Just 6-hours drive from Calais, you’ll find yourself in the enchanting and lesser-known Alsace region in central France. While Alsace is renowned for its exquisite wines, it holds an additional treasure – a network of picturesque wine routes and the breathtaking Vosges Mountains, offering endless stretches of exhilarating driving roads.
You’ll head straight into the heart of the Vosges Mountains. Here, you’ll discover delightful mountain passes that ascend to nearly 1300 meters in elevation, as you traverse a loop along the region’s most renowned scenic road, known as the Route des Crêtes. You’ll relish a journey up to the iconic Chateau du Haut Koenigsbourg, offering unparalleled vistas across the Rhine Valley. After a leisurely lunch in Ribeauville you’ll head back through the mountains to your hotel, with time to relax in the pool before dinner.
The following day you’ll be back in to the mountains, exploring new routes, before spending a relaxing afternoon in either Colmar with its cobblestoned streets and ‘Little Venice’ canals, or head up to Strasbourg, with its medieval bridges and canals lined with 16th-century half-timbered houses.
The final day is heading north to the beautiful town of Metz, with a mix of lively shopping streets and riverside. Maybe a solar-powered boat trip is the best way to relax before heading to the animated terraces, cafés and bars for the evening.
Price per person from £975
Notes: Parking pay on checkout since some hotels charge by the hour.
If travelling solo, take the price for 2 persons then deduct 30 GBP per night for room/breakfast adjustment
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Arrive in our preferred hotel on the outskirts of the Alsace forest in Ensisheim. This delightful 4 star spa hotel will be your base for the next 3 nights. An advance dinner reservation is recommended. If you want an extra day to make your journey here more leisurely we can arrange that for you, with a driving route that then takes you across the Ballon D’Alsace and give the opportunity to visit the awesome Musée National de l’Automobile.
Your driving tour kicks off properly today. In the morning you’ll head straight in to the beautiful Vosges Mountains driving several cols, a visit to the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg then lunch in Rinbeauville. In the afternoon you’ll be heading back through the Vosges Mountains on more sweeping roads. Returning to your 4 star hotel you can relax in the pool before dinner either in the hotel or at our suggested restaurant in the village.
This morning it’s back out in to the Vosges Mountains on a different route leading you to spend the afternoon either in Colmar with its cobblestoned streets and ‘Little Venice’ canals or head up to Strasbourg, with its medieval bridges and canals lined with 16th-century half-timbered houses. Again you’re back to Ensisheim for your final evening here.
The final day of proper driving sees you leaving the Alsace wine region (make sure you’ve got some of the local wines to take back with you) before your final night stay in Metz at a centrally located 4 star hotel in the heart of city.
Sadly it’s time to head home. Or is it? You could always extend your trip with an extra night in Metz to experience what this town has to offer, or maybe a stopover in France at a castle as you head back to Calais and ultimately the UK.
