Castles, Vines & Forests of Alsace

A really wonderful week of walking in Alsace which exceeded our already high expectations.

We enjoyed excellent wine-tastings at the Caves de Turckheim, Hugel et Fils, which you walk right past in Riquewihr, and the Halbeisen Winery in Bergheim. The medieval villages were beautiful but usually full of tourists, so it was good to escape to the peace and quiet of the forests and vineyards. We would reinforce the advice to book meals ahead because most restaurants are closed for a couple of days each week and only have one sitting. In Turckheim we had delicious coffee and cake at the Patisserie Carl and good meals at L'Auberge du Brand and Autrefois, and also at L'Auberge des Lavandieres in Bergheim. On Mondays there is an interesting market near the hotel in Kaysersberg.

I have just finished two back to back walking trips, 'Castles, Vines, Forests of Alsace', and 'A Walk in the Black Forest with Freiburg', separated by two nights in Colmar, and I would encourage anyone thinking of walking in this part of Europe to consider this combination. Even though geographically the walks are close, they are complementary from a cultural, cuisine, and landscape perspective. On the French side the route goes from a series of ancient villages set amongst some of the most famous white wine vineyards in France through forests with many viewpoints over the Rhine Valley. On the German side the routes go from idyllic Black Forest pastoral landscapes, through deep forests to mountaintop lookouts, and one appreciates why many Germans consider themselves to be a "forest people" with a mythological link to the Schwarzwald, Black Forest. Colmar is a picture perfect traditional French Alsacian city with canals and half-timbered buildings lovingly preserved with a distinct legacy of its many Germanic roots.  

We discovered that Alsace has very low rainfall generally, which makes it a good choice for an out-of-high-season walking holiday! Wine seemed very good value for money. Villages very attractive, and calm, especially in the evenings when tourists disappear!

Both the Villages of the Dordogne and the Castles, Vines and Forests of Alsace walks exceeded our expectations, in every respect. While some aspects of both walks were somewhat challenging (eg climbing and descending steep hills on gravelly paths), this was offset, almost completely, by being 'in the moment' in the beauty of the forests - and, in Alsace especially, the grand majesty of the views ....

Generally an excellent trip. My main criticism, which is nothing to do with you, is the quality and lack of variety of food. Having lived and travelled extensively in France (mainly the south) I am used to eating well in that country. But restaurants, even in Colmar, mostly offered Germanic stodge. If you've had choucroute and tarte flamme once you don't want it again! But there was very little choice. The worst food I've had outside the UK.

Overall this was a very enjoyable walking holiday. We particularly liked the walking through woodland where we had the best sense of being away from the noise of our city life. It also provided much needed shade in the 30+degree temperatures during much of our holiday. The walking paths were mostly very good with very little time spent on main roads.

The towns and villages, stongly German influenced, were pretty with many well preserved properties. They became a "bit of a blur" after seeing a number of them due to the very similar nature of the preserved buildings.

The hotels were generally very good and the staff friendly and helpful. The wines were excellent, albeit only one type of local red (pinot noir). The food could be a bit more of a "challenge" unless you are very keen on big portions of meat/sausages/sauerkraut. However we did find there was usually at least one good fish option on the menu which we often chose. The quality overall was very good.

Making reservations for restaurants in advance is very important if at all possible. Some restaurants are fully booked ahead of your arrival and this can result in finding somewhere you like quite tricky. This was particularly the case in Bergheim which has fewer restaurants than most places we visited and, as is quite common, restaurants will be closed on a number of nights. On our visit to Bergheim we had not had a reply in advance from a restaurant we tried to book - and like several other Inntravel visitors all ended up in one of the few resturants open on the evening that fortunately the hotel receptionist was able to book for us on the same day. In circumstances like this it would probably make sense for Inntravel to include a restaurant booking in the holiday arrangements.

Definitely recommend a visit to the "Jardins des Papillons" (butterflies) in Hunawihr which is on your route on one of the day's walks. A lovely experience with large numbers of beautiful butterflies flying around,(and sometimes on), you in a large pavillion.

Also recommend a day in Colmar, with the walking notes route through the city, if you take the option of an extra day there as we did at the start of the holiday.

