Characterful hotel – stay in a 16th century converted coaching inn
Regional cuisine – Alsatian food is delicious
Superb wine – sample the local produce
Medieval streets – Strasbourg’s are particularly atmospheric
Picturesque villages – Alsace’s traditional wine villages are beautiful
Nestled on the borders of Switzerland and Germany and separated from the rest of France by the Vosges Mountains, Alsace is one of France’s best kept secrets. Its beauty is all timber-clad houses, medieval cobbled streets, picturesque flower decked wine villages, vast stretches of green vineyards and forest cloaked mountains. The fascinating and turbulent history of border wars has only added to the region’s charms, leaving a unique and quirky blend of French and German culture in which to immerse yourself. Highlights include the beautiful city of Strasbourg, which boasts a stunning Cathedral, atmospheric “Petit France” district and a wealth of sights. Elsewhere we visit the wine town of Riquewihr, the quintessentially Alsace town of Colmar and venture into neighbouring Germany to visit Freiburg and the Black Forest and the spa town of Baden-Baden.
Available Departures |
From |
|
| 10 - June - 2025 | £ 1349.00 | Travel Info Book Now |
|
Provisional Timings St Pancras Departing: 10th June 2025 at 10:24 Returning: 16th June 2025 at 19:09 |
Day 1: Travel by Eurostar from St Pancras to Paris and onwards to Strasbourg by TGV. On arrival, transfer by coach to Obernai (approx. 20-30 minutes) and Le Gouverneur Hotel.
Day 2: Full day tour to Colmar and Riquewihr.
Colmar captures the quintessential character of the Alsace, its charming streets, squares and small canals lined with crooked and colourful half-timbered houses – a wanderer’s paradise. A must see is the 500 year old Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece, housed in the Unterlinden Museum. One of “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France”, Riquewihr owes its historical prosperity to wine – Riesling in particular is produced here. Full of lovely historical architecture, Riquewihr looks much as it did in the 16th century and one of the few towns in the area to escape being badly damaged in WWII.
Day 3: Full day in Strasbourg.
The city of Strasbourg offers a stark contrast of old and new. At its heart you’ll find a medieval town of atmospheric narrow streets, half-timbered houses and the awe-inspiring pink-sandstone Gothic cathedral. Surrounding this is a thoroughly modern and progressive city including the headquarters of the European Parliament. A boat ride on the Ill River is an excellent way to see both sides. The charming ‘Petite France’ district, dating from the 1100s, is a must see.
Day 4: Full day to relax and explore Obernai at your leisure.
Set amongst vineyards on the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains Obernai was the birthplace of Alsace’s patron saint Odile. A delightful town, you can stroll the medieval ramparts and cramped lanes lined with half-timbered houses and visit the Place du Marché and Tour de la Chapelle.
Day 5: Full day to Freiburg and the Black Forest.
One of Germany’s most beautiful and historic cities, Freiburg is a vibrant university town based around the magnificent Gothic Münster (cathedral) built in red sandstone. The centre, which fans out from the Münster is delightfully quaint and historic, is easy and lovely to explore. Freiburg is a gateway to the Black Forest, and we will spend the afternoon revelling in the natural beauty and traditional air of the area, with an afternoon stop at Triburg, capital of the cuckoo clock.
Day 6: Full day tour to Baden-Baden.
The elegant spa town of Baden-Baden spent the 19th century being Germany’s most fashionable resorts and this elegance remains in the splendid Belle-Époque architecture including a casino that is lauded as the most beautiful in the world. Travelling the Black Forest panoramic road we will pay a visit to Lake Mummelsee before returning to Obernai.
Day 7: Transfer by coach back to Strasbourg station to catch the return TGV to Paris. At Paris, board the return Eurostar service to St Pancras.
NB: Exact order of itinerary may vary according to local conditions and tour manager's discretion.
Please note the maximum group size on this tour is 35 passengers.
INCLUDED
NOT INCLUDED
PLEASE NOTE: As with most trains, passengers are responsible for carrying baggage onto and off the train. Baggage can be stored on overhead shelves or at the entrance to the carriages. Trollies are available at St Pancras and Paris, but bags do need to be carried on to the platform.
