Romance of the Alsace, Strasbourg and Wine Villages

Local departure by coach or Home Connect service, then to our overnight hotel in northern France.

We head to Metz with its wonderful Old Town and Gothic Saint Etienne cathedral, said to be one of the highest Gothic structures in Europe. Continue to Klingenthal for four nights.

We include a full-day excursion to Strasbourg, a charming city situated in the Alsace region. The city of Strasbourg is chiefly known for its sandstone Gothic Cathedral, with its famous astronomical clock, and for its medieval cityscape of Rhineland black and white timber-framed buildings. Wander the little streets of ‘Petit France’ – the former tanners quarter lined with charming inns and flower-bedecked timbered houses, and see the contemporary European district, or Imperial District with its German influences.

We take an optional excursion along the Alsace wine route today. Sit back and relax as we travel through stunning scenery, with famous vineyards on all sides. Calling at picturesque Riquewihr, in France's lovely Alsace region, famous for the Riesling and other great wines produced here. This romantic village medieval village looks today exactly as it did in the 16th century and enjoys a scenic location, among the Vosges Mountains.

We enjoy an included excursion to Colmar, the regional capital, and ‘Capital of Alsatian Wine’. Colmar retains a ‘country town’ atmosphere and has been wonderfully preserved, with its pretty streets, charming squares and canals lined with half-timbered houses. Colmar is often regarded as the quintessential Alsace town.

This afternoon we enjoy an included visit to a wine cellar, plus tasting of local wines, before we return to our hotel.

We leave Klingenthal and head to Obernai, an attractive town on the Alsace wine Route. Encircled by ramparts, the old town has a beautiful architectural heritage with its central market square surrounded by period buildings, such as the 13th-century belfry and the town hall, and also with the Renaissance well and the Saints-Pierre-et-Paul church of neo-Gothic architecture. We continue to our overnight hotel in northern France.

Return home.