Moderate-to-challenging walking on more rugged terrain with significant ascents / descents on most days. Compass skills may be required (check the individual holiday).
The season for this holiday is:
10 April 2021 - 10 October 2021
10 April 2022 - 10 October 2022
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| °C | 6 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 22 | 24 | 25 | 21 | 17 | 10 | 7 |
| mm | 66 | 68 | 68 | 58 | 62 | 68 | 70 | 63 | 62 | 65 | 75 | 90 |
We can only accept payment in GBP, but you can use this converter to find out how much the holiday equates to in your own currency.
7 nights: 10 April 2021 - 10 October 2021 & 10 April 2022 - 10 October 2022
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr - 21 May 2021 | £798 | £325 |
| 22 May - 3 Oct 2021 | £845 | £335 |
| 10 Apr - 21 May 2022 | £840 | £345 |
| 22 May - 3 Oct 2022 | £890 | £355 |
| 3rd & 4th person discount | -£35 | |
| Single traveller supplement | £35 |
Includes accommodation, meals and services integral to the holiday as described, plus walking notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.
Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.
7 nights: 10 April 2021 - 10 October 2021 & 10 April 2022 - 10 October 2022
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr - 21 May 2021 | £1070 | £325 |
| 22 May - 3 Oct 2021 | £1130 | £335 |
| 10 Apr - 21 May 2022 | £1125 | £345 |
| 22 May - 3 Oct 2022 | £1190 | £355 |
| 3rd & 4th person discount | -£65 | |
| Single traveller supplement | £65 |
Includes all elements in the 'walk price', plus standard-class travel by Eurostar from London St Pancras or Ebbsfleet International to Lille or Paris, with onward travel as described below.
Included travel from the UK: UK–Paris (Eurostar), Paris–Colmar (TGV), approx. duration 6h plus 0h25 taxi transfer. Home, Colmar–Paris (TGV), Paris–UK (Eurostar), approx. duration 5h30 plus 0h45 taxi transfer.
> More about 'by rail' prices
> The 'rail experience': what to expect
If you book your holiday less than 6 months in advance of your travel date, seats may no longer be available at the tariffs on which our prices are based, but we may be able to offer you seats on the same services at a supplement.
7 nights: 10 April 2021 - 10 October 2021 & 10 April 2022 - 10 October 2022
Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above
| Starting | Price | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr - 21 May 2021 | £895 | £325 |
| 22 May - 3 Oct 2021 | £945 | £335 |
| 10 Apr - 21 May 2022 | £940 | £345 |
| 22 May - 3 Oct 2022 | £995 | £355 |
| 3rd & 4th person discount | -£120 to -£125 | |
| Single traveller supplement | £120 to £125 |
Includes all elements in the 'walk price', plus a return ferry crossing between Dover and Calais with P&O Ferries for your party and one car.
We also include a transfer back to the first hotel at the end of your holiday to collect your car.
> More information about travelling self-drive
A supplement of approximately £35 per car per single journey applies on certain dates over the Easter holidays. A supplement of approximately £56 per car per single journey applies outbound on Fridays & Saturdays and inbound on Saturdays & Sundays in late May/early June and during the school summer holidays. Please contact us for more details.