Travel Editions recommends a luggage delivery service called thebaggageman, where your suitcase can be picked up from your home before departure and delivered straight to your hotel; therefore removing the worry about carrying your cases onto and off the trains. Please click here for more information and we have arranged a 10% discount exclusive to Travel Editions clients off the thebaggageman service. Tel: 01844 264890
Le Gouverneur Hotel, Obernai
Located just inside the ramparts in the centre of the pretty town of Obernai about 30km south west of Strasbourg, Le Gouverneur (though rated as only 3-star) is a stylish and comforable hotel, completely renovated from an historic coaching inn dating back to 1550. Facilities here include a breakfast room and comfortable newly-refurbished bedrooms with private bath or shower, TV and telephone. PLEASE NOTE: There is no lift but 5 rooms are located on the ground floor.
There is not a bar or restaurant at the hotel but the hotel is situated in the centre of town with a bar directly across the street and a host of restaurants within a few minutes' walk. For gourmets, Obernai is blessed with not one but two Michelin-starred restaurants, one less then 50m from the hotel but there are a range of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Obernai itself is a lovely town for a pre- or post-dinner stroll - a walk around the ramparts will certainly build up an appetite!
OUR VIEW ON THE HOTEL
This hotel belies its 3-star status and is a stylish and comfortable hotel, completely renovated from an historic coaching inn dating back to 1550, with rooms arranged around a lovely courtyard. There is no lift as stated but there are 5 rooms on the ground floor and is not air-conditioned though this is not usually a problem here. As well as its historic setting, the hotel's other great asset is the lovely town of Obernai with its host of bars and restaurants within 3 or 4 minutes' walk.
Pre-tour accommodation is available at the Premier Inn, London Kings Cross St Pancras, about a 5 minutes walk from St Pancras International, at an approximate rate of £120 per room. Bookings can be made direct with the hotel on 0871 527 8672 or visit their website.
Very enjoyable and we'd like to give a special mention to the tour manager who was attentive, informative and provided an entertaining commentary throughout. He was also very patient and supportive of a group that was not always the easiest to manage.
Review by Lane who travelled 10-September-2024
Review by Anonymous who travelled 10-September-2024
Review by Anonymous who travelled 10-September-2024
A very enjoyable trip. Lovely C16 hotel with excellent choice for breakfast. The Alsatian towns & villages were very colourful, especially Riquewihr. Enjoyed the free day in Obernai with its farmers' market. Baden Baden was also a delightful town, with its impressive casino.
Review by Herd who travelled 10-September-2024
Review by Anonymous who travelled 10-September-2024
Review by Graham who travelled 04-June-2024
Serge did a brilliant job and was not at all phased when we decided to take a day out from the schedule and when he had to reprint all the tickets for the return Eurostar at very short notice! The hotel was lovely but it was quite difficult negotiating the stairs to the upper rooms, especially with a suit case in tow - we were lucky to be on the first floor and traveling fairly light but others were not so lucky. In all other respects we had a wonderful time - the sun shone, with only one thunderstorm; we had some fantastic food and even greater wines, and learnt a lot about an area that we have not previously visited.
Review by Stacey who travelled 04-June-2024
It was our first time using Travel Editions and a group tour, so weren't sure what to expect. However, our experience exceeded our expectations - our hotel was ideally situated for restaurants, gift shops, and other local attractions. Our tour guide, Serge Bertini, was knowledgeable, informative, very personable, and dealt with any issues that arose head on (return train seating arrangements changed during our stay, resulting in some 1st class seats being relocated to 2nd class, Serge handled this diplomatically, and efficiently). We will definitely use the company again for some future tours, and hopefully our future tour guide will match the high standard set by Serge.
Review by Cook who travelled 04-June-2024
A very pleasant tour with very nice,efficient manager. Train out late so had wait in Paris and late to destination. A bit too much coach travel on German side. I'd be inclined to dispense with Baden-Baden & particularly Hunspach diversion and either have another free day or trip up to Koenigsbourg (which we did) or elsewhere in the Vosges or longer in Strasbourg.
Review by Wallen who travelled 16-October-2024
A very good holiday, intelligently planned. The tour manager was excellent and the hotel was lovely. Eurostar to Paris was an hour late due to track problems in Kent. (Not your fault!) The tour manager was totally unphased and made sure we got on a train to Strasbourg an hour later than scheduled. We did wonder if the long drive to Hunspach was worth it. As it was such a lovely day, longer in Baden Baden might have been preferable. Thank you.
