BuckinghamshireBoy

Howdy neighbours I'm in need of getting out for a few days, and was wondering if anyone has any insight into Vosges du Nord?

In my many, many trips between Geneva and Antwerp over the years I've always seemed to miss this area, and seeing that it's a fairly easy half-day drive from Château BB I thought that I might go have a look. Probably next week now that the school holidays are ending.

I'm thinking of a short midweek trip, out and about for 3 days in countryside; I will have some photo equipment and a spotting scope, so could walk - rather than "hike" - up to around 10km each day.

Can anyone recommend any must-sees, and indeed any hidden-gems of hotels (independent not chain, honest cuisine, cosmic local beer a plus) please?

Helen1964

Sorry, I SHOULD be able to answer this because I’ve lived in Strasbourg for 25 years but for some reason we never go to the northern Vosges. We’re much more drawn to the Black Forest over the border. Possibly because you get a warmer welcome in the local hostelries. You can rock up at 3 pm on a Sunday and ask for a big slice of Black Forest gateau mit big gobbets of Schlagsahne and nobody bats an eyelid. Whereas in the Vosges, if you’re not seated by 1 pm and ordering a 3-course lunch, they don’t want to know.
I have a dim and distant memory of La Petite Pierre being quite pretty. But if you want good service combined with value for money and great scenery, consider Wolfsheim, Gengenbach, Durbach…. all lovely. And unlike in the Vosges, you’ll feel that they’re actually quite pleased to see you.

BuckinghamshireBoy

Thanks for that Helen. I spent a bit of this morning looking (with help from my mate Google) deeper at Vosges, but then got pulled further west into Marne.

I'm getting more and more into bird-watching these days, as it's getting closer to migration time for some, I got reeled in by Giffaumont-Champaubert, found what looks to be a belter of an hotel ... which turns out to be closed next week

However, around 30 years back I lived for a while in Frankfurt; we (the office gang and mates) used to break out most weekends and head for "somewhere between Karlsruhe and Offenbach" - I disremember where precisely, but as I wasn't tasked with driving ...

We really did enjoy some superb weekends down that way (even in very rainy autumnal times) so you've now got me thinking to be looking a bit further east than first planned.


Then again, that seems to have worked, so ...

... let's delete that quoted message.