Long Weekend Escape In Alsace & Switzerland (part 1/2)
Updated: Sep 16
Alsace, a famous region located in northeastern France, close to the German and Swiss borders, is a convenient destination for those who are looking for a blend of French and German influences. As we are currently based in Luxembourg, Alsace is a rational choice for us as a long weekend destination, especially when the weather is favourable.
For our long weekend in May, we couldn't decide whether we wanted to go to Alsace again (for the 4th or 5th time already) or to explore some of the places in nearby Switzerland.
The decision was to choose Mulhouse, a French town conveniently located within 30 30-minute drive from both Colmar (an iconic Alsacian town) and Basel (Switzerland). We picked up a nice apart-hotel close to the city centre and it was much cheaper than staying in overpriced Colmar, Strasbourg or Basel.
The plan was to travel without a plan: we have decided to be spontaneous and flexible. So, we packed our stuff, folded our bicycles and started our journey towards Alsace. In general, the trip was amazing, and I hope this post will give you some ideas and inspiration to visit this beautiful region (and the neighbouring Switzerland as well).
Be prepared - this travel itinerary doesn't cover the Alsatian classics in full. For a standard plan with more specific recommendations about what to do and what to see in Colmar or Strasbourg, please check my previous post. In the one you are currently reading I will not be going in so many details.
My goal is to give you ideas of how to cover a few incredibly beautiful places both in Alsace and Switzerland in one trip. It might be a good option for you if you also have already visited some places in Alsace and would like to enhance your experience a bit more. Let's get started!
Cycling Along the Alsace Wine Route
Alsace is a great place for cycling, and you can cover hundreds of km enjoying beautiful landscapes, vineyards and colourful half-timbered houses. There are plenty of cycling routes, you can search for them on Komoot or the official website of Alsace.
We picked up a nice circular route with the start and finish in Ingersheim, the route was along the endless vineyards (above), via incredibly beautiful Eguisheim village and Colmar. For me, this route was a great choice: not so long, around 30 km, and with such impressive scenery!
Eguisheim, located at the southern exit of Colmar, is the village that has been ranked as "One of the Most Beautiful Villages in France" since 2003 and won the title of "France's Favourite Village" in 2013 on a TV show presented by a prominent journalist Stéphane Bern.
The village is also famous for being the birthplace of Pope Leo IX, a ruler of the Papal States in the middle of the 11th century.
Eguisheim was built in the 8th century and is famous for its narrow cobblestone streets lined with adorable half-timbered houses adorned with flowers. Bright colours, narrow medieval streets, authentic cafes, cosy courtyards - what else do you need to fall in love with the village? Maybe a glass of local wine, produced in the village, to be paired with a nice lunch or dinner in the local restaurants.
As for Colmar - for me it's the best place to visit in Alsace - I will cover it in the section below, and for more details check out my my previous post.
Back to the starting point of our cycling route, around 45 min drive and here we are, in Mulhouse, where we spent a quiet evening with a great dinner in the oldest restaurant of the city, a relaxing walk in the centre - and that was the end of the first day in Alsace.
Exploring Basel & Colmar
The next morning we decided to go to Basel: we parked the car near the small border town of Saint-Luis, unfolded the bikes and in a few minutes crossed the border with Switzerland - hi, Basel!
Do not forget that if you do not have a Swiss SIM card, you might not be able to use mobile internet: Switzerland is not an EU member, so you will be charged crazy amounts for any data usage. To save money but stay connected to the Internet, you can use Airalo - an app, that creates a local e-sim for you. I have used it so many times and love it.
Basel, located near the borders of France and Germany, is remarkable for its rich history of over 2000 years and a picturesque setting along the Rhine River. Basel is also famous for its well-preserved medieval Old Town (Altstadt), outstanding art museums such as Fondation Beyeler and Kunstmuseum, and the prestigious Art Basel art fair, one of the world's largest contemporary art exhibitions.
One of the well-known attractions of Basel is the Tinguely fountain - a unique group of kinetic sculptures created by the French artist Jean Tinguely. The work of art features about ten figures in total posed next to each other. Periodically, the characters move and play with the water designed to mimic a theatre performance.
Basel is a great city to explore by bike, thanks to its well-developed cycling infrastructure, great scenery and amazing parks. Sometimes it was a bit challenging to cycle in the narrow hilly streets in the Old Town, but the views and aesthetic pleasure we got made it worth it!
In the evening we headed to Colmar - the most beautiful place in Alsace, in my opinion. With a rich history dating back to the 9th century, Colmar has been influenced by both French and German cultures over the years due to its strategic location near the Rhine River.
Colmar is famous for its well-preserved Old Town, lined with colourful half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets. One of the main reasons why Colmar is so popular is its resemblance to a fairytale village: if you want to travel back in time, just stroll along the narrow streets of the historical centre of Colmar, and be prepared to be shocked by the beautiful buildings everywhere.
Also, make sure you are not missing a Little Venice - a charming area in Colmar, known for its picturesque canals lined with colourful houseboats and waterside cafes. The name "Little Venice" was coined in the early 20th century, drawing a comparison to the famous Italian city known for its network of canals.
If you are in Colmar in the evening and you are looking for a place to have a drink, I recommend visiting Rhum N' Go - it's one of the best cocktail bars I have ever visited, the cocktails are super creative and look impressive. The food is also good, especially burgers, and flambee - a traditional Alsatian dish, similar to pizza - is of great quality as well.
I hope you like this post, and as you have probably understood already, I'm not done yet: I will cover the second half of this trip in another post, where you can travel with us to Zurich and explore the most important castle of German Emperors that is located in France.
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