Review by Goddard who travelled 16-October-2024
This was our first trip with Travel Editions and it lived up to our expectations. The tour manager Terry Regan coped well with the delay on the outward journey on Eurostar and rebooking us on a later TGV . His introductory walks in the various towns/cities were most informative. The historical character of the Hotel Le Gouverneur was particularly appropriate for this tour
Review by Burcher who travelled 16-October-2024
The sight seeing tours to Colmar, the Wine route and Strasbourg were most enjoyable. The sight seeing tour to Baden Baden was reasonably enjoyable but the tour of Freiburg and the Black Forest were not so enjoyable because of the amount of coach travel involved, the journey to Strasbourg from St Pancras was delayed by an hour due to points failure so the connection from Paris to Strabourg was missed and a later train had to be taken. This was not the fault of Travel Editions but Terry Regan made all of the alternative arrangements. He was excellent throughout the whole 6 days. We will probably take further holidays with Travel Editions.
Review by Thomson who travelled 16-October-2024
Some of the excursion descriptions were a little misleading but the holiday overall was good value.The hotel was excellent,clean,comfortable and friendly.
Review by Dawson who travelled 16-October-2024
Review by Lambert who travelled 16-October-2024
Review by O'Neill who travelled 16-October-2024
Wonderful tour. Really enjoyed it. Relaxed environment created by Steve our tour guide. Hotel and food the best. Will travel again. Many thanks to Steve.
Review by McNally who travelled 16-October-2024
An enjoyable holiday. There was a varied programme of tours. Obenai is an easy village to stay in. The hotel was unusual as it was built around a courtyard. Our room was comfortable but a little dark and cold in the evening. There were radiators in the room but they weren't on. Our Tour Manager was fantastic. A Frenchman who spoke English well who was extremely knowledgable about the area.
Review by Lockett who travelled 16-October-2024
Review by Webster who travelled 12-September-2023
Review by Williams who travelled 12-September-2023
Hotel and Obernai were lovely.
Review by Bradley who travelled 12-September-2023
The list of towns to visit was very well chosen, although we felt Mummelsee wasn't worth stopping at. We would have liked more time in Freiburg.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 12-September-2023
Lovely holiday. Obernai was a beautiful place to be based. The hotel was lovely and Serge was an excellent tour manager/guide. Wonderful sunny weather made the experience complete. Alsace is such a pretty area of France.
Review by Williamson who travelled 06-June-2023
My first trip with Travel Editions and I loved it . Serge was an excellent Tour Leader. A lovely man , kind and considerate …armed with a huge knowledge of the area and French history and culture . Would highly recommend . I intend to travel with you again sometime. Many thanks for a splendid holiday. Your office staff also friendly and helpful.
Review by Peacock who travelled 06-June-2023
An excellent tour, Serge was not only an excellent leader,very well informed and good communicator, nothing was a trouble but also a valued companion by the end of the week. The only negative relates to the visit to Freiburg, the printed guide to the city was unhelpful- the suggested route was so heavily printed in a solid red line that street names were unreadable making it difficult to follow. Not your fault but perhaps representations could be made to the city authorities? In hindsight, that day was very full and the whole visit could be omitted without major loss to the holiday.
Review by Wardle who travelled 06-June-2023
A well run and interesting tour. This is an area relatively new to us and we appreciated the ‘style’. We are normally independent travellers, but quickly learned to accept the advantages of guided travel. Serge our guide was great at explaining the highlights of each destination, supplying us with a suitable map, and then letting us loose. Perfect. Our hotel base in Obernai was perfect. It was easy to select a different restaurant each evening.
Review by Rathband who travelled 06-June-2023
This is a lovely area of France (and Germany). Our tour guide Serge was very good and knowledgeable. We weren’t happy about the lack of coach transfer between stations in Paris but that was due to strikes. The hotel was comfortable but lacked air conditioning and we were kept awake by teenagers socialising one night until 4.30 am. on one occasion.
