Autumn in Alsace: Colmar, a Wine Tasting in the Munster Valley and a Weekend at Domaine de Haslach
Some trips don’t need a plane. An hour and a half from Lucerne lies a region that looks in autumn as if someone had turned up the colours: golden vineyards, half-timbered houses in yellow and red, and a light that turns every square in Colmar into a film set. At the invitation of the Agence Régionale du Tourisme Grand Est, we spent a long weekend in Alsace at the end of October.
Domaine de Haslach in Munster
Our home for two nights was Domaine de Haslach in Munster, at the entrance to the Munster Valley. The house combines calm, modern design with lots of wood and warm light. The rooms are generous, and the beds so comfortable that in the morning you briefly wonder whether breakfast really matters.
It does. With a view of the autumn hills, a coffee and fresh croissants, a day in Alsace starts exactly right.
In the evening the spa with its indoor pool under a painted sky is worth a visit. Dinner at the Domaine’s restaurant was the perfect start: regional cuisine, finely done, and a dessert I still think about.
Colmar at your own pace with the Hopla Guide
Colmar on a sunny autumn morning is hard to beat. Instead of a classic tour, we explored the town with the Hopla Guide: an interactive walk you pick up at the tourist office on Place Unterlinden and then follow at your own pace. Riddles, stories and small tasks lead you through the old town, past the Unterlinden Museum, the Maison des Têtes with its more than a hundred stone heads and through lanes full of half-timbering.
For me the most beautiful moment is always Petite Venise. The yellow and red houses are reflected in the water of the Lauch, boats glide under the bridges, and in autumn the leaves frame everything in gold. For a man in an overcoat there is hardly a better backdrop.
Lunch was what simply belongs to Alsace: tarte flambée, thin, crisp and topped with bacon and onions. Then a coffee and a chocolate cake, and the walk through town continued.
Wine tasting at Domaine Schoenheitz
In the afternoon we headed back into the Munster Valley, to Wihr-au-Val. Domaine Schoenheitz is a family estate that tends its vines on the steep slopes around the village. The drive through the golden vineyards was already half the tasting.
The old barrel cellar smells of wood and history, with the family name on the casks. The tasting itself took place in the tasting room, with a tour in German. Alsatian white wines are precise, mineral and surprisingly versatile. If you only think of sweet Gewürztraminer, this is the place to taste again.
Dinner at La Châtaigneraie
We spent Saturday evening at Restaurant La Châtaigneraie in the Hôtel Perle des Vosges in Muhlbach-sur-Munster. The house sits high above the valley, and if you arrive just before sunset you see the Vosges in the last light. The cuisine is creative and colourful, every plate a small work of art, and the service warm.
Parc du Petit Prince and Écomusée d’Alsace
On Sunday we drove to Ungersheim. Parc du Petit Prince is a theme park built around Saint-Exupéry’s story, decorated in autumn with pumpkins and Halloween scenes. A highlight: the mini farm with sheep, goats and rabbits.
Right next door is the Écomusée d’Alsace, the largest open-air museum in France. More than seventy historic houses from all over Alsace have been rebuilt here stone by stone: half-timbered farms, a mill with a water wheel, a medieval tower house, old workshops and a pharmacy. In the autumn light under the old trees you feel as if you have travelled back a century. For a walk in a suit it is almost too perfect.
Conclusion
Alsace is the ideal weekend destination from Switzerland: a short journey, a cuisine you have to take seriously, excellent wines and towns that could hardly be more beautiful in autumn. My tip: be in Colmar early while the lanes are still quiet, and be sure to plan a wine tasting in the Munster Valley.
Good to know
- Getting there: Lucerne–Munster about 1 hr 40 min by car
- Stay: Domaine de Haslach, Munster
- Explore Colmar: Hopla Guide, available at the Colmar tourist office
- Wine tasting: Domaine Schoenheitz, Wihr-au-Val
- Dinner: Restaurant La Châtaigneraie, Hôtel Perle des Vosges, Muhlbach-sur-Munster
- Day trip: Parc du Petit Prince and Écomusée d’Alsace, Ungersheim
This trip took place at the invitation of the Agence Régionale du Tourisme Grand Est. More inspiration for the region: explore-grandest.com, on Instagram @exploregrandest.officiel.
