Alsace is a region in the northeast of France. Alsace has through its history changed hands between Germany and France on several occasions. The local culture is distinct, and the region offers historic cities and castles, and interesting countryside. A popular itinerary is the Alsatian Vineyard Route - fabulous for walking from town to town trying a whole bunch of local wines.
Alsace also has some of the most beautiful cathedrals and churches in Western Europe. The stunning Strasbourg Cathedral is a unique example of a mix of roman and gothic architecture and has the peculiarity of having one tower only and of being built with pink Vosges gres.
Due to their tumultuous past history, Alsatians are extremely proud to be French and take great offence in being mistaken for Germans when they go overseas or inland France. You will not see more French flags on the streets of any other inland French cities. Alsatians have a very deep attachment to France even if the French Government has not always reciprocated. During WWII, all Alsatians men were sent by the Germans to the Russian front. Some boys managed to escape before being sent there and went to Paris to enrol in the French army. This act of courage however came at a dire price as the family of those "malgré nous" would often be killed or sent to concentration camps.
CITIES
PLACE TO VISIT
River cruise on Strasbourg's "Ill" canal
Ecomuseum of Ungersheim - were traditional houses from all over the region have been transferred into one place
Riquewihr Traditional Winemaking village
Cité de l'automobile - National Motor Museum - Collection Schlumpf
Discover the fantastic Fritz Schlumpf collection: Bugatti, Rolls Royce, Ferrari, Hispano Suiza. They're all there, in an area covering 17,000 m², 400 exceptional cars from amongst the most famous. There are giant screens, simulators, reconstructions truer than real life, games.
Cité du Train - Visit the Cité du Train or French Railway Museum in Mulhouse. Through the 15,000 m² of the largest train museum in France, discover the history of French railway.
HOW TO REACH
The Haut-Rhin département is served by Euroairport, the airport that serves Mulhouse, Basel and Freiburg, with excellent links by road and train to these cities. Easyjet is a good provider, with links to London and Liverpool. A smaller airport also exists at Entzheim, near Strasbourg. But the easiest way to get in is by road. The Bas-Rhin département is linked to Paris and the rest of France by the A4 highway and the N4 road, when the Haut-Rhin is linked to west by the N59 road (via the tunnel of Ste-Marie-aux-Mines) and to the south (Belfort) by the A36 highway. Other small roads link Lorraine to Alsace, but they're all really winding since they go through the Vosges. The main access to Switzerland is the A35 highway (between Mulhouse, France and Basel, Switzerland). If you arrive from Germany, you can cross the Rhine easily at one of several bridges.
