Colmar & Alsace: France's Most Underrated Region

Half-timbered villages, exceptional wines, and Franco-German cuisine make Alsace a must-visit for the luxury traveler.

Alsace is France's best-kept secret. Sandwiched between the Vosges mountains and the Rhine, this border region blends French and German cultures into something uniquely enchanting.

Colmar's 'Little Venice' district is impossibly photogenic: half-timbered houses in candy colors line the Lauch river, draped with flowers from spring to autumn. The Unterlinden Museum houses the magnificent Isenheim Altarpiece.

The Isenheim Altarpiece, painted by Matthias Grünewald around 1515, is one of the most powerful works of art in Northern Europe. Its depiction of the Crucifixion is harrowing in its realism, while the Resurrection panel radiates an almost psychedelic luminosity. The museum's 2015 extension by Herzog & de Meuron provides a modern architectural counterpoint to the medieval collection.

The Alsace Wine Route (Route des Vins d'Alsace) runs 170 km from Strasbourg to Mulhouse. Along the way, villages like Riquewihr, Eguisheim, and Kaysersberg compete for the title of 'most charming in France.'

Eguisheim, arranged in concentric circles around its 13th-century château, has been voted the favourite village of the French in a national television poll. Walking its circular lanes, past geranium-draped half-timbered houses and ancient wine cellars, takes about forty minutes and is one of the most pleasant strolls in the country.

Alsatian cuisine is hearty and extraordinary: choucroute garnie (sauerkraut with sausages), tarte flambée (Alsatian pizza), baeckeoffe (meat and potato stew), and kougelhopf (ring-shaped cake). Paired with Riesling or Gewurztraminer, it's unforgettable.

For dining, the winstub is the quintessential Alsatian experience — a wood-panelled wine tavern serving traditional dishes and local wines by the glass or carafe. In Colmar, Winstub Brenner on Rue de Turenne is a favourite, and in Strasbourg, Chez Yvonne near the cathedral has served choucroute to presidents and prime ministers.

The wines of Alsace — primarily white — are among the finest in France. Grand Cru Rieslings can rival the best white Burgundies, and late-harvest (Vendanges Tardives) wines are sublime dessert companions.

Notable producers to visit include Domaine Weinbach in Kaysersberg (whose Cuvée Sainte Catherine Riesling is extraordinary), Trimbach in Ribeauvillé (the Clos Sainte Hune is one of the world's greatest dry Rieslings), and Marcel Deiss in Bergheim, who pioneered the return to field-blend wines in a region that had moved almost entirely to single-variety bottlings.

Beyond food and wine, Alsace has a rich cultural heritage. Strasbourg's European Parliament and European Court of Human Rights give it international significance, while its Gothic cathedral — with the tallest medieval tower ever completed (142 metres) — dominates the skyline. The astronomical clock inside, built in 1843, performs an automated procession of apostles daily at 12:30 PM.

For the best experience, plan three full days: one for Colmar and its immediate surroundings, one for the wine route villages south of Colmar, and one for Strasbourg. The region is compact and well-connected, making it ideal for unhurried exploration at a pace that allows spontaneous detours into cellars, patisseries, and village squares.