10 ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR TRAVELING TO ALSACE

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With this selection of tips for traveling to Alsace We want to help you prepare and organize your trip to one of the most incredible regions of France, which becomes a children's story, when Christmas dates approach and towns and cities dress and wear their best clothes.
With countless places to visit in the area, we recommend you not to miss Colmar and Strasbourg in addition to towns such as Eguisheim, Turckheim, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Hunawihr or Ribeauvillé where you can walk and feel that you go back in time.

Based on our trip to Alsace by car we leave you what we believe are the 10 essential tips for a trip to Alsace. We start!

1. What is the best time?

Although many travelers believe that the best time to travel to Alsace It is the Christmas period, to enjoy the famous markets, which are included among the best Christmas markets in Europe, Alsace is an area that can be visited at any time of the year and enjoy as much or more than Christmas to meet its charming villages and even make some of its famous wine routes.

High season (July and August and late November-December): these months are the most frequented by tourists from all over the world who in summer come to enjoy the charming villages of Alsace, which at this time are filled with flowers, for from At the end of November and during the month of December come to enjoy what they say, it was the place where Christmas was born.
Mid season (from April to June and September): if you want to enjoy Alsace with few people and a mild time, this would be the best time.
Low season (from October to March): except for the time that goes from the end of November and the month of December, which we talked about previously if you want to live Christmas and Alsace, the rest of the months are the least frequented by tourists, due to the weather , something that causes prices to fall considerably and even, in some areas, close accommodations and restaurants.

2. Entry requirements

If you are a citizen of the European Union (EU) or Spanish, you can enter Alsace with your ID or passport. In case you have another nationality, we recommend you check the entry regulations at the Embassy, Consulate or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In addition to these documents that we mentioned, it is very important travel to Alsace with the European Health Card, which they issue in the Social Security, to receive medical assistance if necessary.
Apart from this card, if you want to have repatriation or free assistance in the best medical centers, it is highly recommended to choose the best travel insurance for Europe.

We always travel insured with Mondo, with whom we carry a totally adequate insurance to the needs that we will have on the trip. Hiring your insurance here with Mondo, just for being a Street Travelers reader, you have a 5% discount.

3. Security

Today and despite the events in Strasbourg of 2018, traveling to Alsace is totally safe. The only thing we do recommend, as in any other destination in the world, is to travel with common sense and try not to lose sight of your personal and valuable objects, especially in the busiest places and in case you go to a large city that Do not know, if you are going out at night, ask at the accommodation if there is any area not recommended.

In addition to this, we recommend you upload to the cloud, before traveling, a copy of your important documentation such as ID, passport, travel insurance policy, travel documentation ... etc so that in case of loss or theft, you can perform any procedure in a faster way.

Alsace

4. How to start the trip to Alsace?

First and foremost before travel to Alsace, especially if you are going to do it in high season, is to look for flights. In this case you have two options: fly to Basel, in Switzerland and only 25 kilometers from Mulhouse, one of the entrance doors of Alsace or to Baden-Baden, in Germany, only 45 kilometers from Strasbourg, from where you can also travel Alsace perfectly.
Once you have your flights, the next step will be to get accommodation, taking into account that in high season, especially at Christmas time, places like Colmar usually have a 100% occupancy, even having confirmed reservations one year in advance . That is why it is important to look at the accommodation in advance and for this we recommend you look at this search engine for hotels in Alsace, where you will find the best options at the best prices.
We on our trip opted for these hotels in Alsace and the truth is that everyone had a great quality / price ratio.

The next point of the trip will be to reserve the rental car in Alsace, which we believe is the best way to get around the area since public transport is not very common, although at Christmas they do put some buses between the most famous villages.
In this case and if you fly to Basel, it is important to know that this airport is shared by France and Switzerland, so you can choose to rent the car in the part of France or in the part of Switzerland. Until a while ago, the second option was the most recommended if you were traveling in winter, since although more expensive, the rental included winter tires.
Currently this is something you should value, since there are car rental companies that if you rent on the Swiss side, they do not allow you to move to France. Keep this in mind and ask before confirming the rental, so you don't have any problems.
You can book your rental car in France here and the one in Switzerland here.

