Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Alsace: Strasbourg, Colmar and the Wine Route
6 days from Strasbourg: three nights by the cathedral with a Black Forest day, the Route des Vins to Riquewihr, and two nights in Colmar with Eguisheim and a domaine tasting.
6 days · Round trip from Strasbourg · up to 12 guests
Petite France on the river Ill, Strasbourg Photo: Guilhem Vellut from Annecy, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ill_river_%40_Petite_France_%40_Grande_Ile_%40_Strasbourg_(45618832051).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 6 days, 5 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Strasbourg
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Easy
Town walking on cobbles of about 4 to 7 km a day, with short climbs up castle ramps and vineyard lanes; the optional cathedral platform climb is 332 steps, and the Triberg waterfalls path is steep in places. Every climb can be sat out.
- Meals included
- 5 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 810 (estimated price)
- Season
- April to October, with Christmas market departures from late November to December
Highlights
Why this trip
- Strasbourg Cathedral at opening, then the 12:30 show of its astronomical clock
- Petite France and the covered bridges from the Vauban Dam terrace, then the Ill by boat
- A welcome dinner in a Strasbourg winstub, with choucroute, tarte flambée or a vegetarian dish
- A day over the Rhine in the Black Forest: Gengenbach's old town and the Triberg waterfalls
- Haut-Koenigsbourg at opening, then Riquewihr in the late afternoon once the coaches leave
- The Isenheim Altarpiece at the Musée Unterlinden as the doors open
- Eguisheim's ring of streets and a tasting with a family domaine
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 810 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Strasbourg
Paris Gare de l'Est by TGV, or Strasbourg Airport, to your hotel in Strasbourg
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Strasbourg
- By train
Come in by train or by air. If you fly into Paris, we reserve your seat on a direct TGV from Gare de l'Est, about 1 hour 50 to Strasbourg, and a driver meets you on the platform; if you fly into Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport, about 15 km west of the city, the driver meets you in arrivals. Your hotel is on or beside the Grande Île, the island in the river Ill that holds the old town, listed by UNESCO in 1988. Plan to arrive by about 5 pm.
Evening
Early in the evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing and an easy first walk: along the quays, past the timber-framed Maison Kammerzell and out into the cathedral square as the lights come on. Then we sit down together in a winstub, the small wood-panelled wine taverns of Strasbourg, to choucroute or tarte flambée and a glass of Alsace Riesling; tell us about any diet and there is always a vegetarian dish.
Included
- Reserved TGV seat from Paris Gare de l'Est, or pick-up at Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport (SXB)
- Welcome briefing and evening walk with your guide
- Welcome dinner in a Strasbourg winstub
Free time: Free until the early evening briefing
Activity: Arrive by about 5 pm to join the walk and dinner; later arrivals are met and join the group at dinner.
The cathedral, Petite France and the Ill
A day on foot in Strasbourg
- Breakfast
- Stay in Strasbourg
- By boat
We are at the cathedral when it opens to visitors at about 8:30, before the tour groups arrive. Notre-Dame de Strasbourg is built of pink Vosges sandstone, and its single spire made it the tallest building in the world for over two centuries. Inside, your guide walks you through the rose window, the Pillar of Angels and the stained glass; those who want a view climb 332 steps to the platform, 66 m up, for the roofs of the old town and, on a clear day, the Black Forest.
Morning
Late morning is the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame next door, with the original facade statues.
Afternoon
The nave closes to sightseeing around midday, and at about 12:30 we go back in with timed tickets for the show of the astronomical clock, when the apostles file past Christ. After lunch on your own we walk to Petite France, the old tanners' and millers' quarter, and look down on the Ponts Couverts from the Vauban Dam terrace. In the late afternoon a Batorama boat takes us around the Grande Île.
Evening
The evening is free.
Included
- Strasbourg Cathedral at opening with your guide
- Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame
- The astronomical clock's 12:30 show (timed ticket included)
- Petite France, the Ponts Couverts and the Vauban Dam terrace
- Batorama boat trip on the Ill around the Grande Île
Easier option: Skip the platform climb and take a coffee on the cathedral square while the others climb; the clock show and the afternoon are on flat ground.
More active option: Climb the 332 steps to the cathedral platform before the clock show.
Free time: Lunch and the evening free
Activity: About 6 km on foot on flat streets and cobbles, plus the optional 332-step climb. The clock show starts at about 12:30 and needs a timed ticket, which we buy ahead; we confirm times for your dates.
Over the Rhine to the Black Forest
Strasbourg to Gengenbach and Triberg in Germany, and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Strasbourg
- Drive about 3 h
Morning
After breakfast we cross the Rhine at Kehl into Germany and drive about 45 minutes up the Kinzig valley to Gengenbach, a small walled town of half-timbered houses at the edge of the Black Forest, quiet in the morning before the shops fill. Your guide walks you through the gates, the market square and up to the vineyards above the town. From there the road climbs through forest and farm valleys to Triberg, about an hour on.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in town, with Black Forest cake to finish. In the afternoon we walk the path beside the Triberg waterfalls, where the Gutach drops about 160 m in seven cascades through the fir trees; it is a steady climb, and you can turn back at any viewpoint.
