Planted between the crumpled Vosges mountains and the Rhine lies the Euro-capital of Strasbourg, a crossroads city of Europe. It is also the capital of Alsace, least French of all the provinces of France, and Franco-German bone of contention for many years. The countryside is densely populated by villages of orderly, half-timbered houses, with an embarrassment of inns and restaurants in which to sample the characteristic local cooking with much more to it than beer and choucroute.

Due south of Strasbourg, Colmar is one of the best places to visit, full of interest, including the most visited museum outside Paris. Industrial Mulhouse also harbours a clutch of terrific museums, while the sourtherly portion of this route incorporates the capital of the ancient Dukes of Burgundy at Dijon, and the historic province of Franche-Comté. As the name – Free Country – suggests, the latter is a traditionally independent region comprising the peaceful green valleys of the Saône and Doubs, the whale-back folds of the Jura mountains bordering Switzerland, and the fortified towns of Belfort and Besancon.

Use this section together with three of the site’s Exploring Locally sections: Alsace, Undiscovered Burgundy and Franche-Comte, the Doubs and the the Jura.

TRANSPORT

There are frequent rail services between Strasbourg and Dijon, with stops at Colmar, Mulhouse, Belfort and Besancon.