Finally - we did the whole journey there and back by train from London. There's a change in Paris from the Eurostar at Gare du Nord, with one stop on the metro to Paris Est and then one fast and comfortable journey on the TGV to Colmar. No airport queues, relatively speedy customs checks at St Pancras on the outward journey and Gare du Nord on the way back, no baggage to go in the "hold" nor reclaim at the end of the journey. And the benefit of views all the way there and back. We will definitely go by train again if at all possible.

A very good holiday (although not our best holiday with Inntravel - this was our 6th - as towns very touristy, no air conditioning and variable wifi in hotels, only 2 dinners provided, no outdoor pool). Beautiful (but at times more challenging than grade 2) walks and scenery. Highlights for us (family of 5) were Turckheim (very interesting war museum, great local wine tasting at Cave de Turckheim, fantastic meal at Auberge du Brand, beautiful hotel) and Kaysersburg (recommend the walk to St Alexi with reward of beautiful rustic lunch halfway). Very enjoyable holiday and we will look forward to doing our 7th next year! 

We thoroughly enjoyed the experiences in all the villages. The storks in Eguisheim, quirky hotel in Turckheim, history of Kaysersberg and quaintness of Bergheim. The whole trip gives you a real sense of experiencing the culture of a region in terms of food, people, history and geography. Colmar is definitely worth a trip.

This area of France is absolutely beautiful. Picturesque villages and towns, and breathtaking views. The villages that we stayed in, and the walks between them and around them were well chosen and varied. There were some challenging uphill walks - often early in the day - but well worth doing, for the views they gave us. The walking notes were generally very good, with just a couple of problems where signs have been changed or a junction was not quite as described. All the accommodation was of a very good standard and the staff at the hotels were friendly and helpful. Colmar is well worth visiting (we stayed there 2 nights before starting the walk) and we'd also recommend an overnight stop at Epernay on the way down, or the return journey, to break the drive (it's about 7 hours from Calais to Colmar without a stop).

The walking was well paced but the structure of the days with two nights at several hotels meant there were options to either miss a day or to do longer or shorter versions of the walks, which was great. We extended the Turkheim loop up to Auberge Obschel, the Kaysersberg loop to take in Koenigsstuhl and the Bergheim loop to include a (strenuous) walk up to Chateau Haut Koenigsbourg. The top of Koenigsstuhl (where you join the GR5 long distance path for a while) is a carpet of Myrtille and you can forage for the berries. The walk up to Galtz was also a highlight. Of the towns and villages, being in Bergheim for the Fete Nationale and the Bal de Pompiers was excellent. It is definitely worth booking ahead for restaurants as different places have different days when they are closed, so it would have been difficult to find dinner in Turckheim on Sunday and Monday had we not booked ahead, and was difficult in Bergheim when we didn't.

The restaurant recommendations in the itinerary were good with l'Alchemille in Kaysersberg being particularly interesting. L'Autrefois in Turckheim is worth adding. In Colmar we ate at L'Atelier du Peintre which was excellent and at A l'Echevin in the Hotel Le Marechal which has a terrace overlooking the river, which was perfect for Sunday lunch. We'd recommend both for the guide.

INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers combined our walk Castles, Vines & Forests of Alsace with our Colmar add-on

This was such a lovely week in Alsace - vineyards, forests, crumbling castles, beautiful flower-filled villages and lots of delicious wine. The routes were clear and very well marked, and the walking was just right. We were there during a heat wave and had to shorten one day - we were very glad of the forest cover on other days. The hotels were great, all interesting places and friendly staff. We would highly recommend dinner at the Auberge du Brand in Turckheim, the food is fabulous. It is a small restaurant and only has one sitting so you are likely to need to book in advance. Flamme & Co in Kayserberg was also very good (lots of the other recommended restaurants there were closed for the holidays during our visit). We didn't ever have a problem finding places to eat, but we did always go early as restaurants shut quite early. We have to mention the taxi transfers at the start and midway through the trip as we got such fascinating insights into the region, local culture, wine and winemaking - and some really useful tips for our travels. We are already wondering where to go for our next Inntravel trip...

