Alsace, land of history, authenticity and gastronomy

Arrival around 6 pm. Check-in.

Welcome drink and presentation of the stay.

Dinner and overnight stay.

Departure for Colmar: its fountains, storks, half-timbered houses and geranium-decked balconies are proof that it belongs to Alsace.

Neither wars nor the passage of time have tarnished its image.

You will discover the charms of the old town, the Maison des Têtes, the Collégiale Saint-Martin, the Maison Pfister and, of course, Little Venice. Tour of this wine capital by little tourist train.

Lunch in Klingenthal (lunch at the hotel).

The day continues with a visit to the Musée du Pain d’Épices et de l’Art Populaire d’Alsace in Gertwiller, the fruit of 40 years of collecting by Michel Habsiger. In the former 18th-century tithe barn, more than 10,000 objects are displayed over 350 m², tracing the history of gingerbread and other sweets of yesteryear, as well as all kinds of folk art objects that accompanied rural life in Alsace. Then a visit to Barr and a stop for a Bas-Rhin wine tasting.

In the early evening, return to the hotel for dinner, a video evening and overnight stay.

Departure along the Wine Route towards Ribeauvillé.

This former capital of the lords of Ribeaupierre stretches its narrow streets and two- or three-century-old houses along the foot of the Vosges foothills; numerous festivals still punctuate its calendar, notably the Pfifferdaj, which has perpetuated the memory of the gatherings of the brotherhood of Alsatian musicians around the lords of Ribeaupierre since 1481. We continue our journey to Riquewihr, the pearl of the vineyards, for lunch.

Walking tour of this Alsatian gem, which illustrates the wealth and the bourgeoisie of the era. Continue to Kaysersberg, birthplace of Dr Schweitzer: this pearl of the vineyards has kept its medieval character, its old houses and the ruins of its castle. Short walking tour, then free time to stroll and soak up the typically Alsatian atmosphere, with the opportunity to buy souvenirs and take photos.

At the end of the day, return to your hotel for dinner followed by overnight stay.

Breakfast and lunch at the hotel. Free day with a choice of activities during the day:

• cooking class with Chef Nadia: making kougelopf, tasting, then afternoon snack.
• Visit to the Musée des Armes Blanches (edged weapons museum) in Klingenthal.
• Option to take the shuttle bus from Klingenthal to Obernai, bus stop opposite the hotel.
• Access to the wellness centre: indoor pool, sauna, hammam, jacuzzi, tennis court.
• Access to the fitness room.

Folk evening with six couples of dancers over a typical Alsatian dinner.

Or: departure for the Vosges summits via the Neuntelstein and visit to an artisan jam maker with tasting at the place called La Salcée. Continue through the Val de Villé to reach the Welche country of the Val d’Orbey.

Traditional “marcaire” lunch at a farm inn with a presentation of the famous Munster cheese. Continue along the strategic Route des Crêtes, which overlooks the Alsace and Lorraine slopes and passes the Hohneck and the Markstein, with a panoramic stop depending on the weather.

At the end of the day, dinner at the hotel.

Departure for the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg, one of the most visited monuments in France. Built in the 12th century in a strategic position, its purpose was to watch over the wine, wheat, salt and silver routes.

Partly destroyed during the Thirty Years’ War, it was restored from 1899 onwards by Emperor Wilhelm II, with full respect for medieval architecture.

Inside, the refinement of the rooms is impressive, with wall paintings, Renaissance furniture and huge cast-iron stoves.

Lunch at the hotel. After lunch we set off for a self-guided visit to Mont Sainte-Odile, a spiritual promontory evoking the patron saint of Alsace, with its monastery founded in the 7th century, destroyed in the Middle Ages and then rebuilt by Abbess Herrad of Landsberg, who wrote the “Hortus Deliciarum”, a kind of Christian encyclopaedia, there.

The day continues with a stroll in Obernai, a delightful town fortified in the Middle Ages.

Return to your hotel, dinner, bingo evening and overnight stay.

The Royal Palace, or “the sparkle of crystal and rhinestones!”.

After breakfast, departure to visit the Musée Lalique in Wingen-sur-Moder. The name Lalique makes people dream.

It evokes the sparkle of jewellery, the magic of transparency, the brilliance of crystal. Before it was a brand, it was the name of a man and artist of genius, René-Jules Lalique, and of his descendants who shared his creative flame. Departure around 11 am for a lunch show on an island of rhinestones in the middle of nowhere: in an imaginary world, a dazzling universe of sequins, music and lights, you will be welcomed to enjoy an enchanting day.

Return to the hotel, dinner followed by overnight stay.

After breakfast at the hotel, departure to visit Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace. A military outpost and trading crossroads, Strasbourg developed in the Middle Ages and enjoyed its first golden age in the 16th century. Its history has been marked by political changes: long Germanic, then French, Strasbourg is above all a European city. Guided tour of the historic heart, its prodigious cathedral, carved like lace and known as the “pink angel”, and its astronomical clock. Then Batorama.

Lunch in the town centre and a little free time for photos and to buy postcards or souvenirs. Departure for Soufflenheim to visit the Alsatian potteries.

At the end of the day, return to your hotel, dinner and overnight stay.

Breakfast, then return to your home region.