The most beautiful villages in Alsace

The most beautiful villages in Alsace. Fellow travelers: are you planning a Christmas getaway to Alsace, or wondering whether to include it in your next trip to Europe?

►Where are Alsace and its villages located?

Let’s place it on the map: Alsace is a region in northeastern France, on the border with Germany. The historically predominant language in much of Alsace has been Alsatian. This territory was disputed between France and several German states for more than 300 years, mainly from the Thirty Years’ War to the Second World War, something we will notice in its architecture. As we said, it is currently part of France.

►When to visit Alsace?

A magical time to explore Alsace is undoubtedly the Christmas season, when its villages are full of Christmas markets. But if you go in spring, the show is put on by the flowers in its streets and the storks on its rooftops, so either way it sounds spectacular.

Here we’ll take you on a tour of some of its villages, all of them Instagram-worthy but, above all, enjoyable.

We start in Strasbourg

We’ll show you our route from north to south, starting in Strasbourg, a city to which we’ll dedicate a full post because of everything there is to do there, and ending in Colmar, a city that also has its own post, both with the hotel options we chose.

►What to see in Colmar and where we stayed

Molsheim

We travel 26 kilometers from Strasbourg to reach Molsheim, the first of the villages of Alsace we’ll visit.

Surrounded by pretty half-timbered houses, the Town Hall square is dominated by the Metzig, a former butcher’s hall whose magnificent 16th-century Renaissance building is listed as a Historic Monument. The center of the square is presided over by the elegant Lion Fountain, made of Vosges sandstone (1609).

The Jesuit Church is, after Strasbourg Cathedral, one of the largest churches in Alsace, and it shows the importance of the town’s religious past.

Molsheim is the birthplace of Bugatti, the luxury car brand founded in 1909 by Ettore Bugatti.

Obernai

We continue our trip to Obernai, just 12 kilometers away. The whole way, we’ll drive along beautiful roads that wind between vineyards and villages that seem scattered along the route.

Obernai is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful villages in Alsace. Its Saint Odile Fountain, in honor of the patron saint of Alsace, stands out, along with its lovely town hall and the Virgin’s bell tower. It’s a good place to stop and start a walk through the village.

We’ll catch sight of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul as we pass by the beautiful Six-Bucket Well.

The Alsace villages and wine route is the oldest tourist route in France, created in 1953. It stretches for 170 kilometers and passes through as many as 73 municipalities, where you can enjoy picturesque wine-growing villages and exceptional landscapes. White wine is the star.

►Renting a car for the trip

Perhaps the best way to get to know Alsace is by car, and I think by camper van is even better, but to visit many of these villages, as I said, a little freedom makes the trip easier.

We rented a car in Paris, which we would return, also in Paris, after a long trip around France. It is always, or almost always, cheaper in terms of rental cost to pick it up and drop it off at the same location, since changing it usually means paying an extra fee.

We always rent a car; we just don’t use one in big cities, which is why we choose to visit those at the beginning or the end, but our trips through villages and along country roads are always by car. This time we rented it through Discovercars.

Mittelbergheim

We drive just 12 more kilometers and Mittelbergheim welcomes us with that authenticity you feel in some places. Sometimes nothing is as dazzling as seeing a simple, beautiful village with people going about their daily lives.

This village, like the previous one, is part of the Alsace Wine Route. There are ready-made tours that take you around them if you don’t have a car or if you’d like a more relaxed trip.

We continue our trip, but we only drive two and a half kilometers and arrive in Andlau

Andlau

Andlau, with the charm of its streets, its square and its town hall, is a commune that produces Alsatian wines and lies on the Alsace Wine Route we already mentioned. It is home to 3 Grands Crus classés appellations of Riesling wine.

Blienschwiller

About 8 kilometers separate us from Blienschwiller, which we’ll cover passing through countless beautiful villages.

Blienschwiller is a small village with a winemaking tradition, nestled between the Rhine plain and the Vosges forests.

In the heart of the old village you’ll find high-quality restaurants, hotels and private accommodation.

Very close to here is Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, another visit you can make in this area.

Bergheim

The Porte Haute is the great emblem you have to see in Bergheim, but as we always say, walk and keep walking and you’ll discover hidden corners.

Bergheim has just over two thousand inhabitants and is located about 16 kilometers north of Colmar and 55 kilometers south of Strasbourg.
The village of Ribeauvillé is less than four kilometers away, and that’s where we’re heading now: one of the best-known villages of Alsace.

►Staying connected during the trip

During this route we needed to stay connected, since we always had the map open on Waze, which we really like, or on Google Maps. For all these searches, besides wanting to stay connected to social media, we obviously needed an internet connection. In our case we used a data SIM again, actually an eSIM.

If there’s one thing we travelers need, it’s to stay connected without getting hit with a hefty roaming bill. Throughout the whole trip I used Holafly’s unlimited data eSIM and it worked really well for me. You can buy it online before your trip and easily activate it on your phone with a QR code, so everything is ready when you arrive at your destination, super convenient! Here’s the discount link for Europa Acompañada followers! Holafly discount code, EUROPAACOMPAÑADA5

Ribeauvillé

Now we head to the best-known villages of Alsace, starting with Ribeauvillé.

