Visit Alsace: when to go, what to see and what it costs

A European capital set on the Ill, Strasbourg needs two full days: the pink-sandstone cathedral and its astronomical clock (figures move at 12:30), the Petite France quarter, the Palais Rohan and the European district served by tram E. The city is 1h50 by high-speed train from Paris. In December the Christmas market, one of Europe's oldest, drives hotel prices up and clogs the centre by midday: book months ahead or stay in Colmar.

Thirty minutes south by train, Colmar works as a base for the vineyard. The Unterlinden museum holds the Isenheim Altarpiece (closed Tuesdays), and the Little Venice quarter is best photographed early, before the tour groups arrive around 10am. Allow a half-day for the old town and another for a loop through nearby villages. The wine fair in early August and the late-November Christmas market are the two highlights of the year.

From Marlenheim to Thann, the wine road links some sixty communes over 170 kilometres. The busiest, Riquewihr, Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Hunawihr, each take a day, ideally before 10am or after 5pm to dodge the crowds. Without a car, the vineyard cycle route offers about a hundred waymarked kilometres, and seasonal shuttles serve the villages from Colmar. September and October, during the harvest, give the finest light on the slopes.

The foothills bristle with medieval ruins: Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, rebuilt in the early 20th century, commands the plain at 757 metres and is best visited right at the 9:15am opening, as the car park fills fast in season. Further south, the three castles of Ribeauville and the Kaysersberg keep are a one- to two-hour climb on foot. Mont Sainte-Odile, a major pilgrimage site, is ringed by a puzzling 10-kilometre Pagan Wall.

To the west, the Vosges peak at the Grand Ballon, 1,424 metres. The Route des Cretes, built during the First World War, strings together passes and farm-inns over about fifty kilometres: it closes under snow from November to April. The Munster valley, the White and Black lakes and the Sentier des Roches offer half-day hikes. In winter, the resorts of La Bresse and Markstein run downhill and cross-country skiing.

Alsatian cooking is discovered in a winstub: garnished sauerkraut, baeckeoffe stewed for three hours, tarte flambee baked over wood, and kougelhopf for breakfast. On the wine side, seven grape varieties including riesling, gewurztraminer and pinot gris, with many estates open for visits by appointment out of season. Reckon 30 to 40 euros for a full meal at the comfort level, half that for a tarte flambee and a glass of wine.