Lovely area to discover with incredibly pretty villages all festooned with flowers and beautifully preserved buildings. The wine and wineries are delightful and we only wished we had more time for wine tasting and room in the suitcase for purchases! We thoroughly enjoyed the walks which were varied and interesting. It was a very hot week and were grateful for the time spent walking in the woods and forests. The one disappointment was St Hippolyte which, unlike most of the other villages, has a busy road running through it. Our experience may have been influenced by the fact that only one restaurant/cafe was open with the others either on their day off or on holiday so there wasn't much buzz about the place. The best meal we had was at the Auberge du Brand in Turkheim which was really excellent but you do need to book ahead (they don't have on-line booking but responded to a pigeon french email!). This relates to a more general point about restaurants and cafes across all of the villages. Some are closed anywhere between 1 and 3 days per week (and sometimes at different meal times eg. open at lunch time then closed for dinner) and others were closed for their annual holiday (in early July). On our second night in Turkheim only 2 restaurants were open and one was fully booked and we were lucky to squeeze in to the other. Similar story in Bergheim on our second night where we only found one other place to eat other than the hotel. So our advice would be to plan ahead for meals including where you might get lunch stuff. The local bus service seems very reliable and we even managed to use the bus from Colmar to Eguisheim at the start of the walk and from Bergheim to Selestat at the end. That said, the system for getting bus tickets was pretty unfathomable- it was possible to pay in cash on one (from Colmar) but on the other (from Bergheim) there was no facility to buy tickets on the bus (an on-line purchase prior to travel was necessary).    

We feel that the service received from Inntravel has been excellent, efficient and well considered. Meals and packed lunches provided were first class and the accommodation very good. The information pack and route notes were concise and precise.

A great walking holiday through vineyards and the forested slopes of the Vosges mountains. We were grateful for the shade in the forests as it was very hot and sunny. Unfortunately the monument and viewing platform at Le Galz was closed for renovation. Our recommendations include the wine and tarte flambee at 'L'Ermitage Bar and Vin' in Turckheim, the stork sanctaury at Naturoparc in Hunawihr (be warned to check the opening hours as they vary significanlty over the week), and wine tasting at Domaine Halbeisen (owners of La Cour du Baiili in Bergheim). 

This was a splendid holiday offering excellent accommodation and enjoyable walking in a beautiful and historic part of France.

We really enjoyed each day's walk. All of the towns were beautiful and we enjoyed seeing the countryside, the vineyards and the Vosges mountains in the background. Some highlights of the trip included: seeing the ruined castles (les trois châteaux d'Eguisheim, Hohlandsbourg, the château de Giersberg, St-Ulrich and Haut Ribeaupierre), the beautiful panoramic views from the châteaux, and seeing the storks in the towns. The included dinners featured delicious regional cuisine and local specialties. The hotels were all very comfortable and of high standard. The daily walking was on a mixture of paths, including forest tracks, tarmac roads, through vineyards, etc., which we enjoyed. We took a day trip to Colmar and it is a beautiful, interesting town, well worth a visit. 

Castles, vines and forests - if it came in a tin, it would do what it said on it. Highlights - the vast landscape of vineyards, with its workers dotted here and there skilfully tending the crop on steep slopes with their specialised machinery, overseen by ancient castles jutting above the forested hilltops, the historic villages, each with its own character, as deeply rooted as the old vines which reach far down into the subsoil - you cannot pass through without gaining a respect for the craft and culture of the place. Walking is the best way to appreciate this area, and it's reassuring to know that, at the end of a long day on the trail, you can walk into the next village and find your hotel ready and waiting to welcome you.

Tips : Have GPX as an essential back up for walks.
Check beforehand the days of the week and corresponding opening times of restaurants especially in Bergheim. Unlike previous walking holidays with Inntravel when meals and picnics were already arranged, we had a few problems finding shops to buy food suitable for a picnic and restaurants in the evenings that were not already full.

The highlights of our holiday must include the absolutely beautiful villages, and the huge number of storks we saw flying overhead each day. Their precipitous nests adorned many steeples and rooftops especially in Eguisheim and we were excited to spot a hoopoe bird and a hare on our walks.

