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Enjoy Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas like you have never enjoyed the Christmas festivities.

With this article we want to explain our experience, lessons learned at the destination and thus help you prepare your next motorhome trip through Alsace at Christmas with a motorhome, campervan, car or whatever.

A specific article about our motorhome route from our Complete guide to travel to Alsace at Christmas.

We are the Kucavanera family, we travel with our Kucavana motorhome, with our two children of 7 and 10 years old and our two dogs Max and Bloom

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Alsace by motorhome: Roads, parking, camping and overnight in a motorhome in France

If you want to save yourself headaches, time and in the end money, trust in our advice and personalized motorhome route assembly service. Click below and we'll start helping you:

Park and spend the night in a motorhome in France freely

The regulations in France regulate that you can park and spend the night anywhere that a vehicle can do it, as long as it is not camped (you leave the perimeter of your vehicle, that is, take out tables, chairs, etc.), as in Spain although with particularities, which we will see later. This is the general rule, you can park and stay overnight without problem if there is no explicit prohibition.

However, the reality is that in Alsace at Christmas there is a certain saturation of motorhomes and campers and sometimes it is very difficult to find parking or an area to spend the night and park. Above all, the difficulty to park is from noon and afternoon.

Motorhome camping in France and Alsace

Camping in France is meticulously regulated in various ways depending on the region and site.

Now, as a general rule, Free camping (taking out table chairs, opening windows, awning ...) is prohibited throughout France in these places:

• By the sea
• In natural parks or protected environmental areas
• In the streets and public roads
• Less than 500 meters from a tourist attraction
• On private farms without permission

Outside of these sites, you have to look at each case about the region we are in and place, a normative tidal wave. The good thing is that in Alsace the general rule applies.

So. as a rule, outside of the sites mentioned above, if there is no prohibition, we could take out our awning, table and chair to eat without problem. 
Another important thing to know is that the French motorhome culture is of great respect and education, which means that no one thinks of leaving their table and chair and awning anywhere all day. They only do it at the time of use and then they collect everything quickly. You must always do this as well, so that free camping is still tolerated in France outside of the sites we have mentioned above.

Motorhome services and areas in France and Alsace by motorhome

France by motorhome is very easy since has the largest network of motorhome areas in Europe with more than 6000 motorhome areas. Motorhome areas with all the services of emptying and filling with water and many with electricity. 

Most of the overnight areas for motorhomes or campers are municipal and free or at very low prices, less than € 10 for 24 hours.

In practically all points of interest or tourist towns you will find a motorhome area, and generally always central or well connected to the center of the towns.

The French have a PhD in camping and caravanning and it shows.

In addition to these motorhome areas, we find a network of overnight areas in very important farms and vineyards where they allow to spend the night and camp in exchange for the purchase of km0, this network is what makes France Passion.

Carreteras

In general, the roads are very good in Alsace. The national ones usually have a hard shoulder and are usually good, they are quite flat and easy.

The highways are excellent, but against the abusive prices. In some sections there are highways, however, they are minimal.

Finally, you should know that between November 1 and March 31 in 48 French departments, including those bordering Spain and Alsace, it is mandatory to wear chains (at least for both drive wheels) or winter tires.

If you want to see an article about what chains and / or winter tires are better for motorhomes, here We leave you an article that we talk about from our experience in our motorhome and below you have advice and a video about traveling in a motorhome with snow.

Our experience in Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas

If what you are looking for is to enjoy the magic of Christmas and be welcomed in a motorhome or camper, the Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas in France is always a good option. A great option for travelers in the Christmas spirit eager for beautiful towns, good gastronomy and unique visits.

Plus, it's like walking into a Christmas story. With its decorated towns, all full of lights, its endearing Christmas market stalls, its "vin chaud" (spiced hot wine with a thousand flavors), beautiful towns and cities where, in addition, we are all welcome with our motorhome or camper for the who, like us, are inveterate motorhomes.

Our summary video of Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas

Our route through Alsace at Christmas in our motorhome

As you know, we almost always travel with our motorhome called Kucavana. And this time, we make no exception.

Visiting Alsace at Christmas by motorhome, campervan or with your own car or by public transport is easy and everything is feasible, although it is true that sometimes the overcrowding of parking lots and motorhome areas make you have a little regular time.

In this post, we explain a route that we repeat after exactly 9 years. A 10-day route through the Black Forest and Alsace.

On the first occasion, we did the route in summer. We were amazed at everything we saw. We enjoyed the route for 15 days with Arnau, our eldest son, who was barely a year old. From that first trip we keep the memory of seeing the first steps of our eldest son.

Perhaps it was because of that sweet memory, because of the landscapes we enjoyed or because of the peace that many of its corners gave us, which on this occasion we have repeated the route but at a special time, at Christmas.

We did our first 5 days through the Black Forest in Germany and its best Christmas markets, a post you have on the blog. The last 5 days we visited Alsace, which is the trip we are telling you now with the experience of the previous trip added.

