FEERIE DE NOEL - Christmas holidays in Alsace

You will find a fabulous, festive mood of Christmas French villages and cities. Our trip will last three days and the mood of the New Year miracle is guaranteed!
Let’s start with a trip to Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace. This is really a city of bridges, there are three hundred of them, and they stand out massive square towers. By the way, it is the historical center of Strasbourg, called the “Big Island”, the first in France recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage of mankind. We are sure to see one of the greatest examples of Gothic architecture in Northern Europe – the Cathedral with a high bell tower, dominating the ancient houses of the historic center. Nearby on Cathedral Square there is one of the oldest pharmacies in Europe - the pharmacy "Deer", where Goethe, who lived nearby, liked to look. One of the most picturesque buildings of the Cathedral Square is the half-timbered house of Kammerzel richly decorated with wooden reliefs. Next, we will head to the beautiful Plaza Marche-O-Cochon-de-le, once intended for the milk pig market. Of course, we will see the impressive Roan Palace and Gutenberg Square, as well as the most impressive corner of the city, the so-called “Little France”. This part of the city is an ancient quarter of millers, fishermen and tanners, the facades of their houses for convenience overlooked the Il River. Today, once in this amazing place, it feels like you are in a craft village, permeated with canals and bridges. The quarter starts from Lace Street and ends near Winged Bridges. And all these attractions: streets, buildings, numerous and cozy cafes and shops - everything sparkles with colorful lights, decorated with unusual accessories! I guarantee you have never seen a Christmas market like this!
Having thoroughly enjoyed Strasbourg, we go on and stop in the town of Colmar. Here we will settle for an overnight stay, and in the morning we will get acquainted with this cozy city closer. Colmar is called “Little Venice” due to the Ogorodnikov Quarter, which stretches west of the Lauch River. Here, houses on both sides of the river come tightly to the water, and today boats and pleasure boats scurry through the canals. In the center of the old city surprisingly intertwined and merged into a single harmonious integrity of various styles of architecture, which creates a unique "brand" image of Colmar, not for nothing it is called an open-air museum.
Then we will go to another delightful place – Riboville (or Riboville). This is another of the cities of the "Wine Road of Alsace" (by the way, the oldest city in this region), surrounded by mountains and vineyards, drowning in greenery and flowers. In the mountains you can see the ruins of three castles, once belonging to Senor Ribopierre (hence the name of the city). You will see a lot of interesting things in this town, and it will certainly take a worthy place in your tireless heart of a traveler.
And we will finish our Christmas journey in a small settlement – Riquevir. This town is included in the list of the most beautiful villages of Alsace (officially existing document). Notice? It's not confusion... Riqvir is indeed a city and received this status back in 1320. So, what awaits us here - ESTORG!!! No wonder the attendance of this place is more than 2 million tourists a year. It seems that the town is not large, and the main street is only one, and you want to walk along these uneven, cobblestone pavements indefinitely and soak up the aroma of Alsace.

The best gift is to make a dream come true, to visit a fairy tale. Christmas trip to Alsace is really an extravaganza, a dream, a delight!