Full-Day Alsace Highlights Tour from Strasbourg

Colmar old town and its merchant houses

Colmar is the first and longest stop, about an hour's drive south of Strasbourg. Your driver-guide leads you through one of the best preserved old towns in France, where almost every street is lined with half-timbered and Renaissance houses. You see the Koïfhus, the 15th-century customs house with its glazed-tile roof, the House of Heads with its carved stone faces, a painted merchant's house from the 16th century with a wooden gallery, and the Gothic collegiate church whose roof once hosted storks.

The guided visit lasts about two hours, including some free time, so you can buy gingerbread or simply sit by the water. For anyone wondering whether an Alsace day trip from Strasbourg is worth it, Colmar alone usually answers the question. Halal food is available in Colmar, though the choice is smaller than in Strasbourg.

Little Venice and the Tanners' quarter

The most photographed corner of Colmar is Little Venice, where the Lauch river slips between pastel half-timbered houses and flower boxes. Nearby, the Tanners' quarter keeps the tall, narrow houses where hides were once dried in open lofts, and the fishmongers' quay recalls the time when boats brought produce into the town. The covered market of 1865 stands right on the water.

Flat-bottomed boats glide through Little Venice from spring to autumn, and in December the quarter is lit for the Christmas markets. On this tour the guide points out the best viewpoints, especially from the small bridge overlooking the canal, so you get the classic photograph without searching for it. Expect crowds at midday in summer; mornings are calmer.

Riquewihr, the walled village

Riquewihr sits about 30 minutes north of Colmar, surrounded by a double ring of ramparts. Because it came through the wars of the 20th century almost untouched, its single main street still rises between Renaissance houses with carved oriel windows and courtyards, up to the Dolder, a gate tower built in 1291. Beyond it, the Thieves' Tower once served as the village prison.

On this tour you get a short guided introduction and then about an hour of free time, which most guests use for lunch at their own expense and for exploring the side lanes along the ramparts. Halal food is limited in the village, so a picnic or snacks are a good idea. Riquewihr is especially lovely in spring and early autumn, when flowers hang from every window.

The Vosges foothills drive

Between Riquewihr and the castle, the road runs along the foothills of the Vosges mountains, a gentle landscape of slopes, forest edges and small villages whose church towers and ruined castles appear one after another on the hilltops. This is the classic Alsace countryside that appears on postcards, and storks can often be seen nesting on chimneys and church roofs along the way.

The drive takes about 30 minutes and climbs steadily towards the forested ridge where the castle stands. Your driver-guide uses the time to explain how Alsace passed between France and Germany several times over the centuries, which explains the mix of French and German names you see on every street sign, shopfront and village square during the day.

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle

Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle rises at about 757 metres on a rocky spur of the Vosges, above the town of Sélestat. First recorded in the 12th century, it controlled the trade routes across the plain, was burnt during the Thirty Years' War in 1633 and stood in ruins for more than two centuries. It was restored between 1900 and 1908, when Alsace was part of the German Empire, as a complete picture of a medieval fortress.

Your guided visit of about 1.5 hours takes you through the gates, the keep, the furnished halls, the kitchens and the armoury, up to the great bastion with its cannons. From the ramparts the view sweeps over the Alsace plain to the Black Forest, and on clear days to the Alps. There are many stairs and uneven floors, so comfortable shoes are essential.