Scherwiller

Riesling, History and Medieval Castles

Scherwiller is an interesting little village on the wine road in Alsace...especially if you like Riesling.

For history buffs, it started out as a crossroads and a stop on a Roman road for salt merchants going to the Rhine river, although people were living around Scherwiller even before the Romans.

If you look carefully, you'll even find a few Roman road markers...

This is a particularly beautiful little village with a small river running through it and many opportunities to go for walks in the vineyards.

Or if you prefer a slightly more vigorous hike up to the two castles, the Ramstein and the Ortenbourg, it's only around 45 minutes one way.

Hopefully you'll find everything that you need to know about Scherwiller and Alsace…

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

Alsace Daytrips from Scherwiller

Scherwiller might be a good base for you if you're looking to avoid crowds of tourists without being far away from some very popular Alsace attractions.

There's a train station so that makes for a very convenient location for anyone who doesn't want to rent a car of course.

And you'll be only one stop away from the Selestat train station where you can catch the shuttle bus to Haut Koenigsbourg, Monkey Mountain and the Birds of Prey show.

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

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

Dambach la Ville*

3 miles/4 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!

Kintzheim

3 miles/5 km

Kintzheim (not Kientzheim) is a pretty little wine road village in Alsace, but your kids probably aren't going to let you sit around and taste wine until you've taken them to Monkey Mountain (Montagne des Singes), the Birds of Prey show (Volerie des Aigles) and Cigoland which are just ten minutes away. And while you're at the Birds of Prey show you can tour the 13th century Kintzheim castle.

Selestat*

3 miles/5 km

Selestat is a small town or a very large village in Alsace that's famous for its 15th century library which contains 70,000 books and documents from the 7th to 16th century and was a part of the medieval Latin School founded in Selestat in 1441. But it's also a beautiful town to wander around in on your Alsace vacation. Check out the Tuesday morning market if you have time...

Birds of Prey Show

4 miles/6 km

Watching large birds of prey inside the courtyard of a ruined castle (that you can explore either before or after the show) is a great idea for older children (over 10). The younger ones are usually a little scared. It's all in French, but you don't need much translation for this show and it's very close to Monkey Mountain!

Monkey Mountain

6 miles/9 km

If you're travelling with kids of any age, here's something fun for them...feeding monkeys at a monkey sanctuary near Haut Koenigsbourg! It's a great way to spend a few hours of your Alsace vacation. Then you can head on over to the Birds of Prey Show nearby.

Bergheim

8 miles/13 km

Bergheim is a quiet little village on the Alsatian Wine Road just past Ribeauville. One of the most amazing things about Bergheim is how it was managed to preserve almost ALL of its medieval city walls. You can walk around the village and see them for yourself before or after trying some of the local wine and food.

Haut Koenigsbourg

9 miles/14 km

The Haut Koenigsbourg castle was originally built in 1147 in the Vosges mountains. Like many castles it was enlarged a number of times and updated to deal with changes in warfare. But like most castles in Alsace, it was severely damaged in the Thirty Years War in the 1600s, but it was also fully restored in the 1900s. Haut Koenigsbourg will give you a very clear picture of life in a medieval castle in Alsace.

Mittelbergheim

10 miles/16 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.

Andlau

10 miles/16 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!

Barr*

11 miles/17 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.

Where to Stay in Scherwiller

Auberge Ramstein

Here's a cute little hotel surrounded by vineyards in Scherwiller. Rooms for couples and families. Indoor pool and jacuzzi. Great French restaurant (not Alsatian food). Free WiFi and parking. Breakfast available.

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