Day 1: London to Alsace
We leave St Pancras International by Eurostar for Paris, then travel through eastern France to Mulhouse, where we check in to our hotel, the Mercure Mulhouse Centre.
Day 2: Mulhouse
Today we have free time at the beautifully illuminated Christmas Market in Mulhouse. Here, half-timbered stalls offer wonderful locally produced cheese, wine and pain d'épices (gingerbread). As well as the wealth of traditional events such as storytelling, concerts, illuminations and moving nativities, the famous fabrics which have made Mulhouse's reputation for decades are found in many of its decorations, and a different colourful fabric is chosen every year to decorate the market. The Mulhouse Textile Museum (Musée de l'Impression sur Etoffes) hosts its own annual Christmas Market, featuring fine fabrics from the region and the rest of France. The scarves, tablecloths, ties and handkerchiefs make excellent Christmas presents. If your feet become weary, why not take a rest in one of Mulhouse's plentiful wine bars with a glass of delicious locally-produced wine?
Day 3: Fairytale Colmar
We set out by rail to visit one of the most authentic and traditional of all Christmas Markets in Alsace. The market in Colmar is set in the main squares from the first weekend in Advent to the end of December. The old town is charmingly decorated and illuminated and there is a medieval fairytale atmosphere throughout the entire town. Traditionally decorated market stalls groan under the weight of hand-carved wooden toys, glassware, regional produce, tree decorations and Advent wreaths, and we also find the magnificent sweet-smelling Christmas trees from the Vosges forest. Take a stroll along the canals or try the local bredle (traditional Alsace cakes), washed down with a glass of mulled wine. During the day, visitors are entertained by troubadours and musicians, and at nightfall, the old, crooked half-timbered houses with their snow-laden roofs add to the charm.
Day 4: Alsace to London
We retrace our steps by rail from Mulhouse to Paris, where we change onto our Eurostar service to St Pancras International, arriving mid-afternoon.
