Places to visit in France - Alsace

Today I will tell you about a wonderful route. This is the Alsace region in the northeast of France, known for its wines and half-timbered historical houses. If you like history, art, architecture, nature and even historical costumes, visiting the medieval towns and villages of this region may be one of the most beautiful trips you will ever make.

Since our trip is not a city tour but a regional tour, let's first get an idea about the region: The Alsace region is separated from Germany by the Rhine River. The capital of the region is Strasbourg and other important cities are Colmar and Mulhouse. In between these are many large and small medieval towns spread over the plains and of course vineyards. In Alsace, which is a very important region in terms of wine production and quality, the towns and villages consist of half-timbered houses dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Tours in the region are also known as the 'Wine Route'. It is very difficult to see a concrete building here. It is also the Stork region. You can see stork nests on almost every roof. This place is a blessing for travelers. Those who see a stork in the air travel all year round.

I will tell you about the towns I visited during the week by planning myself; Colmar, Kayserberg, Ribeauville, Riquewihr, Eguisheim, Turckheim, Bergheim, Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle. They are very close to each other. Renting a car helps you have a very efficient trip. That's what I did. In fact, let me say it like this. I stayed in Colmar the 1st night, Riquewihr the 2nd and 3rd nights, Eguisheim the 4th night and Basel the 5th night. I traveled very comfortably in this order.

If you want to see other cities and towns within this texture, these could be; Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Selestat, Guebviller, Neuf-Brisach, Obernai. I would suggest you check these out as well.

Colmar

It is one of the best preserved cities in Alsace. The city had a great time in the 16th century when it traded wine via the river in the middle. Now, it is flooded with tourists, especially in December for Christmas. I loved it in May too. There is a big old town here and if you continue walking, you will pass through a neighborhood called Little Venice, which is perfect for photos. I want to warn you about food in Colmar. Restaurants, bars and cafes are only open at noon and in the evening, and they keep it very short. We sat at a cafe in the afternoon and they said they only serve drinks. They said they open at 18:00. However, when we went back to the center where the restaurants were at around 21:00, they had all finished serving or were closing and none of them even gave us a dry bread😊 Since we hadn’t eaten anything during the day anyway, we tried to look for an open place by walking around the streets, but it was getting impossible to find it as the hour was getting late. Then I saw a restaurant with a picture of the Galata Tower on the wall on a street. It was a pizzeria. It was closed and the owners were sitting in front of it. Of course they were Turks and when we explained the situation they immediately prepared us a very nice meal. We will always be grateful to them.

For breakfast or to eat nice cakes, Boulangerie Feuillette was recommended to us, which is really amazing. We liked everything about it, but they have a fresh hazelnut bread that is an unforgettable taste.

Colmar

Kaiserberg

The day after our stay in Colmar, we were going to go to the village of Riquewihr and stay there for a few days. Since Kayserberg was right on our way, we had already planned our route accordingly. After parking our car at the entrance to Kayserberg, we immediately started walking down the main road there. There are beautiful houses, wine tasting areas and souvenir shops on both sides. But not too many. It doesn’t overwhelm you. When you continue on the road, you pass over a river and if you turn right from there, you walk along another beautiful street. Kayserberg is not as big as Colmar. After all, it’s not a city. However, it is a very suitable and lovely place to stay and have a good time.

Kaiserberg

Riquewihr

We continued from Kayserberg and came to Riquewihr, the village where we would stay. As we approach the village, you see from the hill that the village is surrounded by endless vineyards and you notice the cute houses and roofs among the vineyards. It is impossible not to stop and take a photo. The village is a truly cute place from the Middle Ages. It has a very valuable and unique appearance with its cobblestone streets, two or three-story historical houses next to each other and wine tasting venues. It is a small village, so if you want to visit and spend time in a nice cafe/restaurant, 1 day is enough. However, it is suitable for staying and in a center where you can easily go to many places. While we were staying here, we left in the morning one day and visited Ribeauville – Bergheim – Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle.

We chose Laterale Residence to stay. Staying in a historical house is always an exciting experience for me. The owners Agnes and Thierry are an incredibly friendly and lovely couple. They also printed a booklet about Alsace and give it to those who stay there. There is very valuable information about the architectural and cultural history of Alsace. There is also a Turkish bath/sauna in the building that you can use for a fee. The breakfast is very nice. The courtyard is very cute. You can go out and spend time there if you want. You have the right to drive to the front of the house and leave your belongings. Then they tell you where you can park for free and you can park comfortably in a place not too far away and enjoy your holiday. They even printed a map of where you can park and on the back there is another map of the most popular restaurants and their styles, which ones require reservations, etc. They make your holiday much easier.

