Uffholtz | Not cleared of snow, closed in winter |
| Mountain municipalities of the Vosges | Winter tyres or chains from 1 November to 31 March |
| Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle | Closed on 25 and 26 December |
Allow 8 days for this loop of 6 stages and 7 nights from Strasbourg: Mont Sainte-Odile, the Wine Route, Haut-Kœnigsbourg, Colmar and the Route des Crêtes. In 7 days, don't sleep in Munster and drive the ridges in one go from Colmar to Thann, about 2 hours of driving. In 5 days, skip Obernai too.
With your own car, about €55 of petrol at September 2026 prices for a loop of some 400 km, with no tolls. From Paris, add about 1,000 km there and back (€130 of petrol at the same price) and €89.40 for the A4. Hiring in Strasbourg, about €270 for 7 days at €39 (Kayak), €380 in December. Haut-Kœnigsbourg: €12 per adult.
Yes: the whole Eurometropolis is a low-emission zone, day and night. Crit'Air 4, 5 and unclassified vehicles are banned, even when parked; Crit'Air 3 will be from January 2027. Fine: €68. A 24-hour ZFE pass, usable 24 times a year, helps out. Colmar shows no low-emission zone on its official websites.
It is not cleared of snow: the sections from the Markstein to the Grand Ballon, from the Rainkopf to the Markstein and around the Col du Bonhomme close in winter, usually from November to April. The D417 over the Col de la Schlucht is not part of it. From November to March, winter tyres or chains in the mountains. Road conditions on inforoute.alsace.eu.
In Strasbourg, at one of the 12 tram park-and-ride car parks: €4.20 a day, bus and tram journeys included for 1 to 7 people. In Colmar, the covered Saint-Josse, Gare/Bleylé and Lacarre car parks (lower levels) are free for the first hour, then cost €3 a day, much less than on-street parking at €2 an hour.
Yes: the Wine Route and the A35 are not among the roads closed in winter. In 2025, the Strasbourg market ran from 26 November to 24 December. But the Route des Crêtes is closed: replace Munster and Thann with an extra day in Colmar and Eguisheim, and bring winter tyres or chains for the passes.
Driving rules, prices and closures checked in September 2026; hotels checked on OpenStreetMap and then on Booking. Rules change: read the official source before you leave, and check your own government's travel advice for the country. Stop photos: Wikimedia Commons, authors and licences under each image.
Off We Gooo road trip guide · offwegooo.com/en/road-trips/alsace · by Pierrick, updated 1 October 2026