Review by Monniot who travelled 06-June-2023
Review by Anonymous who travelled 06-June-2023
Review by Hill who travelled 06-June-2023
Very early start from St Pancras with staying in London overnight had to be up for 5-30 to get to the station Hotel clean rooms large enough could of done with some entertainment on evening Sufficient restaurants in the town Tours started very early actually took up some tours on our own tour guide Serge exceptional and knowledgeable
Review by Dent who travelled 13-September-2022
Re Tour to Baden Baden a longer time in the City would enable lunch to be taken there. The stop at Lake Mummersle could then be just a comfort stop with perhaps time to stroll round the Lake. The restaurant there was extremely busy so a meal if wanted was not practical.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 13-September-2022
An enjoyable holiday but I would have preferred a slightly slower and less tiring pace, and more time in Colmar (and less in Riquewihr) in order to look round, as well as visiting the wonderful Unterlinden Museum. I decided not to go on the visit to Baden Baden in order to see more of Obernai and have a less hectic day. Our hotel was delightful! Our tour manager, Serge, was very helpful and knowledgeable, and the coach drivers were excellent. The system of imparting information while 'on the hoof' was not very satisfactory - the commentary was often muffled and it is difficult, as an older person, to take everything in while trying not to get left behind (and not to trip up in unfamiliar surroundings!). But I appreciate it must be difficult to keep the group well informed. However, the overall conclusion from my point of view was that it is was a successful and rewarding holiday.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 13-September-2022
A very enjoyable tour despite the weather. Obernai is enchanting and an ideal base. I rate the Gouverneur as the finest Travel Editions hotel I've stayed in - clean and comfortable room, excellent breakfast and friendly staff. The excursions were good (I skipped Baden Baden as did several other people) with spacious coaches and friendly drivers, but a guided walk around Freiburg would have been preferable, rather than just being handed a map. Serge was efficient but needed to be a little more decisive regarding departure times back to Obernai.... also he'd have been easier to spot if he had carried an umbrella.
Review by Wills who travelled 13-September-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 13-September-2022
I found this one hard going at times. Difficult to keep up at times in Strasbourg and Freiburg. Inconvenient that the hotel switchboard was unable to connect an international call to U.K.
Review by GARNE who travelled 13-September-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 13-September-2022
Review by Lines who travelled 13-September-2022
Review by Anonymous who travelled 13-September-2022
Lovely tour to a beautiful part of the world which I didn't know well beforehand with beautiful villages and lovely countryside in the Black Forest. The hotel was lovely, friendly and did a good breakfast. Obernai was a great base. Quite a lot of coach travel involved in the trips to Germany, but without it we wouldn't have seen much. Group had bad timekeeping which was a bit of a problem and recurred throughout the trip. Excellent, kind and thoughtful tour leader, who would possibly benefit from being a bit more explicit about instructions about time and place. Weather wasn't great, but it didn't spoil things, although it drove us indoors in Colmar.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 13-September-2022
This is a tour we've done before, some years ago, but were happy to repeat, as we like the base, the hotel and the destinations visited. We greatly enjoyed the experience again, but were disappointed at the timings on some of the days out, due to moving between stops at around 1pm - meaning a rushed early lunch at the first place visited or a late lunch at the second place. We also felt that we had some needlessly early departures (8.30am) on the trips. If we'd set out later, we would not have ended up moving on at lunchtime! The hotel is excellent, as previously, and Obernai has many eating places to choose from. The Eurostar and TGV travel went satisfactorily - not always the case when passing through Paris! We had been inadvertently left off the tour manager's list, which led to a frenzied (and stressful) half hour at St Pancras, as he had no tickets for us, but this was fortunately resolved via the TE emergency line, and our missing tickets were printed for us on the spot. We already knew Serge, our Tour Manager, from previous trips, and, as before, he was very assiduous in looking after everyone, particularly those who were less confident or in greater need. His instructions on rendez-vous times and locations could perhaps have been a little clearer on occasions. Overall, this ended up as another enjoyable tour with Travel Editions, albeit after a somewhat fraught start, as alluded to above. David and Jean Peters
Review by Peters who travelled 13-September-2022
A very enjoyable tour, with a friendly and knowledgeable guide (Helene Gaujac). Picturesque hotel in a historic small town. Changing stations in Paris was the least enjoyable part of the trip
Review by Gregory who travelled 04-September-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-September-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-September-2019
Hotel was very pretty, spacious room, good breakfast & very close to Obernai cafes, shops etc. All the cities/towns we visited were very enjoyable, pretty & interesting. Our tour manager Helene was extremely helpful in filling us in on history of the areas & organising us. Baden-Baden was not quite as interesting but it was a rainy Sunday so a lot was closed to tourists. We really enjoyed our holiday & chatting with others on the tour. When we decide to go abroad again, we will definitely look at the Travel Editions brochure.
