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Over the centuries France and Germany have fought for control of Alsace, a beautiful region which still fuses Franco-Germanic
culture today. Alsace is known for its stork’s nests and half-timbered towns surrounded by forests and gentle
mountains ideal for outdoor activities including hiking, skiing and mountain biking.
Strasbourg is by far the largest and most important city in this region. As the name suggests, a city on a
highway, the highway being the east–west trade and invasion route and the north–south river for commerce.
Today, it is the headquarters of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights, but it is
rich in historic monuments and architecture and a magnificent cathedral.
Throughout Alsace there are artisans’ workshops, including glass and wood painting at Wimmenau and pottery
in Betschdorf where studios and shops are open to the public. Organised walking tours that include
overnight stops and meals en route are arranged from Colmar and Mulhouse. Bicycle trails are marked along the
Rhine, where bicycles are readily available for hire.
- Regional information for Bas-Rhin, Alsace
 The department of Bas-Rhin constitutes the northern half of the Alsacian region. The departement is bordered
by Germany to the north and to the east, the departements of Haut-Rhin and Vosges to the south and by the
d?partements of Moselle and Meurthe-et-Moselle to the west.
- Regional information for Haut-Rhin, Alsace
The Haut-Rhin covers the south of the Alsace region, and borders Germany & the Rhine river to the east,
Switzerland to the south, the Bas-Rhin department to the north and the Vosges mountains to the
- Alsace food and drink
 The wines of Alsace have a long history, the Alsatian grapes were planted before the arrival of the Romans.
It has never been clearly understood where they originated and unlike other French wines, these depend
more on grape type than soil or processing.
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