Where to base in Northern France/Vosges

specialman

Being a bit shorter drive than the Alps, myself and a few friends are looking at doing a few days in the Vosges in August but are stuck for where to base ourselves.

Strasbourg seems logical but what about Metz and surrounding towns - anyone got a recommendations for good places?

ugo.santalucia

It's not that much shorter a trip and on balance I would drive 2 hours longer and get the real deal.

Calais-Strasbourg 5:30
Calais-Annecy 7:30

I know where I would rather cycle

durhamwasp

Vosges is good, but we needed a couple of bases in order to get in a fair few climbs.

La Bresse/Gerardmer is OK, and likewise around Bussang. Bumped into a couple of British cyclists who were staying in Colmar.

Annecy or Le Grand Bornand is a step up from it really, but I thought Vosges was decent enough.

mercia_man

I once spent a few days at Ribeauville, one of the extremely picturesque Alsace wine villages near Colmar. Timber-framed buildings and lots of flowers make it look like you are in a fairy tale. Storks wandered round my campsite. There's good riding west into the rounded forested hills called "ballons". It's an easy motorway journey from Calais and quicker than getting to the Alps. I also stayed further south and west at Masevaux so I could ride the Ballon d'Alsace. There are plenty of nice routes round there including the Planche des Belles Filles, although I never tried that.

As ugo says, Annecy is not much further and that gives a proper alpine experience if that's what you prefer. But if you've already ridden in the Alps, the Vosges is an interesting alternative for a shortish break.

knedlicky

If going there primarily to cycle, I’d choose a small town directly and relatively central in the southern part of the Vosges (e.g. Ste. Marie-aux-Mines), or if wanting a larger place for more evening and touristy choices, and less far away from the hills than Strasbourg, then Colmar.
There are some nice-ish smaller places also realtively central or close enough (like mentioned above, Ribeauville and Masevaux) but most tend to be fairly small places or villages strung out along the road, both without centre or much atmosphere, even if pretty.
There are several other places, interesting for one or the other reason (e.g. Gerardmer - adjacent a lake, or the preserved old town Obernai, the Kronenberg brewery on its outskirts) but I think they are too much on the periphery.
I think the cycling in the Vosges is as challenging if not moreso as that immediately around Annecy, you have to go about 50 km SE of Annecy (as the crow flies, so farther by road) to get to harder stuff.