ALSACE is located in north-eastern France and is famous for its wine, its "disneyland" kind of houses and particularly for its castles which sit enthroned on the summits of the Vosges mountains. Alsace has more than 400 castles, most of them are in ruins but still remain a reward for the hiker. When visiting the region, you will also be amazed at the numerous churches and little chapels built long time ago.

ALSACE

Alsace is also known for the richness of its gastronomy. The Kugelhopf is an emblematic Alsatian dessert. A common Kougelhof consists of a soft yeast dough with raisins and almonds in it and is baked in a special form.

Our ‘French Moments’ pages on Alsace:

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Sundgau - a rural place of interest in Southern Alsace.

History of the Sundgau - the past glory of the Sundgau which once belonged to Austria.

Munster - a cheese from the Vosges, produced in Alsace and Lorraine.

Christmas in Alsace - full of tradition and Christmas spirit!

Leckerlis Recipe - delicious Christmas cookies originally form Basel and the South of Alsace.

Bredalas de Noël - recipe of 6 Christmas cookies traditionally baked in Alsace at Christmas time.

The capital Strasbourg is home to one of France’s most beautiful Gothic cathedral, a pedestrian old town centre, and the country’s premier Christmas Market. It is also where the European MPs meet at the European Parliament.

South of Strasbourg is another major touristic town: Colmar. From there you can easily journey through the Route des Vins and the Route des Crêtes. South of Mulhouse stretches the rural - but rich - area of Sundgau.

Alsace is definitevely a region worth a visit... should it be for the sight of its emblematic bird: the white stork!

But there are also other specialities from Alsace, such as Christmas cookies, locally known as Bredalas, and the Linzer Torte borrowed from the Austrians...

Route des Crêtes des Vosges - a reputed and highly frequented tourist itinerary in the Vosges mountains.

Kugelhopf - recipe of the famous brioche cake from Alsace.

Linzer Torte - recipe of the Austrian tart often cooked in Alsace.

Strasbourg Homepage - the capital of Alsace: the Old-Town, the gothic cathedral, the German Imperial district, Strasbourg and Europe.

Alsace Wine Route - the most popular tourist itinerary in Alsace, and the charming little towns of Riquewihr, Kaysersberg and Eguisheim.

Alsace Wines - the wines from the Alsatian cépages are still sold in gracefully-shaped bottles.

The Alsace vineyards extends across the hills of the Vosges at between 200 and 400 metres high, over some 14,000 hectares of grapevines which produce an average of 150 million bottles of wine. Benefiting from local microclimates, the Alsatian vineyards are bordered to the West by the natural barrier of the Vosges, and to the East by the Rhine Plain which has its own large natural border: the Black Forest in Germany.

Colmar - the capital of Alsace Wines is a must-to-see on your visit to the region.