Grand Est, Alsace, Champagne and the Vosges.

Which part of the Grand Est should you choose?

The Grand Est is the north-east of France, right up against Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium. It brings together three historic regions that are visited separately: Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne. For a trip of a few days, what almost everyone is after is Alsace, and it makes sense to start there.

• The Alsace Wine Route, about 170 km at the foot of the Vosges between Marlenheim and Thann. Villages of half-timbered houses with flowers in the windows, such as Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé, Kaysersberg or Eguisheim, riesling and gewürztraminer vineyards and family cellars where you taste at the door. Colmar is the most convenient base.
• Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace: the old town on an island in the River Ill, the pink sandstone cathedral and the Petite France quarter. Its Christmas market, the Christkindelsmärik, has been held since 1570.
• Champagne, in the west of the region, for the cellars: the champagne houses of Reims and Épernay, with visits to the chalk cellars dug beneath the cities, and Reims Cathedral, where the kings of France were crowned.
• The Vosges, the mid-height mountains above Alsace, for walking along meadow ridges, lakes and farms that serve mountain food.
• Lorraine, with Nancy and Place Stanislas, and Metz with its cathedral, for those who want a city without the crowds of Strasbourg.

With three nights, base yourself in Colmar and tour the wine route and Strasbourg. With five, add Champagne on the way to Paris, or two days in the Vosges.

How do you get there from Spain?

By plane, EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse, the only binational airport in the world, between France and Switzerland, has flights from Madrid with easyJet and from Barcelona with Vueling. From there Colmar is less than an hour by car. Another option is to fly to Paris and continue by TGV, which links Paris directly with Strasbourg.

By car it is about a thousand kilometres from La Jonquera, along the toll motorways of the Rhône to Lyon and then towards Besançon and Mulhouse. It is a two-day journey with a stop, which you can use to sleep in Burgundy.

By train, from Barcelona, link the AVE to Lyon with a train to Strasbourg or Mulhouse, or the TGV to Paris with another TGV towards Strasbourg. With a change, it is a full day's travel.

How do you get around?

Between Strasbourg, Colmar and Mulhouse, by regional train: it is frequent and quick. The wine route is another matter: the villages are a few kilometres apart but public transport is scarce, so you need a car or a bike. There are cycle paths through the vineyards linking many villages, and with an electric bike the hills are no problem.

In Champagne, the big houses of Reims and Épernay can be visited on foot from the centre, but the village cellars and the route through the vineyards call for a car.

When to go and what does it cost?

May, June, September and October are the best months for the wine route: green vineyards in spring, the grape harvest in autumn and good temperatures for walking. In July and August the weather is fine but the most photogenic villages fill up at midday. December is another season: in 2026, the Strasbourg Christmas market runs from 27 November to 24 December, and many villages on the route have their own. It is cold, there are lots of people and hotels are booked months ahead. January to March is low season.

The Grand Est has mid-range prices for France. December in Strasbourg and Colmar is expensive; the rest of the year, sleeping in a village on the wine route costs less than in the city.