The wartime history of the area was fascinating and very moving.

The Unterlinden museum in Colmar is highly recommended, also their cafe!

Very pleased to have done this holiday.  The villages, Colmar, chateaux (and storks!) are very memorable. Glad to have taken: long, extremely lightweight trousers to protect from the heat, a few flies in the forests and some undergrowth in places; also used extemely thin long sleeve shirts to protect the upper arms; GPS since the walking notes were not reliable - unusual for Inntravel; walking poles since some of the descents were slippery with loose grit or gravel; a very high capacity memory card for the camera!

We enjoyed the Auberge du Brand Restaurant in Turckheim - worth booking ahead since restaurant options are limited. The Musee Memorial des Combats is worth visiting and the night watchman is amusing. Due to the heat we walked alternate days (the 'transfer' days) and did our own thing on the others - short walks or sight-seeing.  We opted to visit Colmar and were very pleased we did.  A long half-day was sufficient. The bus service was easy and frequent. On the walk to Kaysersberg, the statue and viewing platform (Monument to Galz) were being restored and not accessible. The povided gpx track deviates from the walking notes on the approach to the monument but meets up again just before the summit. Ammerschwihr was worth a detour and we found a very pleasant air-conditioned boulangerie / cafe there which was very welcome. Rather amused to see a vintage Rolls, Mini and MG out on a run here. The hotel in Kaysersberg, while clean and efficient, can best be described as serving a purpose. The day from Kaysersberg to Bergheim, including the three chateaux, tries to do too much - we would have preferred to stay in Ribeauville. We should have asked for the taxi to pick us up much earlier, at 7:30 or 8:00 rather than the scheduled 9:30. We had issues with the 'inclusive' meal at the Hôtel la Cour du Bailli but had a much better experience with a meal from the menu on the second night.  If taking this trip again we would require an arrangement without the inclusive meal. In the mornings the courtyard at the rear of the hotel, in which one can take breakfast, is a little gem.

The selected hotels and villages for accommodation and the walking routes showcased the beauty and history of Alsace wonderfully, and we very much enjoyed our first Inntravel holiday. We are already considering where to go for our next trip! Tip: in several of the villages visited it was difficult to get restaurant bookings, as it appears some establishments are open less frequently than previously. This was especially true of Inntravel recommended restaurants in Turkheim and Kaysersberg. Travellers might consider booking before starting the holiday.

Our experience lived up to the description of Castles, Vines and Forests of Alsace. There was great variety of terrain and scenery, villages and accommodations. It is a charming region with an almost fairy tale ambiance. The food is exceptional. Do your research ahead of time and make dinner reservations when possible.

Excellent organisation all round. Best hotel Les 2 Clefs. Also a bonus to have cooking facilities and a kettle!! in last 2 hotels. The staff were welcoming, friendly and accommodating. Setting off on a Monday was not ideal. Chateau de Hohlandsberg closed. Also most restaurants in Turckheim on Monday evening. We were lucky to get the last table at L'Abreuvoir which I would recommend. Main museums in Colmar closed Tues. But we did enjoy the small natural history museum. We went up to Jesus at 3 Epis to find that he too was closed for repairs so no panorama. As you rightly pointed out Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé absolutely heaving with tourists. Had to laugh when the recommended Bar St Ulrich was also closed. Haut Konigsbourg which we drove to on Saturday also extremely busy. Fortunately the taxi lady advised us to go early. By 10 am nearly all the parking had gone. When we left there was a very long queue of cars trying to get in/out so very glad not to be on a taxi meter. Personally found the last stop in Bergheim disappointing so was very glad to have a car for our last full day. As a general point, not sure what you would find to eat as a vegetarian or if you were Jewish. I knew what to expect food wise but still found the fare on offer overfacing. 

We saw some bee-eaters which we had first seen the previous year in Puglia. Check opening times of patissiers as they can be a bit unpredictable.

Beautiful area and the hikes were fun. Loved staying in the small towns. Restaurants were very accommodating considering we had a group of 5. I would recommend this trip to others.

