Gerardmer or Colmar

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Dani 759

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Hi All,

I'm planning a trip to the Vosges, partially using the ride routes but also trying to figure out some of the places to visit along side the guided tours I see advertised on line. Both use Gerardmer as a place to stay. I've booked 2 nights there but wonder if anyone here as stayed at either and has any advice? I'm going with my wife and I know she may appreciate some cool places to visit off the bike!

Many thanks for your time
Dan
 
Thanks, weve done Strasbourg before, in the amidst of an argument so think we will go back there! Thanks for the recommendation for Gerardmer. Already booked!

Thanks
 
If you want to please the other half I would suggest Colmar, plenty shops, restaurants, museums and a nice place to just wander around.

Bear in mind the weather. Colmar is is sheltered from the rain by the Vosges. Much of the rain that doesn't fall on Colmar falls on Gerardmer.
 
Thanks! That's a massive help!

Think she may prefer Colmar. Suppose its good access to the Black Forest as well
 
If you like museums and like cars/trains:)

Cite du Train

Schlumpf Collection

Both in Mulhouse

And boaty things:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lCcrq3xkiqU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
The Boat lift looks awesome.

Now just have to decide which route down to Colmar! Thanks for your help guys. If any of you have a route down there that you recommend I would be interested o hear.

I'm travelling from Southampton, got 7day to get to the Vosges and back. Initially I was planning to go to Dover, Eurotunnel, Calais, Stop overnight in Reims, then down to Colmar. But now toying with Verdun instead of Reims, or even hitting the Ardennes!

Thought I had it planned, now I'm so confused!
 
Thanks!

That's super cool. Cheers for your help. I made the mistake a few years ago of doing too much motorway in France so I'd rather avoid it! I find its about getting the balance right, esp with a pillion. I've had my ear bitten off for choosing a town to stay in that was too quiet (Cerbere) then staying in a city too big and devoid of character (Bern, not my opinion)! Beaune was the one place that seemed perfect!

Cheers
 
Or look at any one of the often very nice villages / smaller towns that run along the 'Wine route'. Choosing places for bods and their wives (who nobody knows) is bloody hard. It all depends on what you and she wants, how long you are gone for and, not least, what you might want the do whilst you are there.
 
I've stayed at both places as one night stopovers a couple of times over the years. Colmar old town is beautiful. Gerardermer is also worth a visit, was there on Bastile day two years ago, fantastic firework display on the lake. Can't remember names of hotels to recommend unfortunately.
 
As wapping said the route de vin would be a good couple of days sight seeing going in and out of the stunning vilages along its length, or if you prefer more adventure you could do the 5 chateaux route link to pdf in french here, http://florent.dirheimer.free.fr/CYS/tank-o-trek/kit/ItineraireChateauxEguisheim.pdf

If world war is your interest then there is plenty about in the area including Le Linge, Fort de Mutzig and the concentration camp Natzweiler-Struthof to name a few.
 
If you're going from Calais, there are loads of nice possible stop-overs - Charleville-Meziers and Sedan, over by the Belgian border, are both really nice (if a little off the direct route); more inland you have Reims (quite large), Soissons (quite small) or Laon (sort of halfway between them in terms of size). It's possible to run down through the Somme and past the war memorials on the way to the last three. And if WWI stuff interests you, Verdun is a nice place (though I've found the affordable/budget places to stay tend to be on the fringes, not really within walking distance of the centre) but there's loads to see around there, from the central fortification in the town itself to the war memorials in the surrounding area - the big stuff is out around Douaumont, but don't neglect Montfaucon d'Argonne or Montsec.

There's plenty of good stuff in the Northern Vosges, too - the Lalique museum at the happy end of the scale to the Natzwiller-Struthoff concentration camp museum at the other end. I like the Rock of Dabo (Rocher du Dabo) - partly because the road up to it is a spiral, but mostly because the views from the church at the top are amazing. There are any number of old fortifications in the area as well (if you only have time to visit one, I'd go to Haut-Koenigsborg - an easy daytrip from Colmar).

ETA: If you're looking at the RiDE routes, our five-day tour of the Vosges and Doubs doesn't have much motorway - though it needs an early-ish crossing to Calais for the first day. But with seven days, you could adapt the route easily enough. Might give you some options for routes to and from Colmar.
 
If Beaune was suitable then she may like Kaysersberg - cobbled streets, chocolate box, half timbered buildings. It's on the Alsace wine route. Hotel Constantin is in the centre and has garage parking. Lovely Salon de Thé across the street for breakfast is better than the hotel buffet. It's surrounded by fantastic roads and is close to the northern end of the Route des Cretes.
https://goo.gl/maps/JPjp8Gh8sf12 - streetview from the Castle looking over the town
 
Reims is OK, we regularly use a Logis Hotel near the edge of the town, it has a huge garage to stick the bikes in, has clean and comfortable rooms and is not much money - an easy 10 minute stroll to the centre gives lots of choice for places to eat and Drink.

IMO the roads from Calais to the Vosges are far from great, but it is probably too much for you to manage to get to the Vosges in a single day so maybe going the back roads will work out well enough, I would still do a couple of hours on Motorways to clear the Calais clutter, even all the way to Reims by Motorway as there is not much in the way of Alternative.

If you have time you could break it up by visiting "La Coupole" (V2 Rocket Base in the side of a Hill - all very James Bond) and / or Vimy Ridge as you will drive past both.

If you can handle a small village "Two Wheel Moorings" just North of Verdun is a great place to stay, but only a few restaurant's to choose from (3 and a kebab shop last time I was there) but it means you can come off the Motorway after 2 hours and take a nice X-Country run - and just before you get there you could stop at the large American Cemetery which is very impressive (in a sad kind of way) - Also have the option of passing some other WW1 sites of interest as you depart (Forts at Vaux and Duoamont)

Another option could be a bit more day one motorway down to Troyes - if you have not stayed here before it is worth considering, one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited, we often use it as a stop-over and stay in Hotel Des Comtes Champagne which has secure bike parking and is right in the old 13th century town centre.

All of those leave you a very easy X-Country day two.
 
Thank you all so much. There is loads here to work with! We've done France and Spain quite a few times and did hit the outskirts of the vosges travelling from Strasbourg down to Andermatt and we've had great times but, we, or I, have yet to find the right balance between finding cool accommodation, the right kind of city, site seeing and time on and off the bike when with a pillion! The wine stuff sounds a winner though!

Thanks again.
 
The wine stuff sounds a winner though!

Wimin and wine!
In that case, you could combine the deutsche weinstraße and Alsace wine route.
 

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Wimin and wine!
In that case, you could combine the deutsche weinstraße and Alsace wine route.

Excellent - thank you. I've been looking (not terribly hard, admittedly) for a decent reference for the DWS. That'll make a good trip. Hic.
 
nice easy runs around some of the Vosges ski areas between Geradmer and here , its also on the wine route.
 
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