Alsace is blessed with four distinct seasons and one of the lowest rainfalls in all of France - so it is a pleasant destination year-found. In the winter months, traditional holiday markets and festivities are enjoyable to visit, and the winter snow adds magic to the Christmas markets. Spring brings beautiful scents of burgeoning grape flowers as the world turns green with life. If you’re interested in wine-tasting and sampling local festivities, June through August is an excellent time to visit. During the summer months, annual harvest festivals turn the Alsace wine route into a circuit of cultural discovery, with wineries opening their doors for special tastings and the streets of numerous towns and cities giving way to live music, folk dancers, and other events. Fall brings beautiful colors, the leaves of trees and vines become beautiful hues of golden yellows and oranges, as the bountiful grapes are harvested.

If you are looking to enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, river cruises, and visiting the region’s charming castles, the spring is a great time to go. In April, the beautiful town of Colmar puts on a variety of festive events to celebrate the springtime, from pop-up markets to musical performances.

With 14 railway lines and 161 stations served by the regional express train system (TER), Alsace has a very dense railway system. Coaches, synchronized with the train schedules, also provide connections to cities and villages. You can take your bike with you on the train for free, except between Strasbourg and Basel during rush hour.

The high-speed train (TGV) that runs between Basel, Mulhouse and Strasbourg provides even more connections throughout Alsace.

It is best to have a car so you can explore all the little villages, stop for wine tastings and see the ruins of castles. Alsace has an efficient motorway system. The A35 motorway crosses Alsace from north to south, a distance that can be driven in under 2 hours. The small roads are the best way to discover charming villages, the Alsace Wine Route or the Peak Route.

Alsace is a cyclist’s dream, with over 1,500-miles of cycling paths across a stunning variety of landscapes, picturesque villages, and countless places to stay overnight and enjoy the local traditions and gastronomy. There are bike routes for every level of cycling prowess and stamina and there is no shortage of bike rental shops and options.

French is the official language and spoken by everyone, young and old. German dialect is still widely spoken by the older generation and in the more rural areas. The English language can be still limited to the younger generation. You’ll find that some people speak English, and this really depends on what you are doing. If you are coming to eat, drink wine, and visit the big cities or well known wine road villages in Alsace, then yes, you will find many people who speak English and getting around these well known areas will be fine. However, if you are traveling in villages that typically do not see many tourists, you are less likely to find people speaking or understanding the English language. We suggest you get a good English-French guidebook or app and familiarize yourself with common phrases such as hello, goodbye, excuse me and numbers 1-10.

Alsatian cuisine is very distinctive; heavily German-influenced with a Gallic flavor. According to the Alsatians, sauerkraut (French: choucroute) was invented here. Other popular foods include: tarte flambée (an onion, bacon, and creme fraiche 'pizza' - Flammkuchen in German), Baeckehoffe and all sorts of Charcuterie in abundance in Alsatian restaurants, nestling alongside escargots, "cuisses de grenouilles" and crème brûlée. Alsace is the smallest region in France, but it possesses the largest number of five-star chefs per capita.

Meanwhile, typical Alsatian cheeses include Munster, a semi-soft, robust, and unpasteurized cow's milk cheese that's widely exported, and Tomme Fermière d'Alsace, a hard cows milk cheese that's lightly washed with a fruity white wine.

For a sweet treat try flammkuchen, kougelhopf (a domed-shaped brioche cake dusted with sugar), and traditional pain d'epice (gingerbread or spiced bread). Local versions of cheesecake and apple tarts are also quite popular, and delicious.

The Alsace Wine Route is one of France’s most important wine regions, with a complex “wine route” that stretches for over 100 miles east of the Rhine River. The Vineyard route is a rite-of-passage for any wine connoisseur. While Burgundy, Bordeaux, and Loire Valley wines are more famous than those produced in Alsace, the landscape of the Alsace is beautifully diverse and produces some very distinctive and delicious whites in particular. Some 1,200 wineries, most from small, family-owned producers, are clustered along the route, which extends from nearby Strasbourg in the north to Colmar in the south.

Alsace is a predominantly rural region with a low crime rate. Visitors to Strasbourg should heed the same advice for any major city; do not flash cash, be sympathetic but not gullible with beggars; don't wander down dark alleys alone.

The currency of France is the Euro. US dollars are not accepted. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for euros upon arrival. Currency exchange desks can be found at the airports and train stations. For more detailed information, consult our guide to tipping in France by clicking here.

In an emergency dial 112 is the general emergency services number or 114 for hearing assistance.