Alsace from Sigolsheim
The gîte sits in the middle of the Wine Route, halfway between Colmar and Ribeauvillé. The best-known villages of Alsace are less than fifteen minutes away.
Sigolsheim
A wine village at the foot of the Vosges, Sigolsheim is known for its Mambourg grand cru, one of the oldest vineyard slopes in Alsace. A vineyard trail and a botanical trail start from the village.
Worth seeing: the church of Saints Peter and Paul with its 12th-century Romanesque portal, the Sainte-Anne chapel and, on the hill, the 1944 national necropolis with its view over the whole plain. The village was at the heart of the Colmar Pocket battle in the winter of 1944-1945.
In the village: bakery, butcher, restaurants, winegrowers' cellars. Pharmacy, doctors and tourist office in Kaysersberg.
The villages of the Wine Route
Kaysersberg (3 km), voted France's favourite village in 2017: fortified bridge, castle, Renaissance houses, birthplace of Albert Schweitzer.
Riquewihr (5 km), a medieval town preserved whole within its walls; Ribeauvillé (8 km) and its three castles; Eguisheim (15 km) and its concentric lanes; Colmar (10 km), its Little Venice and the Unterlinden museum.
Between the villages, the vineyard cycle route and dozens of cellars where you can taste Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, Sylvaner and Pinot Noir.
Castles, nature and mountains
Haut-Koenigsbourg (20 km), a castle restored in the early 20th century, towers over the plain. Below it, in Kintzheim, the Montagne des Singes monkey park and the Volerie des Aigles birds of prey show delight children.
Behind the village, the Ballons des Vosges regional nature park: hiking, lakes, farm inns. The Lac Blanc resort (20 km) offers skiing in winter and downhill mountain biking in summer.
Further afield: Strasbourg (70 km), Europa-Park in Rust (60 km), the Black Forest and Freiburg, Basel and Switzerland (75 km).
Christmas in Alsace
From late November to Epiphany, the Kaysersberg valley lives to the rhythm of Advent: Christmas markets in Kaysersberg, Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and Colmar, illuminated villages, mulled wine and bredele biscuits.
The Kaysersberg market, famous for its authenticity, is 5 minutes from the gîte. Book early: December is the busiest time of year.
At the table
Winstubs and restaurants serve choucroute, baeckeoffe, tarte flambée, fleischnacka and kougelhopf. The farm inns of the Vosges serve the traditional marcaire meal.
For cooking at the gîte: Colmar market, the village's producers and the neighbouring winegrowers' cellars.
| Destination | Distance |
|---|---|
| Kaysersberg | 3 km |
| Riquewihr | 5 km |
| Ribeauvillé | 8 km |
| Colmar (TGV station) | 10 km |
| Eguisheim | 15 km |
| Haut-Koenigsbourg castle | 20 km |
| Lac Blanc resort (skiing, mountain biking) | 20 km |
| Europa-Park (Rust, Germany) | 60 km |
| Strasbourg | 70 km |
| Basel (Switzerland) | 75 km |
Approximate driving distances.