Room upgrades (£ per person per night)
| Hostellerie de la Ferme du Pape, Eguisheim | ||
|---|---|---|
| Superior: 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2021 | £12 | |
| Superior: 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2022 | £13 |
| Hotel La Cour du Bailli, Bergheim | ||
|---|---|---|
| Appartement Supérieure: 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2021 | £32 | |
| Appartement Supérieure: 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2022 | £34 | |
| Junior Suite: 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2021 | £20 | |
| Junior Suite: 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2022 | £21 |
Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room
| Hotel La Cour du Bailli, Bergheim (B&B) | Double room | Single room |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2021 | £64 | £122 |
| 10 Apr - 10 Oct 2022 | £68 | £130 |
Travelling from the UK
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen - Paris CDG | Air France, KLM |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Birmingham - Paris CDG | Air France |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Bristol - Basel | easyJet |
| Bristol - Paris CDG | Air France, easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Edinburgh - Basel | easyJet |
| Edinburgh - Paris CDG | Air France, easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Glasgow - Paris CDG | easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Leeds Bradford - Paris CDG | jet2 |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Liverpool - Paris CDG | easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Heathrow - Basel | British Airways |
| Heathrow - Paris CDG | British Airways |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Luton - Basel | easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| London Southend - Paris CDG | easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Manchester - Basel | easyJet |
| Manchester - Paris CDG | Air France, easyJet |
| Outward route | Airline |
|---|---|
| Newcastle - Paris CDG | Air France, KLM |
This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above except those operated by Ryanair. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service (£60 for India and Nepal). Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.
Connecting travel options - flying via Basel
| Outward route | Price per person |
Latest flight arrival time |
|---|---|---|
| direct taxi Basel-Mulhouse airport to hotel (1h) | £60 in 2021; £62 in 2022 | flexible |
| bus Basel-Mulhouse airport to St Louis (0h10 pay locally), rail St Louis to Colmar (0h35), taxi Colmar to hotel (0h25) | £26 in 2021; £28 in 2022 | 1600 |
| Homeward route | Price per person |
Earliest flight departure time |
|---|---|---|
| direct taxi Bergheim hotel to Basel-Mulhouse airport (1h20) | £70 in 2021; £74 in 2022 | flexible |
| taxi hotel to Colmar (allow 0h45), rail Colmar to St Louis (0h35), bus St Louis to Basel-Mulhouse airport (0h10 pay locally) | £38 in 2021; £40 in 2022 | 1200 |
Paris CDG
| Outward route | Price per person |
Latest flight arrival time |
|---|---|---|
| Paris CDG airport to Colmar SNCF (3h30), taxi Colmar SNCF to hotel (0h20) | £80 in 2021; £84 in 2022 | 1500 |
| Homeward route | Price per person |
Earliest flight departure time |
|---|---|---|
| taxi hotel to Colmar SNCF (allow 0h45), rail Colmar SNCF to Paris CDG (3h30) | £94 in 2021; £100 in 2022 | 1430 |
If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?
We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >
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.
Particular highlights were woodland paths strewn with sweet chestnuts, the sun shining through the trees onto the forest floor, great views across to the Black Forest, and seeing the beginnings of the grape harvest. We enjoyed mixing up the walking with a castle visit, being eyeballed by a stork at the Nature Park and watching the vultures and kites flying at the Volerie des Aigles. On this holiday there are many beautiful villages to explore, the people are friendly, and the buildings and museums in Colmar a delight. The walks were well marked with the descriptions easy to follow. The hearty food washed down with local wine ensured we had the energy to climb the hills the following day. Thank you Inntravel for another memorable trip.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers extended their Castles, Vines and Forests self-guided walking holiday with a stay at the Grand Hotel Bristol in Colmar.
This was our first trip with Inntravel, and I can happily recommend the company. They were consistently responsive to my inquiries and helpful in choosing a route. We planned rather last minute, but all of the paperwork still arrived quickly which shows what a well-run company this is. My husband and I both enjoyed Castles, Vines and Forests of the Alsace, and found it aptly named. Each day you leave a picture-perfect Alsatian village, climb through gentle vineyards, in our case lush with fruit and the activity of the harvest, then climb more steeply to a castle perch with views down over the valleys and villages. We felt truly sorry for the bus tour folk who swarmed some of the towns for their 30 minutes, as we had quiet mornings and slow evenings to explore town walls, local churches and take endless pictures of window-boxes overflowing with geraniums. The weather was cool and comfortable for hiking, never hot. We had mostly cloudy days with rain in the forecast, but it never materialized to spoil a hike. Autumn is a great time for this region with the wine festivals. If one waited another week or so to an end of September start the vines would turn red and gold.
