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What to do in Alsace, and in what order?
In brief
Alsace fits into 190 kilometres from north to south: from any point in the vineyard, everything is under an hour away. Four families of activities share a stay: the wine villages and their cellars, the two cities of Strasbourg and Colmar, the castles and the ridge road, and whatever the season adds, harvest in September, Christmas markets in December. The rest is a matter of available time.
The question comes up on every first stay: where to start in a region where everything seems worth seeing. The answer is simpler than it looks, because Alsace is small and dense. From a vineyard village, Strasbourg is forty minutes away, Colmar twenty, the Vosges ridge thirty. Here are the four families that fill a stay, how much time each one takes, and how to string them together without spending the day in the car.
The vineyard villages, the heart of the matter
This is what people come for and what takes the most time. Fifteen or so villages hold the essentials between Sélestat and Colmar: Riquewihr and its ramparts, Kaysersberg and its fortified bridge, Eguisheim and its circular lanes, Ribeauvillé below its three castles, Hunawihr and its fortified church. Each takes an hour and a half on foot, longer with a tasting. The village-by-village detail is in the most beautiful villages of the Wine Route, and the distances between them in the map and real distances.
Two cities, two formats
Strasbourg and Colmar play different roles in a stay. Strasbourg is a capital: cathedral, Petite France, European institutions, museums, and it takes two days to cover without rushing, independently of the vineyard. Colmar fits into a day, is walked end to end and makes a natural base for the vines, which start seven kilometres out. The detail of the town is in visiting Colmar. Between the two, seventy kilometres and fifty minutes of motorway.
The high ground: castles, ridge and forest
Above the vines begins another Alsace, higher and several degrees cooler in summer. Three outings stand out:
- Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, perched 757 metres above the plain, the most visited monument in the region: allow two hours on site, visiting Haut-Koenigsbourg.
- The Route des Crêtes, laid out during the First World War along the front line, with its rounded summits and farm inns: half a day, ridge road and Wine Route.
- The three castles of Ribeauvillé and those of Eguisheim, reached on foot from the villages by vineyard paths, one to two hours of walking.
What the season adds
A good part of what you do in Alsace depends on the month. In September the harvest changes the landscape and the mood in the cellars. In late July and August, wine festivals follow one another from village to village. From late November to late December the Christmas markets take over, a subject covered in Christmas markets and the Wine Route. Through the rest of winter the region empties and cellars receive without appointment. The full calendar is in the best time to visit.
What to do with the time you have
This is the real question, more useful than a list of sights. The formats that work:
- Half a day: two neighbouring villages and one cellar, without leaving the central section.
- One day: three villages, a winstub lunch and a tasting, or else one city in full.
- Two days: the vineyard one day, Strasbourg or the ridge the next, detailed plan in the Wine Route in 2 days.
- Three days and more: add Haut-Koenigsbourg, the Route des Crêtes and the quieter northern vineyard.
- The full arithmetic is set out in how many days for the Wine Route.
And without a car
This is the constraint that decides many itineraries. Trains serve Strasbourg, Sélestat, Colmar and Mulhouse, but not the villages: Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim have no station, and buses are scarce outside weekdays. Two answers exist, set out in visiting the Wine Route without a car: seasonal shuttles, when they run, and the private driver, who also settles the tasting question. The tours with a driver leave from Strasbourg, Colmar and the airport.
Frequently asked questions
What to do in Alsace in 2 days?
One day in the vineyard between Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg with a tasting, then a day in Strasbourg or on the ridge road depending on season and weather.
What to do in Alsace when it rains?
Cellars and museums: Unterlinden in Colmar, the Vineyard museum in Kientzheim, the winstubs. Rain is the best moment for cellar visits, which happen under cover anyway.
What to do in Alsace with children?
The eagle park and the monkey mountain at Kintzheim, Haut-Koenigsbourg, the stork park at Hunawihr and the vineyard trails, short and waymarked. The villages are easy to walk with children.
When is the ideal time to visit Alsace?
May and June for flowered villages without the crowd, September for harvest and light, December for the Christmas markets. July and August are the busiest months in the vineyard.
Do you need a car to visit Alsace?
For the cities, no: Strasbourg and Colmar are walked from the station. For the vineyard, more or less yes: the villages have no station and buses are scarce. A private driver is the other answer.
What must you see in Alsace?
Three vineyard villages, Haut-Koenigsbourg, Little Venice in Colmar and Strasbourg cathedral. All of it fits into two well-organised days.
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