Alsace, explained properly.

An independent English-language guide, written and edited by someone who lives here.

Discover the Alsace Wine Route, Christmas markets, historic towns and villages that deserve more than a quick photo stop. You will also find practical advice about transport, accommodation, food and planning a realistic itinerary.

This guide is built and maintained by Olivier Boos, an Alsatian based near Strasbourg.

Start with the first-time visitor guide · Build your Alsace itinerary

Where would you like to start?

Visiting Alsace for the first time?

Find out how many days you need, whether to stay in Strasbourg, Colmar or a village, and if renting a car is really necessary.

The first-time visitor guide takes you through the essential decisions in the right order.

Exploring the Alsace Wine Route?

The Alsace Wine Route runs for around 170 kilometres through vineyards, historic wine towns and 119 villages.

My Wine Route guide helps you choose the right sections, visit wine estates and explore without trying to see every famous village in one day.

Coming for the Christmas markets?

Alsace in December is beautiful, busy and sometimes difficult to organise. Accommodation fills quickly, transport changes and the most famous markets are not always the most enjoyable.

The Alsace Christmas market guide covers Strasbourg, Colmar, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr and smaller local markets.

Plan a trip that fits your dates

Alsace is compact, but trying to combine Strasbourg, Colmar, the Wine Route and several villages in a weekend usually means spending too much time in transit.

These itineraries include realistic travel times, sensible bases and suggestions for what to leave out when time is limited:

Browse all Alsace itineraries

Cities, villages and places worth your time

Most visitors begin with Strasbourg and Colmar. Both are worth visiting, but they offer very different experiences.

Beyond them, the Wine Route includes well-known villages such as Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim and Ribeauvillé. There are also quieter places where you can walk, eat or taste wine without following the same itinerary as everyone else.

The destination guides explain what is genuinely worth seeing, how long to allow and when a place may be too crowded to enjoy properly.

Explore Alsace destinations · See the map of Alsace

Eat and drink like you know what you are ordering

Alsatian cooking is more varied than choucroute and tarte flambée. The region’s food reflects French, Germanic and local traditions, with dishes that change from village inns to Michelin-starred restaurants.

Start with the Alsace food and wine guide to understand what to order in a winstub, how to read an Alsace wine label and what to expect during a cellar visit.

You can also explore:

Understand the Alsace behind the postcard

Half-timbered houses, bilingual place names, fortified villages and distinctive food traditions did not appear by accident.

Alsace changed nationality several times during its modern history. Its location between the Rhine and the Vosges shaped its architecture, language, religion, food and wine.

The history and culture section explains what you are looking at without turning your holiday into a history lesson.

Practical advice before you book

You do not necessarily need a car to visit Alsace. Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse and Sélestat are well connected by train, while buses reach several Wine Route villages. A car offers more flexibility, but it is not the only workable option.

Before making reservations, use the trip-planning hub to compare:

Why use this guide?

Many English-language articles about Alsace are based on a short visit and repeat the same list of “must-see” places.

This site takes a different approach:

  • It is maintained by one named local who lives near Strasbourg.
  • It covers the region in depth, not only its most photographed villages.
  • Practical information is checked against tourist offices, municipalities, transport operators and wine estates.
  • The guides include realistic public transport options, not simply “rent a car”.
  • Opinions are clearly separated from facts.
  • Pages that I have personally reviewed include a dated “A local’s view” section.

I will tell you when a famous place is worth the crowds, when a quieter alternative is better and when I have not yet checked something myself.

About Olivier

I was born in Alsace and live in Illkirch, just outside Strasbourg. The Wine Route is about thirty minutes from my home, Colmar around forty minutes away and the Vosges roughly an hour away.

I created this guide because reliable, detailed information about Alsace was surprisingly difficult to find in English. My aim is not to present every destination as “hidden” or “unmissable”, but to help you decide what suits your trip.

Learn more about Olivier Boos · Read more about this website

How this website is made

A single person cannot write a full regional guide from scratch, so the site started from an AI-assisted structure. What matters is what happened next: I am rewriting it page by page, checking transport times, opening hours and prices, and replacing generic text with what I actually know.

Pages that have been through that process carry a signed and dated “A local’s view”. Where it is missing, the work is not finished yet.

Read the full editorial and transparency policy

Quick answers

Is Alsace worth visiting?

Yes, particularly if you enjoy historic towns, wine, regional food, gentle hiking and places that combine French and Germanic influences. Read the honest answer.

How many days do you need?

Three days is a sensible minimum for Strasbourg or Colmar plus part of the Wine Route. Five to seven days gives you time to explore without rushing. Compare the itineraries.

Do you need a car?

No. The main cities are easy to reach by train, and several villages can be visited by bus. A car becomes more useful for smaller villages, wineries and rural accommodation. See the car-free guide.

Should you stay in Strasbourg or Colmar?

Choose Strasbourg for city life, transport connections and a wider choice of restaurants. Choose Colmar for easier access to the central Wine Route and its villages. Compare Strasbourg and Colmar.

When should you visit?

Spring and autumn are excellent for the Wine Route. Summer brings festivals and larger crowds, while late November and December are dominated by the Christmas markets. Compare Alsace by season.

Ready to plan your trip?

Begin with the trip-planning guide. It will help you choose your dates, transport, base and itinerary before you start booking.

Plan your trip to Alsace · Browse the itineraries · Explore the Wine Route