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-September-2019
Obernai was a good base. The Hotel was full of character and well positioned for exploring the attractive town however, we felt that we were given too much time there especially a whole day (out of 5). Unlike the two previous Travel Editions holidays we have been on, once we reached a destination, we were left to our own devices albeit with a map. A small optional activity in each place would have been appreciated (eg Wine Tasting as a group in Riquewihr which would have had minimum cost). Baden Baden was not an ideal place to visit. There seemed to be little to do other than visit Museums as being Sunday, most shops etc were closed. All in all we enjoyed our trip and hopefully the above will be viewed as constructive input to future development of the tour
Review by Bancroft who travelled 04-September-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 04-September-2019
We had a very relaxing, comfortable time, our hotel was just right, clean, spacious,efficient and comfortable, breakfast was good and the staff helpful. Helene our tour guide was also just right, relaxed efficient and pleasant, just what you want/need. The excursions were good and as advertised, our only slight critiscism was that the time in the places was short, a whole day in Colmar, Freiburg and Strasbourg would have been better for us.
Review by Hoh who travelled 04-September-2019
Fifty shades of green and counting on the scenic ride through the Black Forest and Alsatian vineyards. Wild blue lupins their spikes pointing skywards fringing the lush pastures and fields of blood-red poppies adding to the incredible colour palate of this enchanting region. Based in Obernai at the quaint Hotel Le Gouverneur whose rooms have the names of food or drink in addition to numbers and guided on our daily excursions by Serge Bertini, our wise and wonderful and endlessly patient Tour Manager, this is a lovely tour. My first task was to find cigognes, which was made much easier after understanding I was looking for storks. They are famous in this area and there they were in huge nests perched precariously on turrets and chimney pots. There is a nest on a chimney pot in Obernai and I was able to see a lone bird from my room very early on most mornings. Our first full day was spent in Riquewihr, a very pretty typically Alsatian village and Colmar where The Musee Unterlinden, located in a Herzog and de Meuron addition to its original building is well worth a visit both for its collection which includes the Grunewald altarpiece as well as an excellent cafe restaurant. Stage 5 the 2019 Tour de France finishes there on 10 July. A boat trip in Strasbourg takes you through both the old town as well as the modern European city and is worth doing. Freiburg, with its lovely old Munster surrounded by a lively market is a delightful place to stop for a coffee and to watch the world go by and then on to Triberg with just enough time to look in the cuckoo clock shop and enjoy the first glass of wine of the day. Alsatian wine is a revelation and the excellent Wine Bar near the Town Hall in Obernai is a very good place to start. Lively sparkling Cremant, fresh tasting Riesling, smoky Gewürztraminer and a tempting array of dry whites are all delicious. Serge took us into the opulent Casino in Baden-Baden, outside of gambling hours I hasten to add and I sadly missed the famous Rose garden in favour of the Faberge Museum, not expecting to visit St Petersburg any time soon. Obernai is a very pretty town. Many excellent restaurants for dinner, good shopping opportunities including a large Auchon supermarche a mere 10 minute walk away and a little Tourist Train which takes you round the town and up to the vineyards and the moving town memorial. This Tour has been on Travel Editions books for a while and I can see why. I just wonder why it took to so long to add it to my TE Palmares!
Review by Richardson who travelled 12-June-2019
Super holiday. The hotel managed to give us a "ground floor" room with a one foot step into it!! The hotel was inclined to be dismissive of the problem, but the super Serge sorted it out for us.
Review by Nicholls who travelled 12-June-2019
Review by Anonymous who travelled 12-June-2019
A really enjoyable holiday. Serge was great! Thank you very much.
Review by Grainger who travelled 12-June-2019
Overall excellent. It would have been nice to have had longer in Freiburg which I felt deserved more time. It would also have been nice to have had some kind of welcome the first night - maybe a drink at the hotel to get to know people (it could be on a voluntary basis but as I was travelling alone I would have appreciated that -this often done by other companies), It was a pity Eurostar messed up their ticketing arrangements on the return leg as this meant our group was scattered throughout the train and without the chance to say a proper goodbye!
Review by Anderson who travelled 12-June-2019
A rant - but not at you. The arrangements at Gare du Nore are abysmal particularly compared to St Pancras. They have allegedly improved but not from what we experienced. Surely tour operators as a body can bring pressure on Eurostar to make major improvements.
Review by Wilson who travelled 12-June-2019
I really enjoyed my fourth holiday with Travel Editions. Serge was truly excellent and very knowledgeable.. Our driver, Valentin, was was very good too. Obernai proved to be a good base with plenty of very good restaurants.
Review by Langford who travelled 12-June-2019
Serge is the best tour guide ever.