Our favourite meal was in Bergheim at Vitis, the gourmet restaurant associated with the Hotel La Cour Du Bailli. I believe we were lucky because the in-house restaurant was closed our first night so we were accommodated at Vitis instead. I can't say enough about the meal, you simply must go there. Our other nights in Bergheim we ate at La Lavandiere and Le Dom Ange. In Kaysersberg we particularly enjoyed La Petite Auberge. Truly, we enjoyed our meals in every town, every night, the French food, dry local wines and aromatic cheese were a real treat.
I was not sure whether I was ready for a grade 3 hike, so this one, 2-3, was a good choice for me. While each day there may be a steep passage, overall the hiking was very manageable and I found the distances at 13-16km well suited for my level of fitness. Based on this success I look forward to booking a grade 3 hike for 2020!
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.
Particular highlights were woodland paths strewn with sweet chestnuts, the sun shining through the trees onto the forest floor, great views across to the Black Forest, and seeing the beginnings of the grape harvest. We enjoyed mixing up the walking with a castle visit, being eyeballed by a stork at the Nature Park and watching the vultures and kites flying at the Volerie des Aigles. On this holiday there are many beautiful villages to explore, the people are friendly, and the buildings and museums in Colmar a delight. The walks were well marked with the descriptions easy to follow. The hearty food washed down with local wine ensured we had the energy to climb the hills the following day. Thank you Inntravel for another memorable trip.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: These customers extended their Castles, Vines and Forests self-guided walking holiday with a stay at the Grand Hotel Bristol in Colmar.
This was our first trip with Inntravel, and I can happily recommend the company. They were consistently responsive to my inquiries and helpful in choosing a route. We planned rather last minute, but all of the paperwork still arrived quickly which shows what a well-run company this is. My husband and I both enjoyed Castles, Vines and Forests of the Alsace, and found it aptly named. Each day you leave a picture-perfect Alsatian village, climb through gentle vineyards, in our case lush with fruit and the activity of the harvest, then climb more steeply to a castle perch with views down over the valleys and villages. We felt truly sorry for the bus tour folk who swarmed some of the towns for their 30 minutes, as we had quiet mornings and slow evenings to explore town walls, local churches and take endless pictures of window-boxes overflowing with geraniums. The weather was cool and comfortable for hiking, never hot. We had mostly cloudy days with rain in the forecast, but it never materialized to spoil a hike. Autumn is a great time for this region with the wine festivals. If one waited another week or so to an end of September start the vines would turn red and gold.
Our favourite meal was in Bergheim at Vitis, the gourmet restaurant associated with the Hotel La Cour Du Bailli. I believe we were lucky because the in-house restaurant was closed our first night so we were accommodated at Vitis instead. I can't say enough about the meal, you simply must go there. Our other nights in Bergheim we ate at La Lavandiere and Le Dom Ange. In Kaysersberg we particularly enjoyed La Petite Auberge. Truly, we enjoyed our meals in every town, every night, the French food, dry local wines and aromatic cheese were a real treat.
I was not sure whether I was ready for a grade 3 hike, so this one, 2-3, was a good choice for me. While each day there may be a steep passage, overall the hiking was very manageable and I found the distances at 13-16km well suited for my level of fitness. Based on this success I look forward to booking a grade 3 hike for 2020!
Eguisheim was a lovely town - we would have been happy to stay longer. Tip for the options around Bergheim - the Volerie des Aigles and the bus from there are available for very limited hours (if at all) in late September.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: On this itinerary, we include a number of options to choose from while in Bergheim.
The Black Forest is picture postcard perfect and the people are charming and helpful. Walking is well signposted and not too demanding. Be prepared to meet quite a few like minded people, this is a major area for recreation with ample, varied provision. The food is generous and tasty and the wines excellent value. All of the hotels are recommended. This is a land of efficiency, quality and beauty.