And last but not least, it is highly recommended to review the excursions you want to do in the area to be able to book them in advance and thus ensure you do not run out of seats. Also in case you do not want to rent a car, this may be one of the most recommended options as there are day trips to get to know all the most important villages in Alsace.
You can see all the tours and excursions in Alsace here, with all the details and even make the reservation directly.

Eguisheim

5. Route through Alsace

Whatever the time in which you are going to travel to Alsace, the route through this area of France should include the places to see in Alsace essential for this way, to give you an idea of how incredible this area of France is.
The route that we propose is flying to Basel, but in case you fly to Baden-Baden, starting the route through Strasbourg, you just have to go around the route, since they would be the same visits and the duration would be a minimum of 3 full days plus two days of flights, in order to know the most important.

The first day of the trip to Alsace we recommend you to visit Eguisheim and then go to Colmar, one of the jewels of Alsace, where we advise you to stay a couple of nights and where you can not miss following this route through the places to visit in Colmar for the night, enjoy Christmas lighting, if you go in this time, we are sure, it will leave you speechless and if you want to know more about this town, do this Free tour of Colmar Free !.
The next day, we propose to make a route through the villages of Alsace, which includes a visit to Turckheim, Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Hunawihr and Ribeauvillé.
If you do not have a car, it is highly recommended to book this entire Alsace Tour or this Tour of the villages of Alsace.
The third day of this route through Alsace will take you to Obernai and in the afternoon to Strasbourg, another of the jewels of Alsace, where you can not miss following this route of places to visit in Strasbourg in addition to doing some of the best free tours in Strasbourg , to know the city by the hand of a guide in Spanish.

Strasbourg

On the last day and after knowing the places to see in Strasbourg at Christmas, on the way to the airport, we advise you to make a stop at Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, a place that we are sure, will surprise you.

6. Alsace at Christmas

The route to travel the area would be the same as if you travel at any other time of the year, but we leave you some tips for traveling to Alsace at Christmas, which we believe, can help you organize and plan the trip better.

Something very important is to try not to make your trip to Alsace during the December Bridge or coincide with the weekend, whenever possible. These dates are the busiest of the year in the area and in most villages there is no pin.
Remember to book both flights and accommodation and the rental car well in advance, as prices, especially accommodation in Colmar and flights, skyrocket a few months before. Our recommendation is to book 5-6 months in advance (even more) in order to have different accommodation options and choose. It happens almost the same with flights, being able to find on the bridge of December or weekends for less than 50 euros per person round trip if you book several months in advance.
Carry coins as many parking machines do not accept cards or tickets, such as those from Eguisheim.
In most of the villages of Alsace, we recommend that if there is a large influx of people, do not turn around looking for parking. It is best to enter one and wait for someone to leave.
Probably in this way you find a place much faster than if you go around. At least this has been our experience for a few days when there was practically no needle in any of the villages.
In Colmar, especially on weekends, we recommend you go directly to a paid parking lot. More than anything to save time since they are not very expensive, we pay 7 euros a day in the parking lot of the Ibis Center hotel.
Another tip for travel to Alsace at Christmas, especially on the weekend, is to go to the villages soon if you want to enjoy a little tranquility. The markets open at 10 in the morning, at which time you can still enjoy them in solitude for an hour or two.
If you want to do night photography, especially in Colmar, it is best to wait for Christmas markets to close. Although it seems a lie, it is to close them and as if by magic people disappear.
Another of the most important things is to check the dates of the Christmas markets, since the year the dates change. We advise you to look at them in the corresponding section of the Tourist Office website.
If you want to bring a alsace souvenir, a good option and also economical is not to return the cup that you get in the different beverage stalls, prior deposit euro to drink hot wine or chocolate. In most villages they give you hard plastic cups adorned with Christmas motifs that the truth is not bad, but there are others in which they have ceramic jars that can be a good Christmas memory.
Although you will not have trouble buying souvenirs, given the amount of street markets and shops in Alsace, we have to say that it has been in Strasbourg where we have found more variety of crafts exclusive. If you are looking for typical Christmas items, it is best to buy in Colmar, since there we find much more variety, including crystal balls, which we did not see anywhere else.

