Alsace is a cultural region in the Grand Est, today in France after many transitions between French and German control. It sits over the modern district of the Haut-Rhin and the Bas-Rhin. German traits remain in the more traditional, rural parts of the culture, such as the cuisine and architecture – a major reason for most visitors to the area (along with generally cooler weather than most parts of France).

Colmar

Colmar is incredibly cute, a well-preserved old town filled with German timbered architecture, with interspersed canals. It’s very touristy, cheerfully so. It’s an historic place – first mentioned in the 9th century, growing into an important medieval trading town within the Holy Roman Empire. In the 17th century it was annexed by France, though it retained a distinct German character due to its location, predominant language, and culture. The city shifted between French and German control multiple times, before being permanently restored to France in 1945.

We visited right before Christmas on our first trip, and loved walking the streets and stopping for vin chaud. Visit two was in mid-August, much more crowded. While it’s fun to be in the bustle, you may consider staying outside of town in the wine areas and day tripping in to see the sites (a full day is enough).

Hotels

• **Hôtel Le Maréchal was a great hotel choice – easy parking but very central, very old building but well maintained. Quite charming. We had dinner in our room (Covid times), but the restaurant is said to be quite good.
• **James Boutique Hôtel is just on the edge of the old town, a more business-traveler oriented option at a good price point. I liked it, good breakfast, friendly staff, predictable neutral rooms. A/C.

Restaurants

• **Restaurant L’Epicurien Colmar was very good. It sits near the canals, but on a quiet side street. Menu is short and curated. Good plating, affordable wine list.
• *Restaurant Bartholdi is a historic spot (50 years old) serving traditional Alsatian food. It was “restored to its former glory by Éric Girardin (La Maison des Têtes) in Spring 2025” – I found myself wondering if this was a good thing. Food was okay (appetizers better than mains), service was slow and verging on rude, expensive.
• **Schwendi Bier und Wistub was fine for lunch – flammkuchen, salads. On a business intersection in the heart of the tourist area, good people watching.

Sites 

• Just north of town, you can see a scaled down replica of the Statue of Liberty.
• **Unterlinden Museum I’ll put in the “okay” category – it started strong (medieval art, Grünewald’s slightly bizarre and interesting Isenheim Altarpiece) and became more random in the later rooms. Impressive building (a 13th century former convent). 
• **Église Saint-Martin (built between 1234–1365) is the largest church of Colmar and one of the largest in Haut-Rhin. It’s imposing and impressive, built of orange/pink stone, and containing quite early stained glass windows. While it’s largely Gothic in style, hints of its origins remain: a first church from around 1000, and aspects of a second church built on that spot, in Romanesque style. The current building, constructed between 1234 and 1365, reuses some of the earlier stone carvings. 

We spent a day on bikes exploring a portion of the Route des Vins d’Alsace, which was really lovely, with protected routes through the vines and to the cute historic towns. It’s well signed and clearly a focus of the local tourism boards; it’s quite easy to get maps and directions. Shout out to Alsa Cyclo Tours (Colmar), which was very helpful and had well-maintained bikes. 

The route: Colmar  ➔  Kaysersberg  ➔  Riquewihr  ➔  Hunawihr  ➔ Ribeauvillé ➔ Bergheim ➔ Colmar (total riding time about 3.5 hours)

Kaysersberg

Kaysersberg was probably our favorite – it’s packed with lovely, colorful half-timbered buildings, has a Romanesque church, lots of dining options, and while crowded, it’s far less chaotic than Riquewihr. You can easily spend an hour exploring the streets.

The **Église de l′Invention de la Sainte-Croix is a “mostly medieval” Gothic parish church from the 15th century, featuring an ornate Romanesque sandstone portal (ca. 1230–1235); a survivor from an earlier building. It includes the sculptor’s self-portrait holding a book inscribed with his name, Conradus. The interior is more modern in style and has been through many renovations. Worth a stop.

We ate at **Flamme & Co and had good (if not especially unique) flammekueche. It was fine, but I would try somewhere else next time.

Riquewihr

Riquewihr is a short ride from Kaysersberg, and likely the most touristed area in the region (at least Rick Steves thinks so). We barely made it in before being overwhelmed by the crowds. Perhaps an option for the off season. 

Hunawihr

A winegrowing community, Hunawihr looks like a quiet, convenient place to stay on the wine road, if not quite a destination on its own. It was clean, sleepy, and had a number of hotels and restaurants in historic buildings. It’s close enough to Riquewihr to approach on foot. 

Overlooking the village, the 15th/16th century *Eglise St Jacques le Majeur is the main historical draw with its fortified cemetery. It’s unusual (more common to see a fortified church itself); while pretty I wouldn’t go out of your way to see this. Notably, Catholics and Protestants took turns celebrating their services in this church for long stretches of history.

Ribeauvillé

You will hit a point where all of the towns start to look the same – for us, this was Ribeauvillé. It likely deserves a second stop with fresh eyes. On the outskirts, we did see quite a few storks at the recycling center – the only live storks of the whole ride.