Alsace is a delightful region of woods and vineyards with many excellent trails in hilly, wooded countryside. But if you have a penchant for wine, you will also enjoy the profusion of vineyards on the lower, southern slopes ... and the wine is very good. The small towns and villages are a delight - half timbered houses on cobbled streets reminding one of the area's rich history. This walker took the opportunity to get reacquainted with the first class white wines, but the pull of pinot noir was always there. Needless to say the food was also very good - hearty food in the German tradition.
For anyone interested, you may wish to note that I combined the Black Forest with Alsace. If you have the time I would recommend this combination, adding on days to ensure you can 'luxuriate' in the experience. The two areas are complementary and it quickly becomes apparent why Alsace was once so hotly contested.
Excellent walking, comfortable hotels and great food & wine in a beautiful part of France. Particularly enjoyed the walk to Taennchel whilst in Bergheim. Walks were just the right level of challenge.
We enjoyed being in this region, and the variety of this walk, with walking in the forests and vines and visits to the castles and other historical places. The Alsace villages are beautiful and it was a delight to be able to explore them and have the time to experience this region in a ‘slow’ way by walking between and through the little towns. The hotels were well chosen and comfortable and we enjoyed the cuisine and wine of this region.
INNTRAVEL NOTE: Mrs Winstanley combined our Castles, Vines and Forests of Alsace walk with our Meander of the Moselle Valley holiday.
Really enjoyed the walking particularly as we were both carrying injuries and needed to vary the routes and distances accordingly. The good variety of walking routes and quality of signposting and waymarking allowed us to do this easily. Very nice walking country. We enjoyed meals at L‘Auberge des Lavandieres and at the restaurant on site at Chez Norbert in Bergheim. We also found a nice quiet bar that has recently opened in the village Au Petit Bariga on the outskirts overlooking a garden full of rabbits and chickens. We also found that many bars in Kaysersberg were focussed only on daytime tourists so closed at 18:00. However, the Irish bar (which was actually very French) was friendly and served local beers and wine and some food.
During the second week (in the Moselle) we ate at Die Graifen in Traben-Trarbach-Trabach which was super and thought that the meals at the hotels in Urzig and Beilstein were also good (Altes Zollhaus).
This walk was lovely, very picturesque and very hot (we struck a heat wave in Europe). I feel you need to upgrade your accommodation, especially in Bergheim, a king single bed for 2 is not acceptable in 37-42 deg of heat and at the top of an old building with no air con and a bath / shower that you could not stand up in. All other places were fine and very acceptable (if not a little dated). Notes were average going into Bergheim, very misleading, we got the impression that the notes were rewritten from French to English and were transcribed incorrectly. Apart from these 2 issues we had a lovely time, but I do recommend you re visit the accommodation.
We’re pleased you enjoyed this walk, despite unusually high temperatures. The included rooms at the hotel in Bergheim have standard double beds, though room upgrades are available; air conditioning is not common in these characterful old buildings, and we’re sorry that this was an issue in the exceptional temperatures you experienced. Our route notes are always written by native speakers of English and never translated from another language. However, we will keep an eye on further feedback for the walk in to Bergheim.
This holiday was a last minute decision on my part and a rapid response from your staff was really extraordinary. Never experienced such professional and competent service before and will become a regular traveller.
The walking through the forests in spring was wonderful - although it was slightly surprising to find ourselves in snow one day up on Tannenkirch! We loved the opportunity to walk through all those pretty villages and thought that the walks were very well planned with plenty of variety. The two days in Colmar worked out very well, enabling us to see all that Colmar had to offer plus giving us the chance to visit Strasbourg for the day. The evening meal in Eguisheim was of very high quality - one of the best we had - and the Winstub du Chateau in Kayserberg was good value. It was a good idea to offer all the options from Bergheim but the closure of the supermarket might make that difficult in terms of buying picnic provisions. We did detour into Les Trois Epis on the walk from Turckheim and it was worth it - it's a fascinating place. It was certainly one of the best walking holidays we have done.