Day 5: Strasbourg - Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle - Basel Airport - Barcelona
Today is the last day of our trip to Alsace at Christmas, on which on the way to Basel airport, we will visit the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle in France, making the most of the last remaining hours of this trip.
The alarm rings again at 6:00 in the morning, as yesterday when we said goodbye to the villages of Alsace to arrive in Strasbourg at Christmas, and took the opportunity to take advantage of work a little before charging energies with a super complete breakfast in the Hotel Graffalgar, in one of the most artistic halls we have ever been to.
A few minutes past 9 in the morning when we went out to the streets of Strasbourg, at which time an extraordinary sun shines, but where it is cold that we did not expect and is that we currently have 2 degrees below zero, a temperature that still We had not seen on this trip to Alsace by car.
The idea before we go to him Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle It is to enjoy the first hours of the day in Strasbourg, visiting some of the places we didn't have time yesterday. After touring the streets of Strasbourg that take us to its most central area, we arrive at the Cathedral where we find a sun that looks radiant on its facade leaving us with a spectacular image, which we will hardly forget.
Strasbourg Cathedral
From this point of the city we continue traveling the streets that at this time begin to wake up, although all the markets that we travel are still closed since they open at 10:00 in the morning, giving the streets an air that has little to do With what we saw yesterday.
Streets of Strasbourg still half awake
From here we approach the Plaza Marché Gayot that also looks spectacular at this time of the morning, although it has lost that atmosphere that gave it the afternoon light yesterday when we approached here.
Place Marché Gayot
After a walk in this area we approach the fisherman's wharves a spectacular area, in which you surround yourself with canals that take you directly to Petit France.
Fisherman's Wharves with the Cathedral in the background
French Lyceum
The truth is that you enjoy Strasbourg At this time of the morning it is a true joy. If you are here we recommend that it be the time of the year, take advantage to get up early and tour the city when there are not so many people and it is presented with spectacular galas.
Strasbourg Architecture
Getting lost in the channels we reach the st paul's church, with an incredible profile and more at this time reflecting on the channel, leaving us another of the images that we probably remember most of the city, very far from Christmas, but that has been spectacular.
St. Paul's Church
It's almost 10 in the morning when we leave this area of Strasbourg putting way to the Republic Square by the margins of the channels that give us some beautiful images at this time of day.
Strasbourg
Strasbourg canals
Following the channels we reach Petit France, one of the areas that we liked most about Strasbourg and we wanted to say goodbye now that the markets have just opened and it seems that the Christmas atmosphere that yesterday we were lucky enough to live was shown again.
Petit France Strasbourg
With this visit we end our stay in Strasbourg approaching the hotel and picking up our car to start the way back home, stopping before at the Haut Koenisgbourg Castle, which is located in the town of Orschwiller, 61 kilometers from Strasbourg and about 45 minutes by car.
We have to say that initially this visit we had unclear and that after visiting many castles, we have to say that we have become a little skeptics with those we don't know too much or are little named. But after valuing the time we have and seeing that we left over a few hours, we have decided that the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle It deserves an opportunity and thus be able to judge the visit with knowledge of cause and not only by assumptions.
More practical information to prepare your trip to Alsace
- 10 essential places to see in Alsace
- 10 essential places to visit in Strasbourg
- 10 essential tips for traveling to Alsace
- The best free tours in Strasbourg for free
We arrived here after ascending for a long time through the mountain, surrounded by a forest and more curves than desired, where we finally reached the road that gives access to the castle where we parked the car for free on one of the margins .
Schedules Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
The schedule of Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle From November to February it is from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. From March to October from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. April, May and September from 9:15 to 5:15 and from June to August from 9:15 to 18:00.
The price is 9 euros for adults
Upon arrival at the entrance we see that the ticket office closes at 12 and reopens at 1:00 noon at this time, so we have to run since it is 11:55 to be able to get tickets for two people for nine euros per person.
With the ticket in hand we access the Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle following with a triptych all the indicated points since we do not take the audio guide.
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
We enter theHaut-Koenigsbourg Castle on the ground floor and just through the first door, we began to realize the amount of rooms that are to visit and the reason they had told us that it was not a particularly quick visit. Count a minimum time to do it without stopping too much or stopping in many details.
Interior Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
Once we have traveled the ground floor, we access the first floor, where we can see the rooms in which the house itself was located, with many of the rooms connected to each other.
First floor room of Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
On this floor we also find the armory room, which is accessed after going through some galleries.
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle Armory
The truth is that theHaut-Koenigsbourg Castle It is a pleasant and interesting visit, although we believe that it is not an essential visit unless you are a special lover of this type of visits. What we do have to confirm is that the last part of the visit, in which incredible views of the surroundings are seen through the windows, is one of the most interesting points.
If you do not have a rental car, a good option is to book this tour of Alsace that includes the castle from Strasbourg.
Views from Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
Fog surrounds Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
We finished the visit toHaut-Koenigsbourg Castlewhen it's 1:30 at noon, at which point you have to head back to the Basel airport in the Swiss part, where we have to return the rental car in Alsace that has accompanied us these days of travel.
We are about 90 kilometers from the airport and almost an hour's journey, so we leave theHaut-Koenigsbourg Castlewith the intention of stopping somewhere to eat, something that in the end we do and is no other place than a McDonald's road, where we eat a couple of more brown menus for 23 euros.
After lunch and rest for a while, when it is almost 3 in the afternoon we take the car again and we make our way to the Basel / Basel airport, to the Swiss part, to return our car.
We arrived there after 4:30 in the afternoon and after passing the paperwork, both of the return of the car and the control of luggage and passports, which due to the attacks in Paris we found that they are much more exhaustive, a few minutes before boarding we arrive at the door, ready to finish our trip to Alsace at Christmas.
We embarked on time even without knowing that this was going to be one of the shortest flights that have been made to us and that is when we sit down rowmate He asks us if we are Street Travelers and ... without knowing very well how (well really yes: talking non-stop, logically of trips), we have spent a 2-hour flight as if it were 10 minutes. Cristina do you sign up for the next flight of more than 10 hours? So it's nice to fly!
We spend the next two hours furrowing the sky, reviewing everything we have lived and thinking about everything we have left to live and that is that in 15 days we will return to cross the skies of the world, this time in an opposite direction, willing to live a trip to Guatemala and Honduras that we know, will represent a End and start of unforgettable new year.
We arrive on time to Barcelona, at which time we call the VIP parking service of parking & go that in the time it takes to reach the meeting point we already have the car ready waiting for us at the door of the T2, starting the return home and starting to think about the next trip ...
And as we told you Cristina, we stole the phrase "I'm glad to come back from a trip, because that's how I know there will be another"
