Alsace in August for a family holiday?

[Chicken Chaser]

We are a bit late booking this year, but considering going to Alsace to see the likes of Strasbourg, Colmar and the Vosges region but having never been there before, wondering if it can support a 2 week trip, or whether it's more of a stopover location. We'll be dragging a caravan over there, done Loire, Normandy, a bit of Brittany and around Annecy previously therefore we're not unfamiliar with France, we've just never ventured that far east. We did have plans which were canned in Covid to do it along with the black forest but a lot of the places we considered are fully booked.

[RC1807]

I love the Alsace and Vosges regions.

Strasbourg and Colmar may take maybe 3 days up of your time.
The architecture in both is very special.
(We spend a few days each year in Strasbourg as our eldest is at Uni there.)

As you have a caravan, perhaps a site near / on the lake at Gerardmer may be suitable?

[Magooagain]

The Alsace wine route is really worth thinking about. And at the end a visit to the Mulhouse car museum is a treat!
https://www.wineroute.alsace/

[krallicious]

One of the best places in France for food and wine. The people are generally very friendly and welcoming.

Lots of vineyards to visit and some fantastic cycling to be had.

Huge amount of history with a lot walled towns dating from medieval times. Lots of WW1 sites to see as well.

Colmar is beautiful but it will be most likely rammed in August this year.

Popping over the boarder for a visit to Basel is also worthwhile if you are heading that way.

The Black Forest is also a short drive away if you feel like a change of scene.

If you want to know anything more just ask. My family are from around the area and I tend to spend quite a bit of time in that part of the world

[Boxster5]

Alsace is lovely - we stayed there for 5 nights back in 2018 on our “European” tour (8 countries, 3,000 miles).
We stayed in Gertwiller just South of Strasbourg & a short distance from Obernai.
Lots of lovely villages/towns inc Ribeauville, Riquewihr, Colmar, Barr & Obernai amongst many others. Colmar funnily enough was our least favourite as it is a larger town although around the Petite Venicearea (yes another one!) is quite nice.
It’s very chocolate box/gingerbread type villages & the Alsace Wine Route is worth doing (although we haven’t).
We’re actually going back to Obernai for 6 nights in June as part of a twice delayed French/Swiss tour we had planned so we are definitely a fan.
You can always hop across the border to Freiburg.

[Chicken Chaser]

Thanks all, the original trip had a place in Alsace, a stop in Freiburg and a stop on the Luxembourg border. Cycling, food and drink and some WW stuff sounds great. It's just trying to find a good campsite over that way. Ideally one with a pool.

[VTECMatt]

Nothing to add to that above but spent 4 days there few years back on business (wine tasting), the wine is underrated imho and a beautiful region, good history with a number of good castles to visit, good driving roads, not sure I could stretch it much more than a week.

[Chicken Chaser]

Just bumping this as I havent yet booked (awaiting on approval at work for dates) but wondered if anyone could advise on a good base? I think we will have to pick 2 places, as I cant stay in the same place for 2 weeks..

I'm Looking at maybe Lake Moselotte and then maybe a place outside Strasbourg called Portes de Alsace in Saverne. I've also considered Lake Gerardmer and Longemer dependant on availability.

Anything with good trails for bikes/walking, some decent restaurants/cafes and general sightseeing. We'll probably do some stuff on the lake too if we can hire kit. Kids are 8 & 4. 4 year old goes with me on my bike wherever we go...

[bennno]

Try Pierre et vacance

https://www.pierreetvacances.com/gb-en/search?face...

Car museum incredible. Riqrwihr for lunch. Over to germany easy trip

[Barchettaman]

We stayed at Cornimont, just down from Gerardmer.

It’s not a particular tourist village but had the two best boulangeries I’ve come across in France!

La Bresse is a pretty village on the way up to Gerardmer.

Gerardmer market is amazing but parking ain’t easy. Hopefully the cheese guy will be there if you go.

The lake at Wittgenstein has a fantastic Accrobranche (Go Ape in the UK, I believe)

Lac de la Moselotte was family friendly and had an aquatic bouncy castle area thingy. Easy cycle path to
It from Cornimont that I would recommend (La Voie Verte)

It’s not too busy, cheap and beautiful. Highly recommended.

Plus you can stock up on wine there and champagne on the way back up.

[Barchettaman]

One more thing: we had planned to hike as there are loads of trails but it was too bloody hot! We just wallowed by the lake and BBQed instead.

[Whitean3]

A few other things you could do in Alsace, that haven't been mentioned so far:
Le grand Ballon (good mountain pass road- watch for bikers and police- and Le vieille Armand (War memorial, 1st world war trenches, great views too)
Col de la Schlucht is also nice

Eguisheim is on the Route du Vin- another incredibly pretty wine village

Munster for some delicious (yet stinky) cheese

Molsheim is where Bugatti is based- not sure you can just rock up there though!; the Cite de l'automobile (Schlumf collection) in Mulhouse is spectacular; the Cite du Rail (National railway museum is nearby too, if that's your thing)

As others have said, Freiburg across the border is worth a visit; EuropaPark in Rust too if you like theme parks

And of course, Basel is also worth a trip

[Chicken Chaser]

Sounds like there's quite a bit to do and given the temps in August there'll be some days we will probably do very little except sit and enjoy the shade!

[Bill]

Be prepared for anything. When we went it was decidedly cool.

[Glosphil]

Spent 8 days in that area a few years ago & thoroughly enjoyed it.

Wife had agreed to a visit to the Mullhaus motor museum as that day was my birthday. However, the night before the local wildlife chewing wiring & a vacuum tube under the bonnet of my car put a stop to that idea.

[Chicken Chaser]

Thread bump....

Finally managed to get this semi-sorted for this year. Booked a 2 week crossing and I've so far booked a week at Lac Du Moselotte. We're planning to visit the likes of Colmar, Mulhouse, spend some time around the lakes, do some walking, take the bikes and do some cycling etc.

What I would like to know is, is there enough around there to see/do for 2 weeks? I'm considering moving North after 7 nights but I'm not really sure where to go. Could stay in the Vosges Du Nord (if there is anything there) or go into Germany around Trier or Eifel. It would cut the journey time on the return so going out west into the Black Forest is out of the picture for this year, I just can't get enough time off!

[12TS]

We spent a week there and it was enough.

You could come back via Belgium. We had a few nights around Spa and the Ardennes.

[numtumfutunch]

12TS said:

We spent a week there and it was enough.

You could come back via Belgium. We had a few nights around Spa and the Ardennes.

We did the reverse of this last year.

Spa/Ardennes on the way down and woofed it back from Alsace to the ferry on our last day

All good, in fact really really good

We stayed in the hills outside Colmar and had zero regrets. Beautiful countryside, good food, fantastic wine and sensational cycling

We had a couple of day trips to Freiberg and the French motor museum at Mullhouse each of which we'd do again however chilling around the pool of our gaff and sampling the local Alsace produce in the evenings was equally cool

It was a superb holiday
If youre doing similar book the Spa circuit tour for your petrolheads and check the rest of your party into the Spa spa
Each section of my tour group had a hoot whilst there

Cheers

[Chicken Chaser]

Cheers guys, all good to hear. I guess if the weather is favourable it's easy to spend a few days by the lake with the kids or cycling along the old rail route.

I'm still looking at options around Mosel - Cochem or Trier as that looks the next best thing for a few days stop off on the way back.

[Patrick Magooagain]

https://automuseums.info/france/savigny-les-beaune...

This is worth a visit. Abarth collection and some rare bikes.

Not to much out of your way.