Review by who travelled 05-September-2018
Our tour manager Serge was extremely helpful throughout our tour to Alsace and the Black Forest and went out of his way to assist those on our tour who needed particular help with mobility at times.Thomas our coach driver was also very good andan excellent driver
Review by Waller who travelled 05-September-2018
I have graded the accommodation only as satisfactory because of the poor standard of decor in our room, which was not in keeping with an historic building. Otherwise, this was an excellent holiday. Especial praise is due to our excellent tour manager, for whom nothing was too much trouble.
Review by Asquith who travelled 05-September-2018
Review by who travelled 05-September-2018
Although I ticked the Accomodation box as only satisfactory, the reason being that in my room (210) , there was not enough room to sit on the wc properly without my knees being jammed up against the radiator & almost impossible to get on & off. Impossible if the radiator had been on without being burnt. And all for the inflated price of a single room supplement. The hotel overall, cleanliness etc was in fact excellent. Special thanks to the hugely informative & helpful tour manager Terry.
Review by McAdam who travelled 06-September-2017
Alsace was lovely & we enjoyed the holiday, meeting some interesting people. We had a day to Freiburg & the Black Forest which really was too long, we were on the bus for about 6 hours. We went to Baden-Baden on a Sunday when it was shut, so I think that needs to be reviewed also. The hotel was modest, but the staff very welcoming.
Review by Westwood who travelled 06-September-2017
We found our bedroom quite chilly. Hotel reception told us heating could not be put on until October/November. Otherwise we liked the hotel, especially the breakfasts. My personal preferences for the places we visited were Riquewihr, Colmar and Baden Baden and I liked Obernai very much.
Review by who travelled 06-September-2017
Review by who travelled 06-September-2017
A well organised tour with a very knowledgable and helpful tour leader. The hotel was comfortable and breakfast very good. Food on Eurostar was extremely poor and should be brought to the attention of the train company. You
Review by Thurlow who travelled 06-September-2017
The main rail travel (Eurostar &TGV Est) were superb and on time in both directions. The coach driver Valentin excelled himself on some of the tortuous routes and used his initiative to avoid delays on main routes. Terry the tour guide was excellent and ensured that everything ran smoothly. The hotel was a very good choice both for accommodation ,quality and location. The one criticism would be the tour to Freiburg which we thought was not worth the long coach drive and longer in Treburg would have been preferred.
Review by Harrison who travelled 06-September-2017
Review by Patch who travelled 06-September-2017
It was well organised and a very good tour manager and also French coach driver was very safe and careful. I wish you did singles holidays too as being with lots of couples can make you feel a bit on your own. Also the singles supplement makes it expensive.
Review by Mrs Vivienne Rumbold who travelled 14-June-2017
A pity that interchange could not take place at Lille Europe/Flanders between Eurostar & TGV, rather than between the Nord & Est railway stations in Paris! More time needed at Freiburg (Breisgau) - a fascinating city. Perhaps a separate "Black Forest" holiday could be offered in future?
Review by Mr Charles Long who travelled 14-June-2017
Our tour guide, Helene, was excellent - we could not ask more from her. The coach driver in Alsace was also first class. One member of the group had room 101 which she found too dark. The only other point I would like to make is that it would have been useful to have had the day to day itinerary printed out in our pack. Overal, an excellent trip we would not hesitate to recommend.
Review by Mrs Kim McGrath who travelled 06-September-2016
Review by Mrs Margaret Clarke who travelled 06-September-2016
A lovely break. Everything was well arranged and our manager, Helene, was excellent. She kept us very well organised without being bossy. Her commentaries were interesting and she was very accessible at all times. We felt very safely looked after. We went on interesting and enjoyable trips and I feel I have a lot of knowledge about the area even after six days. The coach driver was very efficient and co-operative and drove very well. Everything was always properly organised and well timed - we didn't have to keep waiting around. The other members of our group were all nice and everyone got on well together. Our only negative observation is that we would have preferred to have had longer in Baden Baden. More time to explore places of interest there would have been better than visiting more pretty villages on the way. We had already had two good visits to villages as well as the medieval delights of Strasburg. However, this has made us want to revisit Baden Baden to see what we missed. As usual your service was excellent. Thank you very much and we look forward to another trip with you next year. Rachel Harper
Review by Mrs Rachel Harper who travelled 06-September-2016
Review by Mr Christopher Bruce-Jones who travelled 06-September-2016
Special commendation for our Tour Manager, Hélène, for excellent planning of excursions and her cheerful personality. Bedroom was uncomfortably hot and noisy but otherwise the hotel was very attractive. Obernai was a good centre.
