The next morning we headed north and followed the “Routes des Vins d'Alsace” the Alsace wine route. This day was just spent traveling on the route while enjoying beautiful landscapes, stopping at picturesque villages and taste some good white wines. I used Tourist Guide Marie Christine Périllon Alsace as a guide for our road trip and picked a few villages to stop throughout the day. We stopped at Riquewirh, Obernai and Mont Sainte-Odile Abbey. I wanted to stop at Betschdorf (known for its blue and gray stoneware), which is a pottery town in the Alsace just 15 minutes away from Soufflenheim (a better known pottery town) but we didn't have enough time.
Riquewirh was our first stop. I read this little village can get packed quick so I wanted to stop to see at the beginning of our day.
Riquewihr is a medieval town right in the heart of the Alsatian vineyards. A parking lot is right near the city hall and you can park right outside the old city gate for a few euros. Riquewihr is one of the most beautiful villages not only in Alsace, but of France and is included in the list of " Les plus Beau Villages du monde." Riquewihr is certainly like an enchantment place, a Fairy-Taile Village, which has lasts and-hopefully-will last-centuries.
Rand enjoyed running up the main street, Rue Charles de Gaulle and eating some treats from the local bakeries.
Overlooking Rue Charles de Gaulle is the Dolder Tower which used to be the town's gate and part of the walls protecting the town.
After grabbing a Crêpe on our way out of Riquewirh, we headed back onto Route des vins d'Alsace towards Obernai. We passed through many beautiful little wine villages and vineyards.
Some more pics of the Alsace stork and their nests
We stopped at Obernai to grab a bite to eat. Parking was very easy and found a place on the side of the street. We did a quick lap before walking down restaurant row and found a great place to eat overlooking the Parcours Historique d'Obernai.
Before heading back to the car to go to the Mont Sainte-Odile Monastery, we found a great little carousal for Rand to enjoy.
While researching where to go in Alsace, I came across Atlas Obscura and read an interesting story about a man who found an old floor plan of a Monastery and broke in to steal some old books from a locked library. The story completely interested me and I really wanted to go see Mont Sainte-Odile.
We parked for free in a field below the Monastery and had a bit of a hike before reaching our destination. I put Rand in my DIY toddler carrier and walked hiked up to Mont Sainte-Odile.
The views overlooking Alsace was a perfect end to our weekend in Alsace. We didn't go into the Monastery but enjoyed walking around the grounds and looking into the little chapels on the edges of the cliffs. Rand had a lot of energy so he ran around in circles in the garden and enjoyed climbing into this old carved out tree.
Tips for exploring Alsace:
-Get a good map of Alsace and the Route des vins d'Alsace. I used a map from my tour book Tourist Guide: Alsace
-Have a designated driver. This is wine route, you will see wine stands everywhere so be responsible and don't drink and drive!
-Check out airBnB for a unique place to stay on your trip through Alsace.
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