Spend a Romantic Weekend in Alsace

Biking Through the Vineyards

You can pick up a rental bike right from the old town in Riquewihr and begin your wine adventure from here! We recommend renting ebikes because you can cover more ground and then you don’t have to show up to the wineries all sweaty.

Ribeauville is the most convenient bike route to Riquewihr but Kaysersberg-Vignoble is not too far by. If you are really feeling ambitious, you can take the bikes to Sélestat, which are both about the same distance but in opposite directions. If you have the bikes for two days, you can do Ribeauville and Sélestat one day and Kaysersberg and Colmar the other day.

Market Days in Alsace

Whenever you are traveling in France, make sure you know when the market days are! During market day, the whole town spills out into the main square to get their favorite foods for the week. If you plan well, you can make yourself a French picnic. Pick up a fresh baked baguette in town and put together the sandwich of your dreams with french cheese, marinated vegetables and more!

This can be a great way to experience a slice of local life and experience some of the cuisine. A lot of towns will have different market days, so depending on when you are there you can plan your itinerary accordingly. Here are the following market days:

• Colmar – Marché des Tanneurs: Every Thursday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.

• Colmar – Place de l’Ancienne Douane: Every Thursday from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm.

• Colmar – St Joseph: Every Saturday from 7:30 am to 1:00 pm

• Dambach-la-Ville – Place du Marché aux Poissons: Every Wednesday from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm

• Kaysersberg – Place Gouraud: Every Monday from 7:30 am to 12:30 pm.

• Mulhouse – Canal Couvert: Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm.

• Ribeauvillé – Place de la Mairie: Every Saturday morning all year round.

• Riquewihr: Every Friday morning and the first Sunday of the month.

• Sélestat – Old Town: Every Tuesday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Fairy Tale Towns

When you come to Alsace, you may find that it feels strangely familiar. That’s because these towns have inspired the setting for a number of different fairy tales, most notably the Beauty and the Beast. While there is still a debate over which town was the true inspiration for Belle’s village, they are all equally beautiful. Here are a few of our favorites:

Riquewihr: Riquewihr is perhaps the most lowkey town on this list, and that’s why we like to use it as a home base. It's a well preserved walled city that restricts cars for most of the day. It only takes about 45 minutes to wonder through all the cobblestone alleys so it is not a full day trip

Hunawihr: Hunawihr doesn’t have quite as extensive of an old town, but it still is worth a visit. It is in between Riquewihr and Ribeauville and it is surrounded by vineyards. If you want to do a wine tasting, this town makes a good stopover.

Ribeauville: Ribeauville does have a beautiful old town, but it is quite a bit more crowded than some of the other towns on this list. One of the crown jewels of this town is the three castles that are perched atop the surrounding mountains, making for an epic fairy tale backdrop.

Eguisheim: Equisheim has one of the most complex networks of half-timbered houses and narrow cobblestone lanes. This can be a good stop for lunch or if you simply want to get lost among the charming shops and rainbow colored houses.

Castle Hikes

As we mentioned before, the town of Ribeauville is located just a short bike ride from Riquewihr and it has not one, but three castles! These can be easily accessed via a walking path from the city center, and if you pack a picnic you can hit all three of them.

This is a great activity if you want to do something a little more active. After all, you might be drinking a lot of wine and need to burn some of it off!

Day Trip to Colmar

If you want to spend the whole day in one place, Colmar has the most to explore. While all the towns in this area boast beautiful old towns, Colmar is by far the largest. You can get lost in this winding maze of colorful houses, cute shops and quaint little restaurants.

This is definitely the most visited of the towns in Alsace so be prepared for crowds depending on the time of year. Many people stay in Colmar, which means it can be crowded in the morning and at night so that's why we recommend staying in one of the smaller towns if you want the place all to yourself in the evening.

Domain Jean Sipp: A great place to taste some of the local wines. We especially love their Cremant d'Alsace, the sparkling wine produced in this region.

Domaine Dopff Au Moulin: Well known winery to visit. Tasting room is located right in Riquewihr.

Kouglopf & Cie: Amazing bakery right in Riquewihr. We are still dreaming of their croissants!

Crêperie du Vieux Pressoir: A great place to grab breakfast or lunch. It's the perfect place to satisfy your crepe cravings.

AOR La Table le goût et Nous: A great dinner spot in Riquewihr.

Winstub La Flammerie: typical Alsatian restaurant located in Ribeauville

Sipp Louis Wines of Alsace: Winery located in Ribeauville offering extensive tasting options!

Le Cammissar: Highly recommended Michelin star restaurant located in Ribeauville.