Alsace

• One of France's best kept secrets - right off the tourist trail
• Wonderful gastronomy and world famous wines
• Lazy rivers, ancient oak forests, cherry orchards
• Gingerbread houses, cosy winstubs, mediaeval castles
• Gothic splendours of Strasbourg and Colmar - 'Little Venice' of France

Alsace is one of France’s best-kept secrets. As any Alsacian will tell you - passionately - the tiny region has its own distinct character, culture and dialect. Much of its charm lies in its fairytale towns and villages. Often fortified, they have narrow cobbled streets, Gothic churches and cool fountains. Everywhere is festooned with bright flowers, and the painted wrought iron signs hanging outside inns and shops are an art form in themselves.   And a wonderful selection of vineyards awaits you on an Alsace bicycle wine tour through the region.

Lying on a narrow strip of land between the Vosges Mountains and the mightly Rhine, Alsace has always been hotly-contested frontier country. You’ll see magnificent châteaux where royal feuds, bloody battles and successions of invaders have left their mark. You’ll witness annual festivities whose roots lie in mediaeval folklore, and see lots of people proudly wearing regional costume.

Cycling

Walking