Alsace and Lorraine Cottages

Holiday Cottages in Alsace and Lorraine

Welcome to Alsace & Lorraine

In France’s north-eastern corner you’ll find the beautiful and diverse départements of Alsace and Lorraine; separate départements but often talked of in one breath, centuries of border strife has meant a colourful culture and shared history binding them together.  A wonderful location for a country cottage holiday in France, Alsace and Lorraine share borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland.  Alsace rolls out northwards from Basle along the Rhine for 120 miles, whilst Lorraine sits above Champagne’s vineyard covered plains and joins Alsace in the stunning peaks of the Vosges Mountains.

As you may imagine there is plenty of evidence of the past two World Wars that tragically scarred Alsace and Lorraine including the town of Verdun with its military cemeteries, World Peace Centre and the extraordinarily misconceived Maginot Line.  Along with the fascinating and poignant reminders of war, today Alsace and Lorraine offer miles and miles of sumptuous scenery, forests, waterways and three stunning national parks to explore and enjoy.

Along with many canals for boating there is a wealth of cycle routes and waymarked walks.  Wander through villages of half-timbered houses enjoy horse riding in the low, vine covered hills, past castles and lakes.  Fishing is excellent in this region, plus hiking and climbing in the Vosges.  It may not be as lofty as the Alps but check out La Bresse, Géardmer and Lac Blanc for great skiing in winter.

Throughout the whole region you’ll find fabulous museums and heritage including the Modern and Contemporary Art Museum in Strasbourg and Mulhouse, the ‘French Manchester’.  Meanwhile children are also really well catered for with butterfly gardens, working farms and medieval falconry displays!

Things to do in Alsace & Lorraine

For a wealth of outdoor pursuits immerse yourself in Lorraine’s three fab nature reserves: the Ballons des Vosges Nature Park for climbing, hiking and winter sports; the Lorraine Regional Nature Park is a favourite of angers and watersports enthusiasts and the Vosges du Nord Nature Park hosts miles and miles of waymarked trails.  The fastest way to slow down, cruise the regions many canals, passing gorgeous scenery and many sights of interest, including the Saint Louis-Arzviller inclined plane: a 41º cable car lift for boats, replacing the previous 17 locks in 1969!

For culture head for the city of Strasbourg and its fine Museum of Contemporary Art, but Mulhouse beats ‘em all with many different museums from its industrial past including Museum of Textiles, Museum of History, Museum of Wallpaper, National Museum of Railways and National Automobile Museum.  Renovated by Kaiser Willhelm II, visit the soaring hill top castle of Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg with some of the best views in Alsace.

For fun packed family days out everyone will love the Ecomusée, a superb open-air farming museum with cottages, farm animals and activities spread over 70 acres and the castle at Kinzheim, surrounded by a fabulous forest for great falconry displays and castle fun and games.

At the end of the day you could do far worse than sit down and appreciate the wines of the region from Gewürztraminer and Sylvaner to Muscat d’Alsace and Pinot Noir.  As well as famous Quiche Lorraine, discover the blending of German and French culture over the years within great local specialties like delicious plum tarts, a three-meat stew and kougelhopf, a round almond and raisin sweet bread.