Villages Directory
Arbois
The capital of the Jura wine region — home of Savagnin and the oxidative *vin jaune*, of France's first appellation,…
Aÿ-Champagne
A town near Epernay, home to the Pressoria Champagne museum.
Barr
An overlooked wine capital of the Bas-Rhin in the northern Alsace Wine Route, home to the oldest grape-harvest festival.
Baume-les-Messieurs
One of the "Plus Beaux Villages de France", set deep in a Jura *reculée* (box canyon) around a great Benedictine abbey,…
Beaune
The walled wine capital of Burgundy and the ideal touring base, famous for the Hospices de Beaune and kilometres of…
Bergheim
A small fortified wine village beneath Haut-Koenigsbourg castle, known for its ramparts walk and Altenberg Grand Cru.
Chablis
Burgundy's northern Chardonnay capital, known for crisp, mineral whites.
Châlons-en-Champagne
The Marne prefecture ~15 min east of Épernay, nicknamed "Sparkling Venice" for its canals; a UNESCO-church half-day…
Château-Chalon
A cliff-top Jura village that is the spiritual home of *vin jaune* — its own appellation, made only from Savagnin — and…
Colmar
A canal-laced city of half-timbered houses at the southern end of the Alsace Wine Route, with Europe's #1 Christmas…
Dambach-la-Ville
A lesser-known medieval wine village known for half-timbered houses and the Frankstein Grand Cru.
Dijon
The historic ducal capital of Burgundy and the car-free gateway to the Côte de Nuits — famous for the Palace of the…
Eguisheim
An author-favorite Alsatian village of intact half-timbered houses, home to the castle of the Counts of Eguisheim.
Epernay
Epernay is the capital of the Champagne region of France and a key stop for Champagne-house visits and cellar tours.
Gevrey-Chambertin
A Côte de Nuits village with 9 Grands Crus, famous for the great reds of Chambertin.
Grevenmacher
The largest town of the northern [[luxembourg-moselle|Luxembourg Moselle]] — home to Caves Bernard-Massard, the…
Guebwiller
A medieval town in southern Alsace with distinctive local wines and access to the Vosges Mountains.
Hautvillers
A Champagne village near Epernay, mentioned as a possible detour.
Hunawihr
One of the Most Beautiful Villages in France, known for its unique fortified church; a stop on the Géovino Trail near…
Hunspach
A far-north Alsace village of distinctive white half-timbered houses; an official Most Beautiful Village and a 2020…
Kaysersberg
A popular wine village whose name means "the mountain of the Emperor," crowned by ruined imperial castle.
Kirchheim
A small wine village next to Marlenheim in the Bas-Rhin; birthplace of Mary's great-great-grandmother Adèle Wohlfromm…
La Rochepot
A Côte-d'Or village below a fairy-tale medieval castle with the colourful glazed-tile roof of Burgundy, an easy car…
Luxembourg City
The capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg — a compact, walkable UNESCO old town set on dramatic sandstone cliffs,…
Marlenheim
The official northern gateway ("Porte d'Or") of the Alsace Wine Route, a few kilometres west of Strasbourg — and the…
Meursault
The white-wine heart of the Côte de Beaune, famed for rich, nutty Chardonnay and the Paulée harvest feast.
Mittelbergheim
One of the official "Most Beautiful Villages of France," notable for unpainted pinkish-grey Renaissance houses and the…
Molsheim
A medieval town at the foot of the Vosges, famous as the birthplace of Bugatti.
Mulhouse
An industrial city at the southern end of the Alsace corridor, home to world-class car and train museums.
Nordheim
A small Bas-Rhin wine village grouped with Marlenheim and Kirchheim as the "Golden Crown" at the start of the Alsace…
Nuits-Saint-Georges
The commercial hub of the Côte de Nuits, home to the Louis Bouillot "La Verrière" Crémant house and the Imaginarium and…
Obernai
A typical Alsatian village and a good multi-day base on the wine route, near Ottrott.
Orscholz & Freudenburg (Saarland / Trier)
The Saarland–Trier border villages that are the deepest documented home of Jerry's Maas/Fox (Fuchs/Schmitt) line;…
Ottrott
A typical Alsatian village next to Obernai, with hotels and flammekueche restaurants.
Poligny
A Jura market town that calls itself the "capital of Comté", with cheese-ageing cellars, a fine collegiate church, and…
Pupillin
A tiny [[jura]] wine hamlet about 3 km from [[arbois|Arbois]] that styles itself the "world capital of…
Reims
A major Champagne city near Epernay, commonly combined with it on day trips.
Remich
The "Pearl of the Moselle" — the anchor town of the [[luxembourg-moselle|Luxembourg Moselle]], with a 3 km riverside…
Ribeauvillé
A medieval wine town with colorful half-timbered houses, hilltop castles, and several recommended wineries.
Riquewihr
A famously beautiful, well-preserved fortified village set amid the Alsace vineyards.
Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines (Val d'Argent)
A former silver-mining town in the Val d'Argent (Haut-Rhin), celebrated as the cradle of the Amish movement (1693) and…
Salins-les-Bains
A [[jura]] spa town built on salt — home to the UNESCO-listed Grande Saline, with its 12th-century underground…
Sankt Ingbert (Saarland)
A Saarland town in the French-border belt named on Jerry's maternal Becker line, home of the historic Gebrüder Becker…
Schengen
The tiny wine village at the southern tip of the [[luxembourg-moselle|Luxembourg Moselle]] where the 1985 agreement…
Sélestat
A cultural stop on the wine route, home to the Humanist Library and Saint George's Church.
Strasbourg
The European capital and gateway to the Alsace vineyards; the northern start of the Alsace Wine Route.
Trier
Germany's oldest city, on the Moselle near the Luxembourg border, and the ancestral area of Jerry's Maas/Fox (Fuchs)…
Turckheim
A historic village famous for its nightly watchman tradition and Pinot Blanc, and a gateway to Vosges hikes.
Vertus
A medieval Premier Cru village in the Côte des Blancs near Epernay; the largest wine-producing town in the Côte des…
Verzenay
A Grand Cru champagne village on the north face of the Montagne de Reims, known for its Pinot Noir, its hilltop…
Vosne-Romanée
An unassuming Côte de Nuits village concealing the world's most valuable vineyards, including Romanée-Conti and La…
Vougeot / Clos de Vougeot
Home to the Cistercian Château du Clos de Vougeot, ringed by its 50-hectare Grand Cru — the iconic Burgundy photo.
Wormeldange
The Riesling heart of the [[luxembourg-moselle|Luxembourg Moselle]] — its steep Koeppchen limestone slope is the…
Zellenberg
A small vineyard-ringed hilltop village between Riquewihr and Ribeauvillé, with well-regarded modern tasting rooms.