Evening
We drive back to Strasbourg by late afternoon, about an hour and a half, which leaves the evening free on the Grande Île.
Included
- Gengenbach old town walk with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Triberg
- Triberg waterfalls entry and walk
Easier option: Stay in Strasbourg for a free day, or walk only the lower section of the waterfalls path and wait in a café in Triberg.
More active option: Walk the full waterfalls path to the top of the falls and back down by the far bank.
Free time: Evening free in Strasbourg
Activity: About 3 hours of driving in three stretches. The waterfalls path is steep and can be wet or icy in winter. Carry your passport.
Down the Route des Vins to Colmar
Strasbourg to Haut-Koenigsbourg, then Ribeauvillé, Hunawihr, Riquewihr and Colmar
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Colmar
- Drive about 2 h
We leave Strasbourg at about 8:15 and drive south for an hour, straight to Haut-Koenigsbourg, a sandstone castle on a spur 757 m above the plain, rebuilt for Kaiser Wilhelm II in the early 1900s. We are at the gate when it opens, at about 9:15 in summer, and your guide takes you through the keep, the armoury and the ramparts with the view over the Rhine plain to the Black Forest before the tour coaches fill the courtyards.
Afternoon
Then down onto the Route des Vins to Ribeauvillé, below its three ruined castles, for a walk along the Grand'Rue and a sit-down lunch. In the early afternoon we stop in Hunawihr, where a fortified church stands in the vines, then walk or ride the short way to Riquewihr, reaching it after about 4 pm, when the day-trip coaches start to leave. We walk its main street inside the walls to the Dolder gate tower. Colmar is fifteen minutes on, where we stay two nights.
Included
- Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle entry at opening, with your guide
- Ribeauvillé walk and a sit-down lunch
- Hunawihr and its fortified church
- Riquewihr in the late afternoon
Easier option: Stay in the castle courtyard and lower rooms instead of climbing to the keep and the upper ramparts.
More active option: Walk the vineyard path from Hunawihr to Riquewihr with your guide, about 2 km, and meet the van there.
Free time: Evening free in Colmar
Activity: Castle ramps and stairs, and steep cobbles in Riquewihr; about 5 km on foot in all. Haut-Koenigsbourg opens later and closes earlier from November to February, so December departures arrive at about 9:30 and see Riquewihr's market in the afternoon; we confirm hours for your dates.
Colmar, the Unterlinden and Eguisheim
Colmar on foot, then Eguisheim and back
- Breakfast and dinner
- Stay in Colmar
- Drive about 30 min
We start at the Musée Unterlinden as it opens at 9 am, in a former convent by the old town. Its centre is the Isenheim Altarpiece, painted by Matthias Grünewald for a hospital monastery between about 1512 and 1516, and the rooms are quiet enough at this hour to stand in front of it. Then your guide takes you through the old town: the Koïfhus customs house, the Maison des Têtes with its carved faces, the covered market and the canal houses of the Petite Venise.
Afternoon
Lunch is your choice in Colmar. In the afternoon we drive ten minutes to Eguisheim, a village built in rings of streets around its castle, and walk them slowly before a tasting at a family domaine: Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and a Crémant d'Alsace, with the winemaker or the family explaining the grand cru slopes above the village.
Evening
We finish with a farewell dinner in Colmar.
Included
- Musée Unterlinden at opening, with the Isenheim Altarpiece
- Colmar old town and the Petite Venise with your guide
- Eguisheim walk
- Wine tasting at a family domaine in or near Eguisheim
- Farewell dinner in Colmar
Easier option: Rest at the hotel after lunch and rejoin the group for the tasting in Eguisheim.
More active option: Walk up through the vines above Eguisheim to the three ruined towers of the castles on the ridge, about 1.5 hours, before the tasting.
Free time: Lunch free in Colmar
Activity: About 5 km on foot on flat cobbles. Departures avoid Tuesdays, when the Musée Unterlinden is closed.
Kaysersberg and back to Strasbourg
Colmar to Kaysersberg, then Strasbourg station or Strasbourg Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 1.5 h
Morning
A last morning in the vineyards. We drive about fifteen minutes west to Kaysersberg, in the valley mouth below a ruined castle, and walk across its fortified bridge over the Weiss and along the main street of painted houses while it is still quiet. Albert Schweitzer was born here in 1875, and the house is marked in the town. Then we take the road back north to Strasbourg, about an hour and a quarter, so about an hour and a half of driving in all, and your guide sees you to Strasbourg station for your TGV seat to Paris, or to Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport, by about 1 pm. If you are flying home from Paris, book a flight after about 6 pm at Charles de Gaulle, allowing for the train into Paris and across the city. If you would rather stay on in Strasbourg or fly from Basel-Mulhouse EuroAirport, tell us when you book and we will plan your drop-off accordingly.
