Alsace from Mulhouse

Arrival late in the day. Check-in.

Welcome drink and presentation of the stay. Dinner.

After breakfast, departure for the Vosges via the Route des Crêtes, a strategic road built during the First World War to cross the Vosges “ballons” easily: the Grand Ballon, the highest peak in the Vosges (1,427 m), and the Markstein, a cross-country skiing World Cup resort.

Traditional “marcaire” lunch at a farm inn.

Afternoon: over the Col de la Schlucht to Gérardmer, with its lake and its setting of fir-covered mountains.

Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure for Strasbourg, the European capital, with a tour of the city and its cathedral, one of the most important monuments of the Middle Ages.

Lunch in Strasbourg.

Afternoon: free time in Strasbourg, then departure for Mont Sainte-Odile, a monastery dating back to the Merovingian era, with a remarkable site and panorama.

Stop in Obernai, then return to the hotel.

Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure for the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg: guided tour (with a local guide) of this feudal castle, the most important in Alsace.

Then a lively visit to a wine cellar: tasting (purchase possible).

Lunch. Continue to Ribeauvillé via the Wine Route and stop in Riquewihr, the pearl of the Alsace vineyards.

On to Colmar: panoramic guided tour by little train of the oldest town in Alsace: the Maison Pfister, the Maison des Têtes, the tanners’ quarter, “Little Venice”. Free time to stroll.

Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, morning discovery of old Mulhouse, its historic centre and its famous Place de la Réunion. Then a visit to the renowned Cité de l’Automobile with the Schlumpf brothers’ collection: 500 cars, including the Bugatti Royale, in the exceptional setting of a former 19th-century worsted wool mill decorated with 900 lampposts.

Lunch at the hotel.

In the afternoon, departure to discover the Ungersheim ecomuseum, which brings to life the ways of life and skills of a bygone era in a fun and lively way. The museum is built around a genuine early 20th-century village with its streets, gardens, houses, farms, etc. Numerous activities will show you the daily life of an Alsatian village at that time.

Return to the hotel through the vineyards. Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure for Freiburg, tour of the old town and discovery of its market.

Then drive through the Höllental valley (the “Valley of Hell”) to the climatic resort of Titisee, on the shores of a charming lake.

Boat trip on the lake.

Lunch.

Afternoon: continue through the Black Forest via Furtwangen and stop in Triberg, the cuckoo clock capital, to discover an incredible clock the size of a house.

Dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure for the southern Vosges via Thann, a stroll through this town watched over by the magnificent Collégiale Saint-Thiébaut, a jewel of Gothic architecture built from the 13th to the 15th century. The impressive building and its 78 m spire are a reminder that Thann, located on the international Italy – Netherlands route, was a renowned place of pilgrimage.

Continue over the Col de Bussang and past the source of the Moselle to reach the Haute-Saône side and the Ognon valley.

Discovery of its main town: Melisey. The restored river recalls the craft past of its old quarter.

Lunch.

Continue to Belfort to discover its classical-style cathedral and Vauban’s fortifications, after paying a visit to the region’s star: the Lion de Belfort, a monument sculpted by Bartholdi as a tribute to the valiant defenders of the 1870 siege. Free time.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure via Switzerland towards Constance, a noble city on the shores of the lake of the same name; discovery of the city, its cathedral and its shopping districts, before reaching the lakeside.

Lunch on the way, then on to the island of flowers: Mainau Island, a 45-hectare island paradise.

The sequoias of the majestic arboretum, more than 150 years old, invite you to relax. Palm trees and citrus plants lend the island a Mediterranean charm. Depending on the season, millions of tulips, rhododendrons, fragrant roses, perennials and colourful dahlias welcome you; discovery and free time.

Return to the hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

After breakfast, departure for your home region.