Bergheim

Another pretty town, less tourism-forward (the streets all appear to be open to cars, lacking the pedestrian charm of other villages in the area).

Strasbourg

Capital of France’s Alsace region, Strasbourg is very charming, a pretty and user-friendly destination. In the Middle Ages, Strasbourg was large (population 20,000 in 1444) and prosperous, which you can see in the architectural landscape. It’s fairly large – roughly 300,000 inhabitants today – but easy to navigate on foot. I’d give this a full day to see the major sites. It would be a lovely place to live.

The recent war history is intriguing, and complex – for the people, it’s a story of distrust and a continual shift in identity.

• It became a French city in 1681, after the conquest of Alsace by the armies of Louis XIV 
• In 1871, after the Franco-Prussian War, it became German again
• 1918 (end of World War I), reverted to France
• Captured in June 1940 at the end of the Battle of France (World War II), and subsequently came under German control again
• Since the liberation of the city in November 1944, it has again been a French city

The visual highlight is the ***Cathédrale de Notre-Dame – once the tallest building in the world and truly astonishing to encounter. It’s surrounded by buildings and arrival at the main square feels like a massive reveal – especially if you can time it after 10 pm in July and August for the light show on the front face. The interior is impressive (if perhaps not on par with the exterior), with a massive organ and a famous astronomical clock that has a small movement every 15 minutes and a major show at 12:30. Expect a line and crowds. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque style, it is widely considered to be among the finest examples of Rayonnant Gothic architecture. 

The history of this structure is very long (if you have the time, there’s a lot more on Wikipedia), so I’ll just call out a few things I found interesting:

• The first cathedral built on the present site was erected by the bishop Saint Arbogast in about 550–575. Under Charlemagne, the Bishop Remi consecrated the altar and built a funeral crypt in about 778. No trace remains today of these structures.
• Hermann of Germany raided Strasbourg and burned down the cathedral in 1002; construction began on the new cathedral in 1015. The new church was exceptionally large, just ten meters shorter than the present cathedral, and just ten meters narrower on its west front. It was unfortunately prone to fire; it suffered from fires in 1136, 1140, 1150, and 1176. Major work to expand the cathedral started in 1190 and finished in 1439, transitioning to the Gothic style and adding the stained glass windows. The grand organ is recorded as existing in 1260. 
• The cathedral was originally intended to have two towers on the west front, but only the north one was built – under speculation, likely correct, that the building could not support the weight of two.
• The north tower was the world’s tallest building from 1647 (when the taller spire of St. Mary’s Church, Stralsund burnt down) until 1874 (when the tower of St. Nikolai’s Church in Hamburg was completed). Strasbourg has one of the earliest façades whose construction is inconceivable without prior drawing and (importantly) one of the earliest known uses of architectural drawing – with some of the drawings surviving to this day.
• How did it survive WWII? It was seen as a symbol for both warring parties. The stained glass, some of which dates to 1180, was removed and stored in a salt mine near Heilbronn, Germany (later returned to the cathedral by the United States military). It was hit by British and American bombs during air raids in 1944; repairs to war damage were completed only in the early 1990s.

Additional Sites

• The **Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame (next to the cathedral) houses a large collection of medieval and Renaissance upper art, including original statues from the cathedral, stained glass, and the architectural drawings mentioned above. It’s a worthwhile stop – I went to the cathedral, saw the museum, and went back to the cathedral to reflect on the information I learned about the statues and structure.
• The **Musée Historique is dedicated to the tumultuous history of the city and displays many artifacts of the times. As these sorts of museums go, it’s on the better than average side – good context to the diverse history of the area and people.
• Part-Romanesque, part-Gothic, the very large *Église Saint-Thomas is a sombre affair, with an organ on which Mozart played. Built on the grounds of earlier structures, construction began in 1196, and continued (with many interruptions) until 1521. 
• **Barrage Vauban Rooftop Terrace: a covered walkway with ancient plaster casts below and a free public roof terrace above. It’s great for views and a reminder of the Vauban heritage in the layout of Strasbourg. 

Food and Dining

• **Caupona Taverne is a casual place on a busy pedestrian street. Food was fine, people watching enjoyable, our waitress excellent.
• Across the way, **Le Troquet des Kneckes is another casual place that leans more towards a bar. Friendly spot for a drink.
• **Chez Yvonne is a classic restaurant in the city center, with lots of rooms, dark wood, signed photos of celebrities you may not recognize. Food was okay, big portions, local and heavy.
• I liked **In Vino Veritas and was surprised it was so empty – perhaps 25% full. It’s in the shadow of the cathedral and has well-prepared Italian food. Service was a bit slow.
• **Régent Petite France & Spa is right in the tourist center of Strasbourg in the canals. It was a fine choice, big room with a balcony, nice breakfast, friendly staff. Rooms, despite being in a busy area, were pretty quiet. Spa was small and required a reservation (one lukewarm hot tub, a sauna, a hamman, a salt room). On the more expensive side of things.