Review by Mrs Bryony House who travelled 06-September-2016
Well thought-out and conducted tour with only minor hitches. Knowledgeable and assiduous manager with a blind spot over wine. With a tour so much based on wine there should have been a wine cellar visit. Terry said there was no cellar in Obernai and a tour would have been difficult to arrange. Wrong! Robert Blanck has easily arranged tours with generous tastings. Near centre of O and on a regular bus route. Could have been on free day at no cost. Particularly enjoyed Colmar & Freiburg.
Review by Mr John Bryden who travelled 08-June-2016
Review by Ms Frances Gibbons who travelled 08-June-2016
Terry was an outstanding guide who in particular was unfazed by the strike dislocation on the way out. Amusing and informative. The hotel was comfortable and quiet but the breakfasts were disappointing. We found Freiburg pretty uninteresting and would have preferred the longer journey to Heidelburg.
Review by Mrs H Walker who travelled 08-June-2016
A very good introduction to that particular part of Europe. The only problems, which were not insurmountable, but a worry we're the French train strikes, which affected our outage journey, and the weather, which put a real dampener on some days out.
Review by Mrs Hilary Dibble who travelled 08-June-2016
In general, a good holiday which we enjoyed but do have a few comments: 1) Terry the tour manager was excellent, helpful, positive and with a pleasant dry sense of humour. 2) Hotel was fine except that our room (#5) which was by the courtyard entrance on the ground floor had no nets or blinds so unless we kept the curtains closed anyone could look in the room – no real privacy unless under artificial light! 3) First coach for tours was rather small and cramped. Terry organised a slightly larger one but it had some defects (e.g. emergency door opened by itself next to my wife, air conditioning was interesting as they say). I think the problem was that industrial action had put pressure on coach hires, but not sure a pre-booked holiday should have been at the end of the queue for vehicles. 4) Felt that the final day’s trip (Freiberg and Black Forest) could have omitted the ‘chasing after cuckoo clock’ section in the afternoon. But good to get into the forest itself. I am writing separately about problems with rail travel on the outward leg.
Review by Mr Anthony Stanford who travelled 08-June-2016
For a 2 star hotel Le Gouverneur was v.good, apart from shower room being very cramped. We had Vin Noveau room 001. Also, on one or two days the afternoon's coach travel was very long and tedious. Could have done with more 'breaks' or a definite destination rather than being given several 'choices' which resulted in not much of anything - being too short in duration.
Review by Mrs Barbara Shortall who travelled 24-September-2015
The trip worked well, and our guide, Geraldine, was friendly and helpful.
Review by Mr David Saunders who travelled 24-September-2015
Review by who travelled 24-September-2015
Wonderful weather was helpful. Geraldine excellent.
Review by Mr D Monk who travelled 24-September-2015
Review by who travelled 24-September-2015
Review by who travelled 24-September-2015
Review by Mr David Ellen who travelled 02-September-2015
Review by Mr David Austin who travelled 02-September-2015
Review by who travelled 02-September-2015
Review by who travelled 02-September-2015
Sometimes we felt a bit rushed as Angela took off before some of the group was even off the coach, but otherwise it was an interesting and enjoyable trip.
Review by Mr Lars Rose who travelled 02-September-2015
The whole trip went smoothly and on time. Choice of town visits good and varied. Even the weather was quite reasonable. Best of all though was the excellent Tour Manager. On our trips with TE we have always had good Guides but Angela was the 'tops'.
Review by Mr Eric Grimshaw who travelled 02-September-2015
Review by who travelled 11-June-2015
Review by Mrs Jane O'Docherty who travelled 11-June-2015
Another successful TE holiday.The Hotel was very conveniently located in Obernai, with many restaurants close by. The tours were enjoyable in a very attractive part of Europe. I would suggest omitting Triburg. It was full of "tourist tat" and Cuckoo clocks. Fiona, the tour manager was fantastic, in particular she smoothed our return train trips, on SNCF and Eurostar, with a mobility scooter. We look forward to our next holiday with you.
