Exploring Alsace
& the Black Forest

• Admire stunning architecture, from Strasbourg’s Gothic cathedral to the medieval streetscapes of Colmar

• Explore exceptional collections of modern and contemporary art, including Baden Baden’s Museum Frieder Burda and the Würth private collection in Alsace

• Enjoy guided walks through the vineyards of Alsace and in the German Palatinate, renowned for its Rieslings

• Experience the fusion of nature and culture in the foothills of the Vosges Mountains and the Black Forest

• Discover masterpieces such as Colmar’s Isenheim Altarpiece, Carolingian manuscripts in Sélestat and the delightful Schloss Rastatt

• Delight in the cuisines and distinctive wines of Alsace

Monday 9 June – Arrival (D)

The tour starts in the hotel in the late afternoon, where we have a talk in the hotel followed by an orientation stroll in Strasbourg. In the evening, we have dinner together in a restaurant that specialises in the traditional cuisine of the region. Overnight Strasbourg.

Tuesday 10 June – Strasbourg (B)

Strasbourg’s history speaks to the complexities of Western Europe’s history – Tristan, a masterpiece of medieval German literature, and La Marseillaise, for example, were both composed in Strasbourg. Despite being heavily contested between the French and German worlds, the city has been beautifully preserved. Today we explore Strasbourg’s history on a walking tour of the city’s elegant medieval streets and squares, ending with a visit to the extraordinary Gothic Cathedral of Our Lady, whose belfry when completed in the 15th century was the tallest building in the world until the late 19th century. After a break for lunch, we visit the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, one of the largest and finest collections of its sort in France. In the later afternoon, we return to Strasbourg’s past with a visit to the historic cellars of Strasbourg’s public hospital. The hospital, having received payment by donations of wine or vineyards since the 14th century, now houses barrels of wine from the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as numerous younger vintages in its cellars. After our visit, we return to the hotel where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Strasbourg.

Wednesday 11 June – The vineyards of Alsace and Colmar (B, L)

The foothills of the Vosges mountains is a distinct wine region and is the only controlled appellation in France to produce primarily white wine, reflecting the region’s Germanic past. In addition to its wine production, the region is studded with beautifully preserved hamlets whose proud residents bedeck their streets and houses with flowers over spring and summer. This morning, we travel by coach to Riquewihr, from where we walk a section of the wine route, stopping for a tasting, before having lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we continue by coach to Colmar to enjoy the streetscapes of this elegant medieval town and to visit the Unterlinden Museum, which contains Mattias Grünwald’s Isenheim Altarpiece, a masterpiece of German Renaissance painting. Returning to Strasbourg, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Strasbourg.

Thursday 12 June – Haut-Koenigsbourg and Sélestat (B)

This morning we explore the history and landscape of the Vosges, whose ridgelines are dotted with castles and fortifications surveying the Rhine valley beneath. Our walk this morning takes us along a forested ridge, with views across the valley, to Haut-Koenigsbourg, an impressive medieval castle that was completely restored by Kaiser Wilhelm II in the late 19th century to reassert the ‘Germanness’ of Alsace. We then continue to the town of Sélestat, where we break for lunch. Afterwards we visit an unexpected treasure: the fifteenth-century Humanist Library of Sélestat which has a magnificent collection of medieval manuscripts and early printed material, including Carolingian manuscripts. In the mid-afternoon, we return to Strasbourg where the evening is at leisure. Overnight Strasbourg.

Friday 13 June – Musée Würth and to Baden-Baden (B)

Today we depart Strasbourg for Baden Baden, a historic spa town nestled in a valley at the western edge of the Black Forest that was favoured by Europe’s aristocracy in the 19th century. Our first stop is Musée Würth. The Würth family – whose company produces nuts, bolts and power tools – had the novel idea to house their private collection at the headquarters in each country so that the architect-designed museums and gardens would be easily accessible to their workforce. After a guided visit of the museum, we continue to Obernai – the birthplace of Alsace’s patron saint, St Odile – where we break for lunch. After time stroll and take in the town’s history, we continue to Baden Baden, where we check in to our hotel and take a short walk along Lichtentaller Alley, the nineteenth-century gardens designed for the pleasure of the holidaying aristocracy. Overnight Baden Baden.

Saturday 14 June – Black Forest walk and Museum Frieder Burda (B)

This morning, we undertake our first Black Forest walk in the hills above Baden Baden, where we encounter picturesque views of the Black Forest, a wildlife reserve for mouflon and deer, and medieval abbeys. Returning to Baden Baden we have time for lunch before visiting Museum Frieder Burda, a Richard Meyer designed museum which contains the modern art collection of one of Germany’s most successful publishers. The evening is at leisure. Overnight Baden Baden.

Sunday 15 June – Black Forest walk and Schloss Favorite (B, L)

Today we drive into the heart of the Black Forest for our second walk, enjoying the landscapes that have inspired German poets and painters and learning about the history and mythology of the region. In addition to its significance in German culture, the Black Forest is also home to exceptional restaurants celebrating the region’s cuisine, which we will enjoy at lunch together. In the afternoon, on our way back to Baden Baden, we visit Schloss Favorite – an eighteenth-century pleasure palace built for the Margravine of Baden. This palace, with its excellent collection of porcelain, is the only German porcelain palace to have survived intact and has a particularly unique feature – a room entirely decorated in Florentine pietra dura. Returning to Baden Baden, the evening is at leisure. Overnight Baden Baden.

Monday 16 June – Bad Durkheim (B, L)

The wine route that runs from Baden Baden, down the Rhine Valley and towards Frankfurt contains some of Germany’s most prestigious vineyards. Today we travel by coach to Bad Durkheim. From here, we walk along the wine route where the vineyards meet the forests of the mountains to the west. We then enjoy lunch at a winery, before heading into the mountains to admire the Romantic landscape of ruined castles and medieval abbeys in the woods. We return to Baden Baden in the later afternoon, where we have farewell aperitifs. Overnight Baden Baden.

Tuesday 17 June – Departure (B)

We check out of the hotel this morning for a coach transfer to Frankfurt International airport, arriving in time for mid-afternoon flights. Frankfurt is also very well connected on the European rail network, for those continuing in the region.

Hôtel Cour du Corbeau 4* Strasbourg, 4 nights

https://all.accor.com/hotel/7575/index.en.shtml

A sixteenth-century inn has been restored and integrated into a modern M Gallery hotel in central Strasbourg.

Aqua Aurelia 4* Baden Baden, 4 nights

https://www.aquaaurelia.de/en/

Modern hotel in the central spa district of Baden Baden.

NB: hotels of a similar standard may be substituted

• 8 nights’ accommodation at 4* hotels

• All breakfasts and 4 lunches or dinners

• All ground transport, guided tours and entrance fees to sites as mentioned in the itinerary, and tipping

• Talks by and expertise of an Australian tour leader throughout

A $1,000pp deposit is required at the time of booking to hold your place on tour.

We will invoice you for final payment for the tour, due on 26 March 2025.

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