6 Tips for Visiting Alsace, France

Alsace is simply a gorgeous and underrated portion nestled successful eastbound France, bordering Germany. This country shares a premix of French and German influences done their cuisine, architecture, and culture, and is known for its celebrated Christmas markets, wines, and charming villages.

The region’s main metropolis of Strasbourg is the eighth largest metropolis successful France and is astir 2 hours distant from the French superior of Paris. Strasbourg is besides nicknamed the “Capitale de Nöel” (Capital of Christmas) globally and is considered 1 the champion Christmas markets successful Europe. It’s besides 1 of the oldest Christmas markets, dating each the mode backmost to 1570.

I’ve been to Strasbourg twice, erstwhile during the Christmas play successful 2021 and astir precocious successful September 2024. Both times, my travel has been amazing, and Alsace is simply a portion I afloat bask and spot myself revisiting successful the adjacent future.

If you’re readying a travel to the Alsace portion successful the future, here are 6 things you should know.

1. When to Visit Alsace

Many radical sojourn Strasbourg solely for the Christmas markets successful November and December owed to their popularity. However, this is erstwhile prices are the highest and accommodation rates skyrocket.

The Christmas Markets origin prices to skyrocket successful Alsace

An alternate clip to sojourn the portion is during the summertime and autumn months for pleasant lukewarm upwind and reduced costs. There’s inactive plentifulness to spot and bash successful Alsace during these months, positive this is besides erstwhile the region’s flowers are inactive successful bloom!

Additionally, if you’d similar to physique a sojourn to Alsace into a longer itinerary, it makes for a large multi-day halt enroute to Munich’s yearly Oktoberfest celebrations successful September.

2. Christmas Markets

The archetypal clip I visited Strasbourg was successful December 2021 for their Christmas markets with my canine Cookie. I perfectly loved them and the fairytale-like ambiance astir the city.

During my visit, I felt a consciousness of nostalgia from my puerility arsenic I walked down the heavy decorated streets. However, arsenic the years spell by and the post-pandemic question roar has surged, prices successful the country proceed to grow, alongside the crowds of travellers each year.

To debar the worst of the crowds and the prices, I urge visiting the archetypal week the Christmas Markets open, which is successful November. The markets’ schedules alteration each year, but they typically unfastened astir the aforesaid clip the US celebrates Thanksgiving.

Roaming the Christmas Markets with my canine Cookie

In 2024, Strasbourg’s Christmas marketplace is scheduled to unfastened connected November 27, and Colmar’s Christmas marketplace is scheduled to unfastened connected November 26.

If you’re readying to sojourn the markets successful the future, you’ll privation to publication things arsenic aboriginal arsenic imaginable (likely by June oregon July) to get the champion flights and accommodation rates.

If you’re looking to publication successful the fall, I urge watching retired for past infinitesimal deals connected flights and hotels, and possibly utilizing your hose and edifice loyalty points to assistance trim the currency costs of the trip.

3. Where to Stay successful Alsace

If you’re readying to sojourn the surrounding areas of Strasbourg, specified arsenic Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr, and Ribeauvillé, I urge spending astatine slightest 2 nights successful Strasbourg and 3 to 4 nights successful Colmar. This way, you tin research the main metropolis and the adjacent villages without rushing.

Eguisheim is worthy of a broadside trip

Colmar is simply a smaller metropolis lone 30-minutes distant by bid from Strasbourg. Many beauteous smaller villages are accessible from Colmar.

To get the astir retired of your visit, renting a car is recommended, but different options see taking the Kutzig hop-on-hop-off autobus passim the Alsace Wine Route oregon taking an Uber to wherever you’d similar to spell from the Colmar bid station.

In presumption of wherever to stay, some times I’ve visited Alsace, I stayed successful Strasbourg astatine Hotel de l’Europe by HappyCulture, and I’ve ever person a large experience.

The spot is centrally located successful the halfway of Strasbourg adjacent Petite France and the Cathédral Notre-Dame-de-Strasbourg, and it makes for a large jumping disconnected constituent to research the metropolis and region.

4. Cuisine successful the Alsace Region

When you’re successful Alsace, marque definite you effort the region’s astir celebrated dish, Tarte Flambée (also called Flammekueche). It’s a bladed flatbread consisting of cheese, cream, onions, and bacon.

Although it sounds similar a dense meal, it’s really precise light, making it a large prime for lunch!

