Alsace & Lorraine

If you see just one thing in Colmar, make it the Little Venice quarter. Canal connection aside, it doesn’t resemble Venice in the slightest, but it's truly lovely in its own right, whether explored on foot or by rowboat. The backstreets are punctuated by impeccably restored half-timbered houses in sugared-almond shades, many ablaze with geraniums in summer. Take a mosey around rue des Tanneurs, with its rooftop verandahs for drying hides, and quai de la Poissonnerie, the former fishers’ quarter.

Nothing prepares you for your first glimpse of Strasbourg's Cathédrale Notre-Dame, completed in all its Gothic grandeur in 1439. The lace-fine facade lifts the gaze little by little to flying buttresses, leering gargoyles and a 142m spire. The interior is exquisitely lit by 12th- to 14th-century stained-glass windows, including the western portal's jewel-like rose window. The Gothic-meets-Renaissance astronomical clock strikes solar noon at 12.30pm with a parade of figures portraying the different stages of life and Jesus with his apostles.

The unspeakable atrocities that took place in and around Verdun between 21 February and 18 December 1916, the longest battle of WWI, have turned the town’s name into a byword for wartime slaughter and futile sacrifice.

Such a dark past means that Verdun always has an air of melancholy, even when the sun bounces brightly off the River Meuse and the town’s shuttered houses. Go to the moonscape hills of the Verdun battlefields, scarred with trenches and shells; walk through the stony silence of the cemeteries as the morning mist rises, and you will understand why. Time has healed and trees have grown, but the memory of l’enfer de Verdun (the hell of Verdun) has survived. And, some say, may it never be forgotten.

A highlight of a visit to Nancy, the Musée de l’École de Nancy brings together an exquisite collection of art-nouveau interiors, curvaceous glass and landscaped gardens. It’s housed in a 19th-century villa about 2km southwest of the centre; to get there take bus 6 (Painlevé stop) or bus 6, 7 or 8 (Nancy Thermal stop).

On its fairy-tale perch above vineyards and hills, the turreted red-sandstone Château du Haut Kœnigsbourg is worth a detour for the wraparound panorama from its ramparts, taking in the Vosges, the Black Forest and, on cloud-free days, the Alps. Audioguides delve into the turbulent 900-year history of the castle, which makes a very medieval impression despite having been reconstructed, with German imperial pomposity, by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1908.

You’re absolutely guaranteed to see storks in the quiet walled hamlet of Hunawihr, 1km south of Ribeauvillé. On a hillside just outside the centre, the 16th-century fortified church has been a simultaneum – serving both the Catholic and Protestant communities – since 1687.

Designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, with a curved roof resembling a space-age Chinese hat, the architecturally innovative Centre Pompidou-Metz is the star of Metz' art scene. The satellite branch of Paris’ Centre Pompidou draws on Europe’s largest modern-art collection to stage ambitious temporary exhibitions, such as the figurative cubist creations of French artist and sculptor Fernand Léger and the bold avant-garde works of German Bauhaus artist Oskar Schlemmer. The dynamic space also hosts cultural events, talks and youth projects.

La vie en Vosges is in many ways the good life and the region is a fine place to tiptoe away from the well-trodden trail. This little-known swath of softly rounded, lushly forest-cloaked heights, pastures, lakes and dairy farms has its own special allure.

The remote 3000-sq-km Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges is surmounted by 1424m Grand Ballon, the highest peak in the range. Situated 20km southwest of Grand Ballon as the crow flies (by road, take the D465 from St-Maurice), the 1247m-high Ballon d’Alsace marks the meeting point of the Alsace, Franche-Comté and Lorraine régions.

The Vallée de Munster, northeast of the park, is one of the region's loveliest valleys.

La vie en Vosges is in many ways the good life and the region is a fine place to tiptoe away from the well-trodden trail. This little-known swath of softly rounded, lushly forest-cloaked heights, pastures, lakes and dairy farms has its own special allure.

The remote 3000-sq-km Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges is surmounted by 1424m Grand Ballon, the highest peak in the range. Situated 20km southwest of Grand Ballon as the crow flies (by road, take the D465 from St-Maurice), the 1247m-high Ballon d’Alsace marks the meeting point of the Alsace, Franche-Comté and Lorraine régions.

The Vallée de Munster, northeast of the park, is one of the region's loveliest valleys.

The competition is stiff, but Riquewihr is, just maybe, the most enchanting town on the Route des Vins. Medieval ramparts enclose its walkable centre, a photogenic maze of twisting lanes, hidden courtyards and half-timbered houses – each brighter and lovelier than the last. Of course, its chocolate-box looks also make it popular, so arrive in the early morning or the evening to appreciate the town at its peaceful best.