Where to stay in Alsace: the 5 areas to know in 2026
Christmas keeps coming up in what our members say about this region, and they are often the ones telling you not to come for it. One of our members describes Colmar, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr in December with the same phrase three times, "far too many people". Then she recommends Eguisheim over the holidays, and gives the reason: "even though the Christmas market is small, it is lovely".
That says it all. The market is not what makes these villages beautiful, the villages are, and they are there all year: several of our members say so in as many words. So the five areas below are chosen on what surrounds the hotel, not on the month. Only one place has everyone agreeing, Strasbourg cathedral, and almost everyone mentions its stained glass.
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The Christmas markets there are smaller than in Strasbourg, but they might have even more character.
One base or several?
The whole region fits within an hour and a quarter of driving, from Strasbourg to Mulhouse. So no day is lost to travel: the real question is how many bases.
- A long weekend: Strasbourg alone, an hour and fifty from Paris by TGV and without a car. It is the city our members talk about most, starting with its cathedral.
- One week: Strasbourg then Colmar, two bases and a car from the second one. Three nights in the city, four in Colmar, from where every vineyard village is twenty minutes away.
- Ten days: Add a night in the vineyard itself, at Riquewihr or Kaysersberg. It is the only way to have these villages before the coaches arrive and after they leave.
- Two weeks: Go down to Mulhouse and up to Mont Sainte-Odile. They are the quietest areas in the region, the ones where you meet the fewest people.
How much driving between two bases?
By road, everything is short: the A35 links Strasbourg to Mulhouse in an hour and a quarter, and the vineyard villages are twenty minutes from Colmar. The regional train shadows the motorway between the three cities, but it does not serve the vineyard: from Colmar onwards, a car.
| Route | Driving time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Strasbourg → Colmar | 45 min | 70 km on the A35, 30 min by regional train |
| Strasbourg → Mulhouse | 1 hr 15 | 115 km on the A35, 50 min by regional train |
| Strasbourg → Ottrott | 40 min | 35 km, then the climb to Mont Sainte-Odile |
| Strasbourg → Haut-Kœnigsbourg | 1 hr | 60 km, or about an hour by train with a change at Sélestat |
| Colmar → Eguisheim | 10 min | 7 km on the D14 |
| Colmar → Kaysersberg | 20 min | 12 km on the D28 |
| Colmar → Riquewihr | 20 min | 15 km on the D4 |
| Colmar → Ribeauvillé | 20 min | 17 km on the D1b |
| Riquewihr → Haut-Kœnigsbourg | 25 min | 20 km on the D1bis |
| Colmar → Mulhouse | 30 min | 45 km on the A35 |
At a glance: our picks by traveller type
Pick the profile that fits you and go straight to the recommended area.
Map of the areas in Alsace
See how the areas sit relative to one another before choosing your base. Click a name to jump to its description.
Strasbourg Grande Île, Petite France, Krutenau, European district
The one place in the region everyone agrees on
On the cathedral, our members agree as nowhere else: the stained glass first, then the astronomical clock, the single spire, whose missing twin one member first looks for before writing "then in the end you get used to it, and it gives the building character", the three hundred odd steps to the platform, the pink stone. Around it, the Vauban dam and its free terrace, the Orangerie park with its storks twenty minutes away by tram, and the Alsatian museum, which one member sums up like this: "not a must, but I recommend it for its setting".
Also unmissable is the climb to the cathedral platform. More than three hundred steps. It is a workout, but the magnificent view of the city and the spire make the effort worth it.
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Hôtel Cour du Corbeau Strasbourg MGallery Luxury
A half-timbered house that has been taking in travellers for more than four hundred years, three minutes from the cathedral. It is the address that looks like what you come here to see.
Régent Petite France Hôtel & Spa Luxury
A seventeenth-century mill on the Ill, right in Petite France, a hundred metres from the Vauban dam that our members put first.
Maison Rouge Strasbourg Hôtel & Spa Mid-range
A step from the cathedral and from place Kléber, with a spa. Handy for the late openings at the historical museum, which one of our members recommends.
ibis Styles Strasbourg Centre Petite France Budget
On quai de Paris, by the water and walking distance from everything this area names. It is the lowest rate in the centre, and that changes everything in December.
