Alsace-Lorraine

Tucked away by the borders with Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, Alsace-Lorraine are two distinctive regions of France yet bound together by their heritage, culture and geography.

Alsace is the most eastern corner of France and although only tiny, boasts a wealth of natural and cultural highlights. The stunning mountain scenery and lush valleys of the Massif des Vosges provide a shared boundary with Lorraine and the mighty Rhine makes a natural border with Germany in the east. Running through the heart of Alsace, the Route du Vin Touristique weaves through vineyard hills from the beautiful and vibrant city of Strasbourg to the medieval capital of Colmar. Chocolate box villages along the way promise half timbered houses festooned with geraniums and often crowned with a stork’s nest.

From Alsace, the wooded slopes of the Vosges tumble into Lorraine, where the Moselle and Meuse rivers slice through the countryside. Battlefield memorials are scattered through the evocative landscape of Verdun while refined cities provide uplifting highlights, from the decorative Art Nouveau architecture of Nancy to the spectacular stained glass windows of the cathedral in Metz.

Highlights

• Strasbourg – stroll the squares and narrow streets of the Grande Île, criss-cross the canals in the pretty Petite France quarter and admire the striking cathedral in this border city with Germany and cosmopolitan centre for the European Parliament.
• Metz – see some of the finest stained glass windows in France in the Cathédrale Saint Etienne, including sections by Marc Chagall.
• Wine trails – find colourful, half timbered houses in the cobbled streets of medieval Colmar and take the Route du vin d’Alsace to sample crisp Riesling and Gewürztraminer, with fairytale villages along the way.
• Massif des Vosges – discover a stunning haven for hikers in the shared mountains and valleys between Alsace and Lorraine, with 1000 km of cross country ski-ing trails to follow during the winter months.
• Food – enjoy the deliciously distinctive cuisine with strong Germanic influences, including hearty ‘baeckeoffe’ stews, sauerkrauts with sausage or pork, rich savoury tarts and sweet ‘kougelhopf’ cakes, perhaps accompanied with a frothy local beer.

Kaysersberg Village, Alsace

Your nearest airports - Basel-Mulhouse, Strasbourg.