Review by Mr Colin Keen who travelled 11-June-2015
An excellent tour – and on a par with the many others we’ve done with Travel Editions – and this is our 3rd this year! We already know Alsace well from previous motoring holidays – so it was very nice to re-visit without the car, and thus enjoy the wines and beers without worrying about being breathalysed! The Obernai base is excellent, located as it is in the middle of the picturesque Route du Vin, and we were able to dine a few times at a restaurant we already knew. Thank God we weren’t on a diet – Alsace choucroute is a meal and a half, and that’s not to mention the cakes,pastries and gigantic croissants one is obliged to eat - all trace of cholesterol having been removed, of course! The hotel was also superb, the staff most helpful and the breakfasts very good – including the gigantic croissants – or have I already mentioned those? The trips, both on the French and German sides of the border, were well thought-out. We thought, though, that the tour manager allowed too little time in Triberg to allow people to actually do what had been suggested we did. The travel arrangements went smoothly, and the super-fast TGV route between Paris and Strasbourg meant that outward and return journeys were not onerous. We met and fraternised with a number of very sociable people from the group – on the train and coach, around the streets of the various destinations, and also in the restaurants that lots of the group seemed to find. The reviewer who said this wasn’t an amenable group obviously has higher standards than we do! Part of the fun of these trips is reading the reviews of others afterwards – and we sometimes wonder if we’ve been on the same trip! We thought that the Baden-Baden and Hunspach day was certainly no let-down and we also thought that Travel Editions might have had the foresight to enhance the scenery between Paris and Strasbourg to ensure all travellers enjoy it - maybe by organising a herd of wildebeest to appear on the horizon just as the train is going past! Finally, I always smile when I read that such earth-shatteringly important things as the presence or absence of tea-making facilities in the hotel room constitute the main point of a holiday review. Overall, a most enjoyable holiday, and enhanced by our good fortune with the excellent weather – presumably arranged by Travel Editions. David & Jean Peters
Review by Mr David Peters who travelled 25-September-2014
Lovely place & good tour with excellent weather. Would recommend it to anyone.
Review by Mrs Christine Clark who travelled 25-September-2014
The hotel was very comfortable and clean. It would have been excellent if there had been a facility to make a cup of tea, particularly in the afternoon. It was possible to order a hot drink but this cost 2 euros and wasn't always available.
Review by Mrs Margaret Bosworth who travelled 25-September-2014
Hotel excellent well placed and comfortable. Train is very tight on leg room may be 1st class is better and the journey to Strasbourg isn't one you would take to see any significant scenery as very flat. Baden Baden and Hunspach a bit of a let down. A photo stop at the highest point in the Black Forest to take in the view would be good. Tour Manager excellent but we didn't have a very amenable group of people in the group that either joined in with all the trips or communicated with fellow travellers so somewhat off putting. This is not the Company's fault. but would make us wary of doing another organised trip.
Review by Mrs Janet A Adams who travelled 25-September-2014
Review by Mr Graham Wright who travelled 25-September-2014
Good chose of holiday. Hotel brilliant. The 2 long days should be split I think. Too much traveling when you travel home the next day. Tour guide you couldn't fault.Knew what he was talking about and kept us laughing.
Review by Mrs Rosa Cadd who travelled 03-September-2014
Visit to Freiberg would be enhanced if it were possible to do the train journey along the spectacular valley leading to the town, rather than rubber-necking through a coach window. If this is not possible a stop at a location providing a good view would a cost free option. Tom Evans
Review by Mr Thomas Evans who travelled 03-September-2014
Maybe less time travelling and more time free , 2 hours one way and 2 hours back on excursions was a bit too long. Otherwise a pleasant trip.
Review by Mr Michael Hewitson who travelled 03-September-2014
Our second holiday with Travel Editions and it lived up to our expectations. The choice of places to visit was excellent and the Tour Manager, Steve, enhanced the holiday with his knowledge, professionalism and his host of stories. The hotel was ideally situated and with a very short walk to numerous restaurants and shops. We were a party of 12 and all were agreed that the accomodation was fine. All in all a great holiday.
Review by Mr Michael Jones who travelled 03-September-2014
Review by Mr Brian Johnson who travelled 12-June-2014
Review by Usherwood who travelled 09-December-2013
Hotel was charming and staff helpful. Serge was very knowledgable and friendly.
Review by Rashid who travelled 09-December-2013
Serge worked really hard to keep us informed and amused on a wet week
Review by Macleod who travelled 09-December-2013
Overall an enjoyable trip
Review by Ellis who travelled 09-December-2013
Excellent tour manager, really enhanced the enjoyment of the trip. Would have liked more time in Colmar and Freiburg; trying to squeeze in just a little too much I think.
Review by Baker who travelled 09-December-2013
Our first time with Travel Editions and a most enjoyable experience. We will travel with you again.
Review by Cracknell who travelled 09-December-2013