Included
- Kaysersberg walk with your guide
- Drop-off at Strasbourg station or Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport (SXB)
- Reserved TGV seat to Paris Gare de l'Est for guests flying from Paris
Activity: Book a flight from Strasbourg after about 3 pm, or from Paris after about 6 pm.
- Strasbourg3 nights
- Colmar2 nights
- Strasbourgend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Alsace is one of the drier corners of France, sheltered by the Vosges. Summer days can pass 30 C, the vineyards turn gold in October, and December is cold and often grey, with short days that make the lit markets the centre of the evening.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- A first visit to Alsace with the wine villages done properly, not from a coach window
- Food and wine lovers who want a winstub night, a domaine tasting and free evenings to choose their own tables
- Travellers who want short drives and only one change of hotel
- A short trip that combines with a few days in Paris
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: cobbled villages, castle stairs and a steep waterfall path
- A serious wine tour with several tastings a day
- Travellers who want Paris or the rest of France in the same trip
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
5 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Strasbourg3 nights
- Colmar2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 5 nights: 3 in Strasbourg on or beside the Grande Île, 2 in Colmar near the Petite Venise
- Central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- A reserved TGV seat from Paris Gare de l'Est to Strasbourg on day 1 and back on day 6, or pick-up and drop-off at Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport (SXB)
- Our own air-conditioned minivan and driver from day 3
- The Batorama boat on the Ill in Strasbourg
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, with local site guides where a site requires them
Activities
- Strasbourg Cathedral, the platform climb, the Musée de l'Œuvre Notre-Dame and the astronomical clock show
- Petite France, the Ponts Couverts and the Vauban Dam terrace
- Gengenbach and the Triberg waterfalls in the Black Forest
- Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
- Ribeauvillé and Hunawihr
- Riquewihr
- The Musée Unterlinden and the Isenheim Altarpiece in Colmar
- Colmar old town and the Petite Venise
- Eguisheim and a tasting at a family domaine
- Kaysersberg
Meals
- 5 breakfasts
- 2 sit-down lunches (Black Forest day and wine route day)
- Welcome dinner in a Strasbourg winstub (vegetarian dishes available)
- Farewell dinner in Colmar
Not included
- International flights
- Travel insurance
- Visas, where your passport needs one for the Schengen area
- Lunches and dinners not listed
- Drinks beyond the tasting and with included meals
- Tips
- Personal expenses
- Nights in Paris or Strasbourg before or after the trip
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 810 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Five nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, two sit-down lunches, a welcome winstub dinner and a farewell dinner, a TGV seat from Paris and back or airport transfers, our own minivan and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, and every entry in the plan, including the cathedral platform and clock, Haut-Koenigsbourg, Triberg, the Unterlinden and a domaine tasting.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in one minivan. That size fits into Riquewihr and Eguisheim on the narrow wine-route roads, around one table in a winstub, and around one barrel at the tasting.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the first evening in Strasbourg to the last drop-off, with local site guides where a site requires them. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.
How fit do I need to be?
Easy. Expect about 4 to 7 km a day on foot, mostly flat cobbles, with castle stairs at Haut-Koenigsbourg. The 332-step cathedral climb and the full Triberg waterfalls path are optional, and you can stay in Strasbourg on the Black Forest day if you prefer.
Can I come to the Christmas markets?
Yes. We run December departures of the same route, timed for Strasbourg's Christkindelsmärik, held since 1570, and the Colmar markets, which run from late November to about 23 or 24 December. Expect higher hotel prices and some shorter opening hours; we confirm dates and price each year.
When is the best time to go?
May, June and September give mild days and quieter villages; the harvest in September and October turns the vines gold. July and August are warm and busy. December is cold and grey but lit by the Christmas markets, which is its own trip.
Is there a single supplement?
Yes. A room of your own costs from CAD 810 more, shown up front with the trip price and no surprise at checkout. Solo travellers are welcome; if you would rather share, ask and we will try to match you with another guest of the same gender.
How do I get to Strasbourg?
Most guests fly into Paris and take a direct TGV from Gare de l'Est, about 1 hour 50. We reserve that seat for you on day 1 and back on day 6, with a driver at Strasbourg station. You can also fly into Strasbourg-Entzheim Airport, where we meet you.
Do I need a visa for Alsace?
Not for most visitors. Canadian, US, UK and Australian citizens can visit France and Germany, both in the Schengen area, for up to 90 days without a visa, though the EU's new ETIAS travel authorisation is being phased in; we confirm what applies when you book. Carry your passport, because day 3 crosses into Germany.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book. We confirm your place within 24 hours, and no payment is taken until we do. Prices are indicative per person sharing a room, with taxes included; the small group starts from CAD 4,775.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private version is your party only, with your own guide and vehicle, on a date you choose, from CAD 8,595 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask from the dates section and we will quote hotels, trains and a tasting for you.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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