Tarte Flambée is simply a large prime for lunch

Other staples successful Alsatian cuisine see Coq au Riesling and Baeckaoffe. On my caller visit, I tried the Coq au Riesling with spätzle astatine Restaurant Gurtlerhoft and loved it!

The crockery consists of chickenhearted successful a creamy mushroom condiment cooked with the region’s section riesling achromatic wine. Restaurant Gurtlerhoft is located wrong a cave, making it a unsocial acquisition for visiting travellers.

Wine is different celebrated staple successful Alsatian cuisine. The portion is known for its riesling vino and orangish wine.

Interestingly, portion some wines are really achromatic wines, orangish vino was named aft the unsocial colour the vino turns erstwhile the tegument of grapes are utilized arsenic portion of its production.

5. Set Your Wallet Up for Success

When you question to Alsace, you’ll announcement that American Express isn’t wide accepted, and successful fact, astir restaurants and shops similar currency implicit immoderate recognition card.

For those of you who’d similar to proceed earning rewards portion you question done the region, I urge carrying a mates antithetic recognition cards (Visas and Mastercards volition person the highest acceptance rate) to let you to gain and/or redeem a mates of antithetic ways.

You’re amended disconnected utilizing a Visa oregon Mastercard erstwhile visiting the region

If you’re travelling from Canada, you whitethorn privation to see a paper that offers zero overseas transaction fees, similar the Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card. This mode you tin prevention the 2.5% interest that’s charged by astir Canadian recognition cards.

Additionally, this paper earns flexible Scene+ points, which you tin usage to offset the question expenses you complaint to the paper astatine a complaint of 1 cent (CAD) per point.

Alternatively, if you bask staying astatine Marriott properties erstwhile you travel, you whitethorn privation to look astatine the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Credit Card from Chase successful the US, oregon successful Canada, the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card.

Either tin assistance you bask escaped edifice stays connected your travel since some gain invited bonuses of Marriott Bonvoy points and connection Free Night Awards each twelvemonth aft the archetypal year.

Otherwise, I urge bringing a paper that has a minimum spending requirement that you’re moving to meet, arsenic a abrogation is people going to assistance you scope your target.

Scotiabank Passport® Visa Infinite* Card

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First-Year Value: $110

• Earn 25,000 Scene+ points upon spending $1,000 successful the archetypal 3 months
• Earn an further 10,000 Scene+ points upon spending $40,000 successful the archetypal year
• Earn 2x Scene+ points connected groceries, dining, entertainment, and transit
• Plus, gain 3x Scene+ points connected market purchases astatine Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, and FreshCo
• Visa Airport Companion rank with six escaped lounge visits per year
• Redeem points for connection recognition for immoderate question expense
• Minimum income: $60,000 idiosyncratic oregon $100,000 household
• Annual fee: $150

6. Things to Do successful the Alsace Region

Alsace offers respective activities for visitors successful the region.

In Strasbourg, the Cathédral Notre Dame and Petite France are fashionable sites to spot and research around. You tin besides instrumentality a vessel thrust passim the canals and spot Strasbourg from a antithetic constituent of view.

In Colmar, you tin research the aged town, spell buying for gourmet sweets similar delicious chocolates, and adjacent bash a vino tasting. If the upwind isn’t excessively cold, they besides person vessel rides astir the main municipality for 8 euros (cash only).

Colmar’s main gully is its aged town

On my caller travel to Alsace, I did a vino tasting astatine a locally owned store specializing successful determination wines, and they besides offered immoderate section cheeses and breadstuff to spell alongside the wines I tried. While I don’t retrieve the nonstop sanction of the shop, it’s adjacent 1 of the vessel thrust stops on the canals successful Colmar.

However, there’s dozens of wineries each implicit each metropolis and colony truthful I’m definite that you’ll person nary occupation uncovering immoderate astonishing food, drinks, and experiences during your visit.

Conclusion

Alsace is simply a beauteous and underrated portion of France, and I highly urge that you adhd it to your database of places to visit.

With truthful overmuch to spot and bash successful the region, I’m assured you’ll bask your sojourn nary substance your question benignant and desires.

I anticipation this usher inspires you to instrumentality a travel to Alsace, and that it helps you program your trip! If you bash go, we’d emotion to perceive astir your acquisition and what you thought astir this portion of France.

Follow @princeoftravel connected Instagram for much tips and enactment tuned for much destination guides!