Great trip.  Perfect time to go as leaves were all turning on the grapevines and in the hills surrounding. Some fields were still being harvested so that was nice to see.  Weather was awesome and since this was the end of the season we saw almost no people on the paths.  The provided booklet of information about the area and the specific trails a sights along the way was great.

What a lovely holiday. I drove from Europort, Netherlands, stayed an additional night in La Ferme du Pape, and returned there by AB taxi for a night at the end. All the castles included in the walks were well worth visiting, particularly Haut-Koenigsbourg which is unique.The walks are excellent, the vineyards and villages beautiful; indeed Bergheim was voted the prettiest village in France while I was there, and Eguisheim was 5 years ago.The weather 27 September to 6 October was ideal for my walks and the locals were in the middle of harvesting the grapes.

I wish I hadn't left it so long; don't feel like I can be very articulate at this late date.  But a wonderful set of hikes with a perfect combination of nature, history, culture and, of course, wine.

An excellent and varied holiday.  We went mid September which coincided with the grape harvest.  We stayed an extra night in Eguisheim which allowed us to explore this lovely village.  Main 'complaint' is that there isn't enough time to fully enjoy Riquewihr and Ribeauville.  We also spent the day in Kaysersberg looking round the village & castle rather than the suggested circular walk.  In Bergheim we had an excellent meal in the Lavandriere Restaurant (we had previously asked the Cour du Bailli to reserve a table for us there).

It was a wonderful holiday and exceeded our expectations. Inntravel service was excellent, especially at a couple of points of difficulty, such as cancelled flights. We would definitely recommend and would travel with Inntravel again.

The walk up to and the stunning views from the Three Castles above Ribeauville was particuarly exceptional.

The Alsatian wines were a real treat.

The war museum - Musee Memorial Des Combatants de la Poche de Colmar - is excellent and well worth a visit. The German War Cemetery at Bergheim is equally chilling. When will we ever learn?  

We loved our walking holiday in Alsace. A beautiful and friendly part of France with challenging walks, great views and vistas and fabulous food and wine at the end of each day. Weather was gorgeous, paths were usually well waymarked and the routes thoroughly enjoyable.  The villages and towns are simply beautiful and the landscape stunning. we enjoyed the add on to Colmar and a chance to explore this lovely small city, its streets and fabulous museum too.

We would highly recommend staying at the Hotel des Deux Clefs in Turkheim. It was one of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed in. Run by a very friendly team, superb breakfasts and a lovely courtyard for drinks. You are right in the town in one of its most attractive buildings.

We thoroughly enjoyed this walk around the edge of the Alsace wine region. Having chosen the hottest week of the century (so far) we were pleased to find that walking in the forests provided welcome respite from the heat. The villages were exquisite, the castles interesting, the views extensive and the wines, well needless to say we rather enjoyed them too.

While not saying nothing could be improved upon, Inntravel provide a great formula. This was not our first Inntravel holiday, and will not be the last. Indeed, the next is already booked.

The villages visited on this holiday are quite delightful, each offering sights that are well worth seeing

Alsace is a beautiful and very different area of France, the towns and villages are very quaint and interesting to see. There is a lot of uphill walking on this particular trip so need to be fairly fit to enjoy it - the views are tremendous however! The forest walking is particularly lovely with lots to see and enjoy with plenty of information boards on route to enhance the experience. The cuisine is not for the faint hearted, but the wine is excellent! The Colmar add on is also very enjoyable, and well worth the visit.

INNTRAVEL NOTE:  This customer added on a two night stay at the Grand Hotel Bristol, Colmar as part of their holiday.

We were really very happy with our holiday and we had a great time, exceeding our expectations.  We were very pleasantly surprised by the accuracy of the walking notes and experienced very little difficulty in navigating the walks.  A highlight of the holiday for us was seeing the number of storks nesting in the towns, obviously this was down to the timing in late May/early June, and also seeing them flying high above the towns and vineyards.

Highlights, walking through vines, beauty of villages, lovely food. I know it was woodland walks etc, but MAYBE a little less time actually in the woods might be good, to enjoy the views more, but this may not be possible in order to get across the mountains.