Hello all,
Tentatively planning a 10 day to 2 week trip to Alsace in May. Looking at flying into either Zurich or Frankfurt or possibly open jaw into one and out of the other. I know i want to spend time in Strasbourg and Colmar with day trips afield. It looks like several scenic villages are a short bus ride from Colmar.
I will not be renting a car and will rely on trains between larger cities and buses as needed.
I was also thinking about heading up to either Metz or Nancy. Is one preferable to the other? I could still make a day trip to whichever one I do not overnight in.
Still in the planning stages, but looking for recommendations or suggestions. Right now Air Canada has pretty good business class fares through early May in the $2500-2600 range.
I have not been in that part of France yet, so I am enjoying the research/planning phase.
Thanks for any tips.

It's a very nice region, you won't be disappointed. Plenty of beautiful villages between Strasbourg & Colmar. Nancy & Metz can be reached by TGV train from Strasbourg. Nancy is famous for its beautiful Stanislas square. I have never been to Metz, so I can't compare the 2.

In Strasbourg, make sure you eat in one of the Winstubs to get a flavour of Alsatian food culture. I like both Au Pont Corbeau and Chez Yvonne (which was supposedly Jacques Chirac's favourite restaurant).

Alsatian wine is great and pretty reasonable compared to either Burgundy or Bordeaux. Plenty of places to try in both Colmar and Strasbourg, though if you want to visit a winery, you'll need to get out into one of the villages.

Hint : it's faster to fly into CDG and take the TGV to Strasbourg, than to fly into Francfort then take the train/bus south.

Strasbourg is a nice city, very popular with day-trippers from the outre-Rhin and the city centre is very compact and accessible by foot.

Personally, I don't know if I could spend 10 days in the r�gion Alsace without a car though, I love the outdoors and could pass lots of time in the Vosges, but that is heavily reliant on a car.

I prefer Nancy over Metz, the two cities have kind of a rivalry and each will claim it's better than the other. But Nancy wins hands-down, with Place Stanislas and the lovely Parc de la P�pini�re next to it. Plus, it's the pr�fecture of the Lorraine. And it's not subject to the silly Sunday closing laws like Alsace-Moselle (which includes Metz).

Yeah, we spent a week in the region and loved just dropping into random small towns. And the impromptu things we stumbled across like the free range Barbary Apes at Montagne des Singes. (which is just outside of Colmar!)
Many castles in the area aren't easily accessible by public transport either.

Thanks for the tip. For some reason I was thinking that from CDG I would have to get to Gare de l'Est for the train to Strasbourg. This makes CDG much more attractive and opens up more flight options.

Also, sometimes if you want to go back and forth between France and Germany, the train schedules can be a little problematic, with need to change from German to French rail carriers. I would choose a car myself, but the drop off fee might be a killer.

There are definitely trains direct from CDG to Strasbourg (with stops at Meuse and Lorraine TGV stations). Ever since AF cut the Paris-SXB route via air, it's been served by Air & Rail using the TGV/SNCF.

you can book the train ride from CDG on the same ticket as your flight. AF especially.

Both Metz and Nancy are worth a visit when you are in Strasbourg and can be reached using the local TER commuter trains. Metz has my preference for both the Pompidou Center and the spectacular Saint Etienne cathedral as well as the train station area with all of its amazing Prussian architecture.

I have been to both and in my opinion Metz is a much better destination than Nancy. The gorgeous Cathedral, the swans on the canal, the Temple Neuf, and one of the largest pedestrian zones in Europe. If you have enough time, you can also take the 45 minute TGV trip from Metz to Luxembourg City for a visit. BTW, the TGV from Strasbourg to Paris stops at the Lorraine TGV station, halfway between Metz and Nancy. You then take a 20-minute bus ride to either city.

Most of the trains between Paris and Strasbourg do not stop at Lorraine TGV so you have to be careful if you want a train that stops there. I think it would be much better to take a TER to either city because you arrive directly in the city center.

It's a matter of personal taste. I find the Prussian architecture that is present in Strasbourg and Metz not very appealing at all, and thus prefer the more classical french style found in Nancy.

Keep in mind there are numerous holidays in may for 2024 due to the relatively early Easter in the calendar year.

Labour Day, 08 Mai (Victory Day), Ascension (09 may), Pentecost Monday (20 may). In Alsace-Moselle there are stricter rules on Sunday and holiday openings, basically most everything not related to restauration and petrol stations will be closed. In the Meurthe-et-Moselle (thus Nancy), usually 08 mai and Pentecost Monday are nearly-normal days of operations.

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback. I have started making hotel reservations and so far I have Strasbourg (3 nights at Hotel Gutenberg), Colmar (3 nights at H�tel Le Mar�chal) and Metz (2 nights at Mercure Metz Centre). I was looking for hotels with convenient locations to where I want to be without breaking the bank.
Looking at a 3 day car rental from Colmar to explore further afield and the smaller villages of the wine route. Details and overnight stops TBD.