Alsace - an experience in your own car
France has always been a popular self-drive destination and the Alsace region in particular is a favourite destination for a family driving holiday. Here you'll find everything you need to make the perfect self-drive holiday a reality. Alsace is located in the north-east of France and borders Switzerland and Germany, making it a wonderful location in the heart of Europe. It is also one of France's most beautiful wine regions, with picturesque towns and historic castles, and of course beautiful scenery and an unbeatable regional menu of delicious delicacies and of course wonderful white wines. The Alsace region was merged with other regions in 2016 and now goes under the name Alsace-Lorraine-Champagne-Ardenne. The former Alsace-Lorraine was alternately French and German, but it was World War I and the trench warfare that put deep grooves in the map and the population. There's a fascinating museum at La Linge where visitors can be reminded of the nightmare that played out in the trenches during World War 1. Another reminder of the 'Great War' is Hartmannswillerkopf, or Vieil Armand, a few hours' drive south of Strasbourg. Park your car and hike up into the mountains to visit the French National Monument, which commemorates the fighting that took place in 1915. There's a museum and cemetery on site, and it's also possible to explore the extensive network of very well-preserved trenches. But that was more than a century ago, and Alsace has so many other wonderful things to entertain its visitors.
There are many beautiful, exciting and idyllic towns to visit in Alsace when you are in your own car. One of the absolute favourites is the medieval town of Obernai, located about 25 km southeast of Strasbourg at the foot of Mount Saint Odile. The town is included in "Les 100 Plus Beaux Détours de France" - a list of the 100 most inviting detours in France. The beautiful and colourful half-timbered houses with filled and fragrant flower tubs give the town a very special atmosphere. It's just so lovely and the area has renowned wineries and breweries and the town is also on Alsace's wine route. The Alsace region is famous for its Christmas markets and Obernai is no exception. It smells of Christmas and there are lots of exciting things to see. You can buy regional products and, of course, taste Obernai's very own sparkling wine.But it's Colmar that is by definition the capital of Alsace wine and therefore also one of the 10 most visited towns in France. The town has a huge cultural heritage with beautiful details from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It is also the birthplace of the famous sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, father of the Statue of Liberty. Colmar's historic centre is known for its half-timbered houses on the Quai de la Poissonnerie, also known as the 'Little Venice'. Try a boat trip on the canals and experience the city's colour and charm from a different angle. Stop by the Unterlinden Museum which houses the very famous Issenheim Altarpiece, quite an interesting visit for the whole family.Kaysersberg is in the south of Alsace not far from Colmar, and also has charming old half-timbered houses and cobbled streets. It was here that the famous doctor Albert Schweizer was born and today a small museum is housed in his childhood home. The Château de Kaysersberg rises above the town and the old fortress dates back to the 13th century. Explore the fortress and enjoy the view over the hilly landscape with its many beautiful vines. But the biggest castle in Alsace is Haut Koenigsbourg, located right on the Vosges Mountains, about 30 km north of Colmar. The castle was built by a Swiss noble family in the 12th century and it is a very special experience to wander around and get a feel for the history and life of the Middle Ages. Once your visit is over, you can easily drive on to the next experience, which is just north of Haut Koenigsbourg: the 'Montagne des Singes' or 'Monkey Mountain', which is a sanctuary for around 260 monkeys who live in the wild and do what they more or less like. Get up close to the Berber monkeys and try feeding them. A fun acquaintance that the kids will especially enjoy, but here it's not the age that counts.
There are several very charming towns south of Koenigsbourg, with Ribeauvillé and Eguisheim further south certainly deserving a mention. As you drive around Alsace, you will quickly discover how multicultural Alsace is in all its corners. This has also had its influence on gastronomy and combined with history and geography, helps to make Alsatian cuisine truly unique. Taking inspiration from French and German cuisine, it has resulted in 'choucroute', or saurkraut in German, coq au Riesling, Baeckaoffe, or a tarte flambeé, which in German goes by the name of 'flammekueche'. With each new town, new delicacies like 'kougelhopf', marmalades, Munster cheese, foie gras or Hoggeï abound. But above all, Alsace is known for its white wines and wine routes covering the main areas with grapes such as Alsace Pinot Blanc, Riesling, Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and the only red wine grown in Alsace, Pinot Noir. Crémant d'Alsace is made in the same way as Champagne with mainly Pinot Blanc and is therefore a fresh and bubbly experience for the palate.Have a great self-drive holiday with the family, pack the car and get away at your own pace. Discover all the idyllic towns and gastronomic delights of the region on your Alsace self-drive holiday.
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