Pros
- One hour fifty from Paris by TGV, and the whole Grande Île on foot
- The Vauban dam, the walk across it and its terrace: our members stress the same detail, it is free
Cons
- The chalets around the cathedral in December are "a bit more expensive than in other parts of the city", one review notes
- The Orangerie park is a morning place: one member goes early "when there are not too many people yet"
Colmar and Petite Venise Petite Venise, Tanners' quarter, Champ de Mars
The one real disagreement is about December
Several of our members recommend Colmar in winter, another warns the opposite: "the Christmas market is stunning, but it attracts a huge number of people". The same member gives the way out, "the town is also lovely when the weather is nice". What comes back everywhere, though, is Petite Venise, that arm of the Lauch lined with half-timbered houses, "truly beautiful and probably deserves more fame", which can also be seen from a boat. The Unterlinden museum holds the Isenheim altarpiece, "but also a few Monets and Picassos I had never seen", with one reservation: "for lack of clear signage, you get a bit lost".
The Christmas market is stunning, but it attracts a huge number of people. If you do not like crowds, avoid that time of the year. The town is also lovely when the weather is nice.
Where to stay in this area
L'Esquisse Hôtel & Spa Colmar MGallery Luxury
On the Champ de Mars park, at the edge of the historic centre. Far enough from the December crowd to sleep, close enough to walk back into it.
Le Colombier Colmar Mid-range
In the Petite Venise quarter, the corner of Colmar our members talk about most.
Mercure Colmar Centre Unterlinden Mid-range
Right against the Unterlinden museum and the old town. Useful when you are aiming for the Isenheim altarpiece on a winter morning, before the crowd.
ibis Styles Colmar Centre Budget
On boulevard du Champ de Mars, ten minutes on foot from Petite Venise. The lowest rate in the area, with parking, which counts here.
Pros
- "It is easy to park close to the town centre", writes a member who comes back regularly: rare in Alsace
- The best base for the wine route: every village is twenty minutes away
Cons
- In December the town fills up, and it is the only point our members contradict each other on
- The Unterlinden museum lacks clear signage, according to one of our reviews
The wine route and the Haut-Kœnigsbourg Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim, Husseren
Five villages within twenty kilometres, and the season question every time
This is where it all gets decided. The same member writes "far too many people" about Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé in December, and recommends Eguisheim over the holidays "even though the Christmas market is small". What matters is the size, not the date. Another member spends "half a day in Riquewihr every single time" and calls it "the most charming village in the Haut-Rhin". At Kaysersberg, it is the castle that "makes all the difference with the other villages", and it is free. Above all of it, the Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle where the same problem keeps coming up: parking.
Riquewihr is a typical Alsatian village that is really very cute, regardless of the time of year. The center is small but worth a look with its half-timbered houses.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Le Chambard Luxury
Five stars at the foot of Kaysersberg castle, with an indoor pool, a spa, a winstub and Olivier Nasti's Michelin-starred restaurant. The most expensive address in this guide, and it owns it.
Le Clos Saint Vincent Luxury
Above Ribeauvillé, in the vineyard, with a pool and a spa. You set off from here on foot towards the Saint-Ulrich fortress, a climb our review calls demanding, "but the reward matches the effort".
Hôtel Le Riquewihr Mid-range
At the entrance to the historic site of Riquewihr, fifteen minutes from Colmar. Sleeping here is the only way to have the village before and after the coaches.
Hôtel Colmar Vignes Budget
Seventeen rooms in Eguisheim, a hundred metres from the Eichberg and Pfersigberg grands crus and ten minutes from Colmar. This is the village our review recommends precisely for the holidays.
Pros
- The five villages fit within twenty kilometres: a single base is enough
- The Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle can be reached from Strasbourg without a car, "a good hour's journey with a change at Sélestat station", one of our reviews specifies
Cons
- The Haut-Kœnigsbourg car park fills up: come early, or on a weekday
- The Christmas markets in these villages are small: a quality for some of our members, a disappointment for others
Mont Sainte-Odile and the uplands Ottrott, Le Hohwald, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines valley
The area you climb on foot
Ottrott "in itself is not necessarily that interesting", one member says bluntly, before adding: "I strongly recommend visiting Mont Sainte-Odile". Our members agree on the view, and several describe walking up rather than using the car park at the top, one by the pilgrims' path, the other by the Pagan wall. Further south, Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines is "not an exceptional town", says the same review, but its silver mines can be explored by caving. And at Le Hohwald, you park in the village and follow the waymarked path to the waterfall.
