Alsace Wine Route: 10 Fairytale Towns You Must Visit

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Visit the ten most charming fairytale towns located along the Alsace Wine Route in France!

France’s oldest wine route and the historic region of Alsace is among the most characteristic places we’ve ever traveled to. While visiting the Alsace wine route, experiencing at least one or two of the magical towns is a must.

As we explored one charming village after another, we couldn’t help but feel that they almost didn’t seem real because of how perfect they were.

Each town along the Alsace wine route had floral displays that could rival those at Disneyland. Storefront windows looked like postcard illustrations, and house facades resembled those from a fairytale dream.

These are our favorite towns along the Alsace wine route, complete with information on what to see, where to stay, and how to plan your visit.

Quick List: The Cutest Alsace Wine Route Towns

  1. Eguisheim
  2. Kaysersberg 
  3. Riquewihr
  4. Ribeauvillé
  5. Bergheim
  6. Obernai 
  7. Kintzheim
  8. Barr
  9. Dambach-la-Ville
  10. Colmar 
The Fontaine de Saint-Léon in Eguisheim.
Fontaine de Saint-Léon in Eguisheim

The Essentials for Visiting Alsace Wine Route Towns

🌟 The top four most admired towns along the Alsace wine route include Colmar, Eguisheim, Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé. Skip the rest if you’re not planning a long trip.

📍Colmar is the best base while touring the smaller towns in Alsace. If you’re looking for a “big city” atmosphere, stay in Strasbourg instead.

🍷 Wineries are very abundant and popular in towns along the Alsace wine route. Book a tour in advance for this must-do activity while visiting the region.

🚐 Do not rely on getting around the Alsace Wine Route towns by train. Only major towns have a train station while the rest are connected by bus only.

🚲 Driving, bicycling, hiking and guided tours (like this one!) are the best ways to get around Alsace. 

A sidewalk in Bergheim lined with floral arrangements.

Map of Alsace Wine Route Towns

10 Fairytale Towns Along the Alsace Wine Route

1. Eguisheim

Main Highlights:

Fontaine de Saint-Léon

Chapelle Saint-Léon IX

Maison Alsacienne de Biscuiterie

Caveau Heuhaus Alsace Restaurant

Parc à Cigognes (stork park)

Best Wineries in Eguisheim:

Domaine Emile Beyer

Albert Hertz Wines

Domaine Joseph Gruss & Son

Parking Info: The main tourist parking lot is located here. It is the most expensive parking lot in Alsace and requires you to pay €4, regardless of how long you are staying. The upside is – there is a free public restroom located on the lot.

2. Kaysersberg

Main Highlights:

Château de Kaysersberg

Musée Historique De Kaysersberg

Ancien Lavoir and Le Pont de Bois Photo Points

Constantine Fountain

Eglise Sainte-Croix

Best Wineries in Kaysersberg:

Bernard HAAS & Fils

Domaine Weinbach

Where to Eat Quickly: If you don’t find yourself swimming in hours of free time but need to find something to eat, stop at a boulangerie. These are bakeries will typically sell everything from croissants to sandwiches and other “ready to eat” goodies.

This way, you can enjoy a perfect takeaway bite to eat that doesn’t require you to set aside 1+ hour for lunch. Our favorite spot in Kaysersberg is Boulangerie L’Enfariné!

A building in Kaysersberg with red flowers in the windows with a French flag hanging from the side of building.
A characteristic side street with cobblestone in Kaysersberg.

3. Riquewihr

Main Highlights:

Tower Museum of Thieves

Fontaine de la Sinne

Musée du Dolder

Féerie De Noël Christmas Store

Butterfly Gardens

Private Walking Tour of Riquewihr

Best Wineries in Riquewihr:

Famille Hugel

SARL Bucher Jean-Luc

Domaine DOPFF AU MOULIN

The entrance to Riquewihr
A storefront in Riquewihr
A side street in Riquewihr

4. Ribeauvillé

Main Highlights:

Tour des Bouchers

Fontaine dite du Cerf

Église Saint-Grégoire

Château de Saint-Ulrich

Pèlerinage Notre-Dame de Dusenbach

Jardin de Ville

Château du Giersberg

Best Wineries in Ribeauvillé:

Louis SIPP – Grands Vins d’Alsace

Domaine Schneider Thierry

Bott Frères

Family Travel Tip: If you’re visiting Ribeauvillé with children, make sure to stop at Jardin de Ville (City Garden) for some “run around time.” The playground there is exceptional.

The main pedestrian street in Ribeauvillé with a view of the castle on the hill
The meticulously landscaped Fontaine dite du Cerf (fountain) in Ribeauvillé
The facade of a building in Ribeauvillé

5. Bergheim

Main Highlights:

Porte Haute (Obertor)

La Maison des Sorcières and Jardin des Sorcières

Tour de la Poudrière

Cimetière Militaire Allemand

Best Wineries in Bergheim:

Gustave Lorentz

Halbeisen Emile et Yvette

Domaine Marcel Deiss

Parking Info: Bergheim is one of the few towns along the Alsace wine route which doesn’t require paid parking for tourists. You can actually find a couple of parking lots that aren’t metered and just steps away from the town centre (like here).

