Where to Stay in Alsace

The Grande Ile is Strasbourg's historic island, ringed by two arms of the Ill River. Rue du Maroquin and Rue des Orfevres put you three minutes from Notre-Dame Cathedral, whose 142-metre spire is still the tallest in France. Petite France, the timbered tanners' quarter, is 10 minutes on foot along the river. Place Kleber hosts the Christmas market from late November and sells out hotels by August. Tram lines A and D connect the island to the train station in 8 minutes. Parking is expensive and pointless. Budget $130 or more per night for a decent central room.

Best for

First-timersChristmas market visitorscouples without a car

Walk times

Notre-Dame Cathedral 3 min
Petite France 10 min
European Parliament 28 min

Skip if: You are on a tight budget or travelling with a car you need to park cheaply

Local tip: Skip hotels directly facing Place Gutenberg in December. Market noise runs past midnight every night.

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$123per night

Colmar Old Town

The Wine Route capital, quieter and cheaper than Strasbourg

Mid-range $85-$230/night

Colmar's old town packs more colour per street than almost anywhere in France. Quai de la Poissonnerie in Little Venice gets lined with photographers every morning before 8am. Rue des Marchands cuts through the Koifhus quarter and reaches the Unterlinden Museum, home of the Isenheim Altarpiece, in 6 minutes on foot. Hotels near Rue des Tetes give you central access without waterfront prices. The full old town circuit takes under 40 minutes to walk. Strasbourg is 28 minutes by TER train. Wine bar density on Grand Rue is higher than any other town in Alsace.

Best for

Wine loversphotographerstravellers using the Wine Route by day

Walk times

Unterlinden Museum 7 min
Little Venice (Petite Venise) 5 min
Colmar train station 12 min

Skip if: You want a full city with restaurants open past 10pm and a real nightlife scene

Local tip: Stay Monday to Thursday if possible. Weekend crowds in summer push prices up 25 percent and fill every restaurant by 7pm.

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$95per night

Route des Vins Villages

Vineyard views, half the price, a car makes it easy

Budget $70-$195/night

Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Eguisheim and Ribeauville are the four villages worth basing yourself in. Riquewihr's Rue du General de Gaulle is fully pedestrianised and lined with wine caves open for tasting from 9am. Kaysersberg, birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, has fewer tourists than Riquewihr and better boulangeries on Rue du General de Gaulle. Eguisheim is the most circular of the villages: its entire ring road takes 15 minutes to walk. Hotels are mostly family guesthouses with breakfast included. The seasonal Vitiflore bus connects villages from April to October. Prices run 30 to 40 percent below Strasbourg for comparable rooms.

Best for

Wine tourismcouplesslow travelvisiting during September harvest

Walk times

Village center in Riquewihr 4 min
Nearest working vineyard 8 min
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle 25 min

Skip if: You depend on public transport or plan to visit Strasbourg every day

Local tip: Book Eguisheim over Riquewihr in July and August. It is equally beautiful and receives roughly half the visitors.

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$78per night

Northern Alsace (Obernai and Bas-Rhin)

Local life, lowest prices, 30 minutes from Strasbourg by train

Budget $60-$155/night

Obernai sits 25 km south of Strasbourg and is far less visited than Colmar. Place du Marche is a real market square anchored by the 13th-century corn exchange and the Six-Seau well. Rue du General Gouraud connects the main hotels to the medieval town walls in under 5 minutes. The area suits hikers: Mont Sainte-Odile, Alsace's most visited pilgrimage site, is 10 km away, and the Spesbourg and Landsberg castle ruins are reachable by trail. Strasbourg is 30 minutes by TER regional train, making this a practical base for day trips. Prices run 35 to 50 percent below Strasbourg.

Best for

Budget travellershikersthose day-tripping to Strasbourg by train

Walk times

Obernai market square 5 min
Medieval town walls 8 min
Obernai train station 10 min

Skip if: You want to walk to major Alsace sights without a car or bus

Local tip: The Obernai brewery produces Kronenbourg and Fischer here. Tours run most weekday mornings but book at least 5 days ahead, not the day before.

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$67per night