As for me, I parked at the bottom and followed the pilgrim trail to get to the summit. It was a bit of a tough walk, but very pleasant in the middle of the forest.
The towns in this area
What to see and do in this area
Where to stay in this area
Hostellerie des Châteaux & Spa Luxury
At the foot of Mont Sainte-Odile, on rue des Châteaux, with a wellness area of more than 2,500 sq m and three pools. It is the upmarket address in this area.
Pros
- Forty minutes from Strasbourg, and another region: forest, paths, silence
- The Mont Sainte-Odile site stays "relatively quiet" despite the visitors, writes a member who keeps going back
Cons
- The walk up the path "might not be ideal with young children", our review warns
- Places to stay are mostly gîtes and guesthouses, and they book up early
Mulhouse and southern Alsace Place de la Réunion, Nouveau Bassin, Guebwiller valley
The lowest rates in the region, and two museums that win people over
"For me, Mulhouse is not the prettiest of Alsatian towns", says one of our most loyal members in the region, plainly. He moves straight on to what does bring people: place de la Réunion, "a lot of life", and above all the museums. His review of the Cité de l'Automobile opens with "I am not a big car enthusiast, or even one at all" and ends with a whole afternoon spent there. Around it, Murbach abbey deep in the forest, "calm reigns supreme here", and the Hartmannswillerkopf.
I am not a big car enthusiast, or even one at all. I went there on a rainy day, basically to check out an exhibit on motorcycles and cinema. I ended up spending the whole afternoon there. A very pleasant surprise.
The towns in this area
Where to stay in this area
La Maison Hôtel Mulhouse Centre Mid-range
A few minutes from place de la Réunion, with a spa and a gym. You are within walking distance of the square, where the centre feels most alive.
Pros
- The lowest rates in the region, and an hour and a quarter from Strasbourg by motorway
- The area that rescues a rainy day: two very large museums, plus the cinemas and exhibitions our review gives as a reason to come
Cons
- One member says it plainly: it is not the prettiest town in Alsace
- The centre is small: one night is enough, unless you do both museums
Our tips for booking the right place
- The Christmas market is not the reason to come: Christmas comes up often in our members' accounts. But those who describe the markets themselves say they are small: "smaller than in Strasbourg, but they might have even more character", "the Christmas market is only a handful of chalets". And several members say the village is worth it in any season, "regardless of the time of year", "in summer as in winter". What you come to see is half-timbered houses, and they do not close in January.
- One member warns off three villages in December and recommends a fourth: She writes "far too many people" about Colmar, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr, and on the last one adds that December "is not the best time to enjoy the village to the fullest". Then she recommends Eguisheim over the holidays, with the reason: "even though the Christmas market is small, it is lovely". The criterion is not the date, it is the size of the market. Worth checking before booking a week in December.
- Strasbourg cathedral, and what everyone looks at: Almost all our members mention the stained glass, many the astronomical clock, the single spire and the asymmetry that follows from it, or the climb to the platform, "more than three hundred steps, it is a workout, but the magnificent view of the city and the spire make the effort worth it". Others notice the pink sandstone. Nothing else in the region does that.
- The Haut-Kœnigsbourg is won on the car park, not on the ticket: At the Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle, our members flag the same thing: "in summer, especially at weekends, parking can be complicated", "the car park does not have much space, it is better to arrive early in season". Another gives the car-free alternative from Strasbourg, "a good hour's journey with a change at Sélestat station". Allow half a day.
- December, one voice among others: The three warnings about December crowds come from the same member, who knows the region well. Others find the markets charming precisely because they are small. If crowds get to you, aim for a small village like Eguisheim, or come outside the holidays.
- Booking a week in December in Colmar, Riquewihr or Ribeauvillé hoping for quiet: that is exactly what our members warn about.
- Driving up to the Haut-Kœnigsbourg on a summer weekend after ten o'clock: the car park fills up.
- Counting on the train for the wine route: the regional line links the cities, not the villages. From Colmar onwards you need a car.
- Sleeping in Mulhouse to visit the vineyard: forty-five extra kilometres every day, when Colmar sits in the middle.
FAQ: where to stay in Alsace
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