Riquewihr

Ribeauville

In this attractive town, which you can reach by car from Riquewihr in 5 minutes, you can shop from beautiful boutiques, eat at a nice restaurant you like or do grocery shopping. In other words, it is a bit more lively than Riquewihr. There is even a Turkish döner restaurant. Normally, I do not prefer Turkish food abroad and I like to taste the food of the country I visit. Even if I cannot eat everything, I always find something to eat, but since I did not find the food of the Alsace region to my taste, I was very happy when I saw a Turkish restaurant. Maybe you might want to consider it too. There is a large parking lot at the entrance to Ribeauville and I think it is free. In other words, we did not see any vending machines or barriers. However, there is no space left in the afternoon. Since we went in the morning, we parked comfortably. It was quite full when we left.

Ribeauville

Bergheim

Frankly, it is a quiet, peaceful little town that you can visit in half an hour. However, it is worth stopping by and you can take beautiful photos. You can easily find a place for your car at the entrance. After wandering around for a while, we sat in a cafe and tasted the wines of the region and headed towards the Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, which is not far from here.

Bergheim

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle

It was built in 1147 and has suffered extensive damage from wars, looting and fires over the centuries, and has been repaired many times. At one point, when the Alsace region passed to Germany, Germany also owned the castle. Later, it passed back to France. The castle rises on the Vosges mountain, surrounded by forests, with a wonderful view of the many villages and towns on the Alsace plain below.

The castle has hosted many famous films, most notably "La Grande Illusion" (1937), one of the most important films of the 20th century. This film was banned first in France and then in Germany because it did not convey a patriotic message.

Even if you don't visit every castle, I recommend you visit this one. The entrance fee is 12 euros for adults. However, there are various family options, etc. You can check it out on the website. If you buy online, it is recommended that you print your ticket. We bought it directly from the castle. It was the first week of May and there was no line.

If you want to buy your ticket online, here is the link:

https://tickets.haut-koenigsbourg.fr/en-GB/products

Haut-Koenigsberg Castle

Turckheim

Although it is a very nice and cute town, we didn't see many tourists. We walked around the quiet streets. When the streets end, there are vineyards just beyond the walls, as is typical of Alsatian character. We liked this place a lot too. There is a parking lot on the right before entering the arched tower at the beginning of the town. It is free and since we went in the morning, we easily found a place. However, there were no more places left when we left by noon. Most of the locals use this place. Five minutes after entering this town, you will see a very nice hotel building. Yes, all the buildings in Alsace are built in the same style, but I couldn't help but admire the fine taste of it. You can easily walk around the whole town in an hour. Don't spend a full day here. Stop by while you're passing. One of the few shops on the main street (which is actually a narrow street) is a patisserie, and if you like sweets, I highly recommend the lemon-shaped cake here.

Turckheim

Eguisheim

Here comes one of my favorite places in the Alsace region. A cute town in the middle of the plain with an oval shape close to a circle. The historical road to be visited in the town is located right inside this border circle. In order to walk this road properly, you need to follow the gravel path. (Cobblestone road as we call it😊) If the road you are walking is not gravel, then it means you have strayed from the path. While walking on this historical road, when you get the feeling of "I went too far, let me go back somewhere", you see that you have actually arrived where you started or you see a sign before you realize you have reached the starting point and at the end of the paragraph on the sign it says "You will pass here again without realizing you are going in circles". 😊 Although the road is not very long, it may take you a while to proceed because I am sure you will stop at many points to take photos.

Eguisheim is one of the most suitable places to stay in the Alsace region. Because unlike some towns, you can find restaurants, cafes, bars, wine tasting venues, a few boutiques and markets. There is even a Tourism Information office. Moreover, these venues are not crowded together and side by side. The numbers are just right. So you do not get overwhelmed by the crowds and noise.

Eguisheim

Little details I liked about Alsace:

In most villages and towns, there are bells placed half a meter above the ground, made for disabled citizens, next to the doors of hotels and restaurants, and sometimes even houses.

I also liked the small details on the buildings. Can you look carefully at the detail on that window? :)

The place I regret not seeing is Écomusée d'Alsace: Although I initially put it on my list, I later gave up on visiting it. When I thought that all of Alsace was full of old houses, I didn't see the need to go there. However, when I read the comments after returning, I regretted it. Everyone who went there was very pleased. I think you should do some research and visit if you like it. I would be happy if you let me know what you think.

Alsatian Food : I don’t normally have a food and drink focused travel writing mindset. However, I think there are a few things that need to be said here. Alsatian cuisine has no similarity to the French cuisine we know. The Alsatians say this themselves. Although I can eat many things easily, I can say that I have a hard time with Alsatian cuisine. Since I don’t eat meat abroad, I could only continue with options like potato, cheese, and mushroom, but unfortunately I still didn’t enjoy the food very much. Of course, there’s not much to do after you get there. Their breakfast is pretty good if you pay attention to your cheese selection. Because you eat their wonderful butter and if you’re lucky, you can taste different homemade jams. Their desserts and breads are really good.