Driving the Route des vins d'Alsace - the Alsace wine route in France

Wine and Pastry Tour of France

Rick and I planned a delightful tour of France and Germany for our anniversary. Here are some fab findings through the Alsace region of France as we followed the Route des vins d’Alsace – the Alsace wine route.

Colmar – The Venice of France is indeed picturesque, with the Lauch River flowing through the town. A landscape of half-timbered buildings line the river and baskets overflowing with bounteous flowering greenery was just a visual pleasure. We discovered that Bartholdi, the designer and builder of the Statue of Liberty, was born in the town and built this monument here. Rick found the city market, and we devoured a platter of potatoes au gratin and a yummy quiche.

Colmar, France is the Venice of France

Keysersburg – After a hike up to the Chateau de Speesburg, a crumbling medieval castle, we drove into Keysersburg. Built surrounding a creek, this is the home of the Albert Schweitzer Museum.

Riquewihr – This was one of our favorite villages because it was just so cute and colorful. Enough said.

Ribeauville – The hills surrounding Ribeauville are dotted with vineyards, and driving into the village, you are gobsmacked with the heavenly aroma of grapes. This was another cute half-timbered town that is nestled below a crumbling castle on the hilltop above.

Gunsbach – The home of Albert Schweitzer, this village is surrounded by lush vineyards and wineguts.

Eguisheim – The half-timbered buildings, with dates etched over the doorways as old as 1212 AD, was a sensory delight with flowering baskets everywhere. Peeking into archways, you peered into medieval history. This was at the top of our “perfect village” list.

Eguisheim, France is a sensory experience