Travel to Alsace at Christmas

7. Colmar

This is probably the jewel in the crown when traveling to Alsace and the destination that everyone wants to know, especially at Christmas, when the city dresses up and shows a lighting and decoration that surprises children and adults in equal parts .
Although you can visit the city perfectly in one day, we recommend you to spend 2-3 days here, to know the city and the surrounding villages and so in the evening, to enjoy the city, especially if you come at Christmas and you want to enjoy the lighting and decoration.

As essential points in Colmar you can not miss Le Petite Venise, which is the most photographed spot, with picturesque colorful houses and cobbled streets that are the perfect decoration of any story.
In addition to this point, others places to see in Colmar They are the historic center, with La Casa Pfister, one of the most beautiful in the city, Koïfhus, La Maison des Têtes and Maison Adolph which is the oldest house in the city and the Collegiate Church of Saint Martin, one of the churches that You can't get lost either. And above all, wander around and lose yourself in its network of alleys that will give you unique moments that we are sure, will become unforgettable.

A very interesting way to get to know the city is to book this Free tour of Colmar Free !, with a guide in Spanish.

Colmar

8. Strasbourg

Another place you can not miss at travel to Alsace is the city of Strasbourg, located on the border with Germany, which is also known as the "Capital of Christmas" and its historic center has been declared a World Heritage Site, for its impressive houses of bright colors and wooden frames.
Among the many places to visit in Strasbourg, we recommend you not to miss Petite France, one of its most famous and picturesque places, where you can get lost in cobbled streets, surrounded by colorful houses, with wooden frames, which make this Old fishing district one of the most beautiful places in Alsace.

In addition to this place, you cannot miss the Notre Dame Cathedral, which was built in Gothic style over four centuries, the Kammerzell house, located in a corner of the Cathedral Square, which is the best preserved medieval building, the Ponts Couverts or Covered Bridges, which are a group of three bridges and four defensive towers that are the entrance to Petit France, the German Quarter, the Kléber Square, the main square of the city and the European Quarter, where the headquarters of several institutions of the European Union such as the European Parliament, the Council of Europe or the European Court of Human Rights.

Although you can visit all these places in one day, whenever you can, we recommend you spend at least one night in the city to see it illuminated, especially at Christmas, since it is a time that we are sure, you will not forget.
Another option to learn more about the history of the city is to book this Free tour of Strasbourg Free! considered as one of the best free tours in Strasbourg.

La Petit France in Strasbourg

9. Gastronomy in Alsace

Although it is impossible to summarize in a few lines all the gastronomy of this area of France, we want to leave you a selection of those that we believe, are some of the dishes that you can not miss so that traveling to Alsace is a complete experience.

Tarte Flambée: this is probably Alsace's best known dish. It is a kind of pizza, of very fine dough, to which any type of ingredient you can imagine is added and to which tomato is not put.
Choucroute: fermented cabbage that is served as a side dish of multiple dishes.
Baeckeoffe: meat that is cooked with different vegetables, as if it were a stew.
Pretzels: Although its origin is German, in Alsace you can find them practically in every corner. It is a kind of salted bread, in the form of a loop or round.
Kugelhopf: cake with raisins and nuts.
Munster cheese: one of the most delicious cheeses in this area of France.

Tarte Flambée

10. More tips for traveling to Alsace

Other of the best tips for a trip to Alsace They are:

Although the euro is used in Alsace, remember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current exchange we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot. You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
Although the official language is French, English is spoken perfectly in all tourist places.
In case you are going to travel Alsace by car we recommend you take GPS or some application on your mobile that serves as offline GPS, such as Maps.me.
Another tip would be that you do not base solely on Colmar. If you have 4-5 days, we recommend dividing the nights between Colmar and Strasbourg, so that you can enjoy both cities at night.
In Alsace the voltage is 230V, the frequency 50Hz and the plugs are of type E

Do you want to organize this trip to Alsace by car in 5 days for free?
Get it here:
The best offers for Flights to Alsace (Basel: here Baden Baden here)
The best hotels at the best prices in Alsace here
10 essential places to see in Alsace
10 essential places to visit in Strasbourg
The best free tours in Strasbourg for free
10 essential tips for traveling to France
Get € 35 for your reservation with AirBnb here
Rent your car in Basel (Switzerland) at the best price here
Rent your car in France at the best price here
Book your travel insurance with a 5% discount here