6. Obernai

Main Highlights:

Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul

Christmas Market Obernai

Parcours de santé (hiking area)

Thierry Schwartz – Le Restaurant

Marché d’Obernai

Tour d’enceinte

Best Wineries in Obernai:

Vins WEIBEL Marcel et Fils

Domaine SEILLY

Vins d’Alsace Robert Blanck

Where to Walk in Obernai: The town has a lovely tree-line walking path along its perimeter of the old town. You can enter here and stroll around Obernai without running into cars or bikes.

A carousel in Obernai.

7. Kintzheim

Main Highlights:

La Montagne des Singes (monkey park)

La Volerie des Aigles (eagle park)

Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg

Parc des ruines du Château de Kintzheim

Best Wineries in Kintzheim:

Koehly Jean-Marie & Joseph

Julien Klein Vigneron

Wildlife Parks: The monkey and eagle park are two separate parks near Kintzheim. While they’re not a traditional activity you’d consider along the Alsace wine route, the parks are undoubtedly iconic to the area and worth visiting. If you have the time, you won’t regret a visit to either of them!

8. Barr

Main Highlights:

Chateau du Landsberg

Château de Haut-Andlau

Musée Folie Marco

Gingerbread Museum in Gertwiller

Best Wineries in Barr:

Domaine Hering

Vins Vincent STOEFFLER

A corner window unit in Barr, France
The fountain in front of Barr’s city hall building

9. Dambach-la-Ville

Main Highlights:

Château de Bernstein

Château de l’Ortenbourg

Chapelle Saint-Sébastien

Église Saint-Étienne

La porte de Blienschwiller

Best Wineries in Dambach-la-Ville:

Alsace Charles Frey

Vins d’Alsace Silber

Vins d’Alsace Schaeffer-Woerly

10. Colmar

Main Highlights:

La Petite Venise

Marché Couvert Colmar

Musée Unterlinden

Musée Bartholdi

Collégiale Saint-Martin de Colmar

Vieille ville de Colmar

Parc du Champ-de-Mars

Best Wineries in Colmar:

Domaine Robert Karcher et Fils

Domaine Martin JUND

Earl Domaine Schoffit

Who Should Stay in Colmar: If you’re not travelling with a car, Colmar is the best base for you because it’s easy to find a tour of the Alsace wine route towns that departs from Colmar. Furthermore, Colmar is packed with a ton of sights within walking distance of the town centre.

FAQs: Visiting Towns Along the Alsace Wine Route

What is the nicest village in Alsace?

Based on its petite size and density of how stinking cute this town is, Eguisheim is the most fairytale like village in Alsace. Each window box is meticulously decorated with colorful flowers while every corner is riddled with some sort of charm factor. There is not one leaf out of place which leads Eguisheim to feel like a surreal place. 

Are all the Alsace wine route towns worth visiting?

Truthfully, no. After experiencing two or three of the villages, they start to feel slightly uniform. There aren’t too many noteworthy differences among them, aside from various churches or castles and town squares. We recommend choosing 2-3 to visit as a day trip and spend the remainder of your time in Alsace drinking wine or bicycling.

How many days do you need to visit towns on the Alsace wine route?

If your plans for experiencing the Alsace region include visiting a couple of cute towns and perhaps a winery or two, a solid two or three days is enough.

Naturally, you can go much more in depth with your visit with additional activities such as biking (super popular in Alsace), food tours and visits to both Colmar and Strasbourg, but you’d need at least five days for this.

How to get around Alsace wine route?

The towns located on the Alsace wine route are situated along local and country roads. These are very easy to navigate by car and rarely see traffic.

Therefore, we recommend renting a car and driving through Alsace to make the most of your time

If your goal is to take it slower, opt for a bike tour or hiking excursion instead. The pedestrian and cycle paths are abundant in Alsace which is ideal for those seeking an “active” holiday. 

Trains only run to and from major cities in Alsace such as Colmar and Strasbourg because they’re close to the motorway. Since most of the cute towns in Alsace are located in the countryside(ish), you’d need to rely on the bus instead if you’re interested in taking public transportation.

What is the main city in Alsace?

Strasbourg is the capital city of the Grand Est region, which is where the historic region of Alsace is located in present day. Strasbourg also happens to be the largest and is even equipped with its own international airport.

Are Alsace towns more French or German?

Given the region’s complex history, there are many noticeable influences of German culture that has spread into the towns of Alsace. It is not distinctly French or German, which makes it beautifully unique as a destination. 

From a tourist’s perspective, you’ll mostly detect these hints in the cuisine, architecture and undoubtedly in the names of the towns.

It was also very common to hear the German language spoken by people who live in the Alsace region.

Where to Stay Along the Alsace Wine Route

Hotel SPA Husseren Collections – located in Eguisheim

Laterale Residences – located in Riquewihr

La Fontaine Sainte Odile – located in Obernai

Gite des Frères Mertian – located in Ribeauvillé

Le Cocon du Potier (managed by a pottery shop owner!) – located in Dambach-la-Ville

More Charming Towns to Discover:

Alsace Wine Route Travel Resources