DESTINATION ELZAS - RIQUEWIHR & OBERNAI

When we travel towards Switzerland or Italy our favourite route is via the Elzas. As we always want a piece of France during our holiday but also because this colourful part of the country is great for foodies.

Riquewihr

Riquewihr is a small enclosed village at a little bit less than seven hour drive from The Netherlands. It's part of the 'route vin d'Alsace' and it's probably one of the most beautiful ones. With it's amazing colourful houses and cobble stone streets it's a must see when you visit this region.

Best Western Hotel Schoenenbourg

We stayed in a great hotel just outside the defensive walls of the town: Best Western Hotel Schoenenbourg. The hotel has triple rooms, which means it's great to stay with kids. And the other best part is the swimming pool. It's only a two minute walk to the enclosed village where you can find plenty of nice places to eat and make your foodie heart happy. What about a nice pretzel in one of the many food stalls or a glass of Elzasser wine on a terrace. And don't forget to eat a Flammkuchen, which is the Elzasser version of pizza.

Best Western Hotel Schoenenbourg, 2A Rue de la Piscine, Riquewihr

Wine by Domaine Dopff

You can make a trip to one of the many vineyards. At the edge of the town you can find Domaine Dopff au Moulin. Since 1574 many fathers and sons have been growing wine on the slopes around the little town of Riquewihr. After seeing a demonstration of the 'methode Champenoise at the Exhibition in Paris, Domaine Dopff became the inventor of Crémant d'Alsace.

Domaine Dopff, 2 Avenue Jacques Preiss, Riquewihr

Restaurant Relais des Moines

We had dinner at Restaurant Relais des Moines where I had an amazing 'Salade folle'. This 'crazy' salad is a covered with a mix of Foie gras and Magret de Canard. For me this is the region on my plate and I absolutely loved it. We also took another typical Elzasser dish: Sauerkraut. I always remembered massive steaming plates which didn't seem really attractive in the middle of the summer. But here they serve a normal portion with lots of different meats. I absolutely loved it.

Restaurant Relais des Moines, 21, Rue du Général de Gaulle, Riquewihr

Obernai

Another nice village is Obernai, which is a bit bigger and therefore offers more shops. It is situated at the foot of mount St Odile and also has a lot of magnificent half timbered houses with lots of bright colours. Unfortunately we stayed in Obernai at 14th of July, the French National Day, so everything was closed. We did visit two great cheese shops : Le Gout du Terroir and La Cloche à Fromage. The first offers lots of local cheese and also dried sausages from the region. La Cloche à Fromage is a must visit for the massive glass bell which covers the cheeses.

Le Gout du Terroir, Rue du Marché

La Cloche a Fromage, 3 Rue Dietrich

Hotel Les Jardins d'Adalric

We stayed in Hotel Les Jardins d'Adalric which is a 1o minute walk and a 2 minute drive to the center. But that's absolutely worth it. The hotel has modern refurbished rooms with airconditioning. They even offer 3 and 4 bed rooms, again great for families. The garden of the hotel is amazing and boasts a spacious swimming pool and comfortable sitting areas and sunbeds. Unfortunately they don't offer dinner but you can book your room with breakfast.

Hotel Les Jardins d'Adalric, 19 Rue du Maréchal Koenig, Obernai

We will absolutely come back to the Elzas region, if only to taste more of the amazing wine and food. But apart from that, this region has beautiful villages and amazing views on the vineyards.

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