Besides its beauty, Ribeauvillé is also known for its medieval market, held on the second and third weekends of December.

The Grand Rue runs through the village, and that’s where the shops and restaurants are concentrated. As always, you’ll discover what there is to see by walking, because even the simplest street corner can amaze you with its colors and charm.

►How to park

If you arrive in these villages by car, there are paid parking areas where you’ll find machines to get the corresponding ticket. There are also free parking areas (blue zone), where time is usually limited to 1 hour and you must display your arrival time with a blue parking disc, “disque de controle / stationnement”, which you can get at tourist information centers.

Along the route, if you go in spring like we did, you’ll see storks’ nests on the roofs of many houses and bell towers. The stork is the symbol of Alsace and you’ll find all kinds of souvenirs featuring them; it’s a symbol of good fortune.

The distance to Riquewihr is only about 6 kilometers.

►Traveling to France with travel insurance

For this trip through France, which took us not only to this part of Alsace but to many other areas that we’ll be covering in future posts, we traveled, as always, with travel insurance. If there’s one thing you shouldn’t leave out when planning a trip, it’s booking travel insurance; we use Iati.

One thing you can’t forget is to travel with travel insurance. We’re never safe from something happening on a trip, from lost luggage to a health problem, so for all these reasons it’s important to plan ahead and take out insurance that covers any setback.

Iati Insurance

Riquewihr

Thanks to its beauty and tourist appeal, Riquewihr is one of the villages recognized as among the most beautiful in France.

Shall we explore it together?

It is a fortified town surrounded by vineyards. Colorful half-timbered houses surrounded by flowers dominate the landscape.

Its nickname, “the pearl of the vineyards”, describes it perfectly.

The town hall welcomes us, and as we pass through it we’ll discover fountains and cobbled streets.

From late November and throughout December, Riquewihr hosts its Christmas market. The monuments are lit up, the streets come alive and stallholders invite you to discover local crafts, while hot chocolate and cookies are also part of the celebration.

The Dolder Tower catches our eye. Built in 1291, it stands at the end of Rue du Général de Gaulle. You can visit its interior, which houses the Historical Museum of the town, which displays weapons from the period. If you’re interested in visiting museums and castles, there’s an Alsace pass that includes several visits. ►Alsace tourist pass

We’ll leave Riquewihr and head to Kaysersberg, 10 kilometers away.

Kaysersberg

Another of the most beautiful villages in Alsace and in France. Walking its streets takes us back in time, and the beauty of its buildings leaves us in awe.

The Constantine Fountain and the Church of the Holy Cross welcome us.

As we said, Alsace was disputed between Germany and France for many years, and we can see it in the style of the buildings, in some of the village names and in its food.

►Where to stay in Alsace?

We haven’t talked about accommodation yet. In our case, we stayed in both Strasbourg and Colmar, but any of these villages we’re seeing seems like an excellent option to enjoy and to use as a base for exploring the area.

Being able to see them early in the morning or at dusk, with few people around, is another of the advantages of staying in these places.

►Our accommodation in Strasbourg

►Our accommodation in Colmar

We now leave this village and head to Turckheim, just 9 kilometers away

Turckheim

When we arrived in Turckheim, we were able to park very easily, and for free, just outside, almost at the entrance, on Place de la République, and walk through the Porte de France to travel back in time through these streets full of color and flowers.

This village is very close to Colmar, about 6 kilometers away, so if you’re staying in Colmar, driving here will only take a few minutes and you’ll be able to enjoy this display of beauty. You can also come by train or bus from Colmar.

Place Turenne, with its 17th-century fountain featuring the Virgin and Child, welcomes us to this beautiful village; the tourist office is right behind it.

The town hall has a very special charm, not to mention the Church of Saint Anne, but just like in all the previous villages, the tip for your visit is to wander aimlessly and discover as you go.

At Christmastime it also dresses up with its traditional Christmas markets.

We’ll head toward the last village we’ll see in this video, Eguisheim, about 8 kilometers away.

Eguisheim

We arrive at the last village, and personally my favorite. As we said, we’re leaving Colmar for another post; I think it deserves one.

There’s a paid parking lot at the entrance to the village where you can leave the car and start your walk, although there’s also a free one.

It is, of course, included in the list of the most beautiful villages in France, and I think the pictures speak for themselves.

We start at the fountain, the Saint Leo Fountain built in 1834, and then head to the most photographed house in Eguisheim.

And we’ll continue this walk along narrow little streets that seem to lead nowhere, among little houses that look like something out of a fairy tale. Eguisheim’s streets are laid out in circles, which gives them a very special charm.

I recommend watching the video, because everything is shown in great detail, both the route and the villages, so you won’t miss any of the charm of these beautiful villages of Alsace.