Heiligenstein

Klevener Wine, Biking through Vineyards and Wine Makers' Hotels

In addition to being a beautiful little Alsatian village, Heiligenstein is also famous for its Klevener de Heiligenstein.

It's one of the grape varieties in Alsace that you can only find in the area around the village.

Legend says that it was first introduced into Alsace over 400 years ago and the village was authorized to plant it by the Bishop of Strasbourg (who owned the village at the time).

In fact the Bishop of Strasbourg had a preference for being paid in Klevener (for taxes) by the wine makers in Heiligenstein.

And you won't find Klevener anywhere else in Alsace...

Hopefully you'll find everything that you need to know about Heiligenstein France…

But if you don't find what you're looking for…ask me a question about your Alsace vacation here!

Alsace Daytrips from Heiligenstein

If you're looking for a chance to learn more about wine making, Heiligenstein is a good choice because the Meckert family runs their hotel just as well as they run their winery...

And when you're not tasting some fantastic wine, you can easily bike from village to village because there are quite a few wine villages that are only a few miles away from Heiligenstein.

Distances given are the approximate distances from the center of Heiligenstein.

Villages with a * have a train stop or train station.

Mittelbergheim

1 mile/2 km

Mittelbergheim (like Riquewihr) is one of the most beautiful villages in France, but there are a lot less tourists here. Between Andlau and Barr you'll find some of the best Sylvaner wine (and many other grape varieties) in a quiet and peaceful setting.

Ottrott

4 miles/6 km

Ottrott is a beautiful wine village in Alsace with quite a lot of castle ruins if you're interested... It's also the closest village to Mont Sainte Odile and you can walk to it in about an hour or drive. Ottrott is also famous for its Pinot Noir (they've been making it since the 1100s).

Andlau

4 miles/6 km

Andlau has been making wine since Roman times when retired Roman legionaires started planting vineyards here. If you love old medieval houses, you'll see lots of them here in Andlau and if you're in the mood it's only a half day hike (3 hours average there and back) up to see two medieval castles (Haut Andlau and Spesbourg). And when you get back you'll have a good excuse to sit back and try some Alsace wine on your Alsace vacation!

Obernai*

5 miles/8 km

Obernai is a small town or very large village on the wine road. They've been making wine for over 13 centuries now (starting in the 700s at least). If you loved Colmar, you will really love Obernai! It's a very beautiful town and the vineyards are much closer than in Colmar. Obernai is also the birthplace of the patron saint of Alsace, Sainte Odile.

Mont Sainte Odile

6 miles/10 km

Mont Saint Odile is a 7th century convent about a 20 minutes drive from Obernai up in the Vosges mountains with some fantastic views of Alsace. This mountain is very popular. First the Celts were here, then the Romans, and then between 680 and 690, Saint Odile founded her convent. There are some lovely short hikes where you can see intact remains from the Celts and Romans as well as a hotel and restaurant at the convent. The convent itself has been enlarged over the years and renovated many times since being built in the late 600s.

Rosheim*

7 miles/11 km

Rosheim is one of the few villages in Alsace that wasn't severely damaged in the Thirty Years War in the 1600s, so there are a lot of beautiful old buildings still intact. One of those beautiful old buildings is the "Pagan House" the oldest residential building in Alsace still standing. Rosheim is also a wine road village if you want a little wine with your history on your Alsace vacation...

Barr*

7 miles/10 km

Barr is a wine road village in Alsace that attracts fewer tourists AND has a train station, but it's not because it's not a beautiful little village with adorable winding cobblestone streets. So if you are looking for a quieter Alsace vacation, Barr might be for you.

Dambach la Ville*

10 miles/15 km

Dambach la Ville is the sort of Alsace wine village where you can walk around anywhere and see something really beautiful, medieval city walls and gates, beautiful old homes and a very interesting chapel. And there is a train station, so you can try one of the 30 wine producers in Dambach la Ville without renting a car!

Scherwiller*

11 miles/18 km

Scherwiller is known for its Riesling, so if you're a fan, you'll want to stop by. Speaking of which, Scherwiller has a train station so you can drink to your heart's content! And you can make a 45 minute walk to two castles, the Ortenbourg and Ramstein from the village.

Molsheim*

12 miles/19 km

Molsheim is best known as the home of Bugatti. You can still tour the Bugatti Foundation in Molsheim or you can go just next door to Dorlisheim where their new Bugatti car factory is now located. But Molsheim is still a wine road village and its medieval city walls are still standing...right next to vineyards even!

Where to Stay in Heiligenstein

Relais du Klevener

For those of you looking to stay at a hotel owned by a wine maker in Alsace, this hotel is for you! The Meckert family has been making wine in Heiligenstein for generations and they also run this hotel. Most rooms have a view of the vineyards and you'll be in an adorable little village in Alsace. Surrounded by vineyards and gardens. Outdoor play area for children and a terrace with lounge chairs for adults.

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