It is an ideal 2×1 trip, since the Black Forest is just a few kilometers from Alsace and the contrast compensates the traveler.

The Black Forest is tranquility, local life, nature, solitude and, on the contrary, Alsace at Christmas is bustle and a lot of tourism due to the great beauty of its fairytale towns.

Alsace by motorhome at Christmas: price and costs of our trip

On this 10-day trip through Alsace at Christmas and the Black Forest we have spent a total of €uros 1710 traveling with our own motorhome.

If you want more pricing details check out our next post: Alsace Christmas price.

If you do not have a motorhome or campervan and you have to rent it, you must add between 70 and 180 euros per day of the rental.

To rent a motorhome cheap, we recommend you do it directly in France, a good trick. There they are much cheaper since there is more supply than in Spain. And if you want to find the best price, always look at Yescapa, a motorhome rental platform between individuals, such as airB&B, where the price is lower than between professionals.

If you rent it through this link with Yescapa you will find the best price without additional costs and on top of that you will help us to continue writing in this blog.

TIP: If you don't have a motorhome or camper but want to rent one and try this type of trip, remember that the cheapest way and with the best experiences is to rent between individuals for a AirB&B type platform but for motorhomes and campers.

The Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas: what we liked the most and what we liked the least

The best part of our trip has been…

• See fairytale towns like Eiguishem, Riquehwir, Ribeauvillé…
• Colmar and Strasbourg as beautiful cities, with a lot of life, many different Christmas markets and corners which are more beautiful.
• Visit the castle of Haut-Koeningsbourg and the views from there, being able to walk for a while through a quiet and lonely forest.
• Eat Nutella crepes and manalas, dolls made of brioche typical of Alsace in Advent.
• The mulled wine that warms the soul and hands on cold nights
• The snow that fell on us in some towns. He made it a 100% Christmas trip.
• Discovering that Alsace has a lot of Germany and many traditions very different from the Spanish at Christmas.
• Get out of the most famous towns and go to other towns without crowds watching their markets calmly as happened to us in Bergheim or Tahnn.
• Observe how we welcome motorhomes and campers in all towns with motorhome areas or parking spaces set up and reserved for motorhome drivers.

The worst part of our trip has been...

• The large number of people in most towns and cities. A mass of tourists, lifeless local people. Very different from the German markets that are a meeting place for the locals after work.
• See how Strasbourg still does not have any motorhome parking area and having to go to the nearby German town to spend the night with a 40-minute journey on foot and by tram.
• The overcrowding meant that in some towns we could not find a place to park or we had to spend a long time looking for a free place.
• That it hadn't snowed anymore. We love the snow and our idea of ​​going skiing to some Alsatian ski resort could not be.
• It is very difficult to square the entire route to be able to see the markets on the days and times they are open. It required a lot of planning and preparation in advance, and even in some places we couldn't square it.
• That the markets do not last until kings, to be able to space out the tourists and visits. Perhaps that way there would be less crowding the week of the Immaculate Conception Bridge, which is also a festival for Saint Nicholas in many places in Europe.
• Not having had more days to enjoy Alsace more at Christmas!

11 Things you should know and tips for traveling to Alsace by motorhome at Christmas

1 If you go by motorhome or camper there are no problems for the overnight stay or for the services, but there are overcrowds during the December long weekend and for this we give you some advice.

Going by motorhome in France is always easy, most of its towns think of us. So much so, that on this route almost in all its towns there is a motorhome area or else parking reserved for us and also some campsites.

The bad thing is that sometimes these places are crowded and parking becomes an odyssey, especially if you go to the Purísima bridge, which is when there are more tourists, both Spanish and other Europeans with festivities such as San Nicolás.

Our advice arm yourself with patience and move better in the morning. Before 17:XNUMX p.m., try to get to your place where you will spend the night, otherwise everything can get very complicated after that time.

2 In Alsace it is cold and it usually snows: winter wheels or chains are compulsory from November 1 to March 31

What has been said if you come with your vehicle, whatever it is from November 1 to March 31 in this area of ​​France it is mandatory to carry winter tires or chains.

A piece of advice, for years in the motorhome we have used 4-season tires approved for snow all year round and I assure you that they are perfect in the snow without having to put chains (if there is no ice) and you forget to change them all year round tires, they don't use much more gasoline and on top of that they get you out of trouble in mud during other times of the year.

Surely it will also help you to see our video of problems in the snow in a motorhome and solutions

3 Required documents: ID or passport + European health card or travel insurance

For this trip, do not forget to bring your valid ID or passport for both adults and children and also for any health problem the European health card that you can get on the social security website and receive it at home.

In addition, for years we have used to take out travel insurance from Iati Escapadas, which, due to its cost, we go more calm with the children and we know that later we avoid anything the co-payments that health has in France. I leave here the link with a discount that on top of the discount if you hire it through this link you help us to continue writing on the blog.

4 To see all the Christmas markets you have to plan your trip, not all of them are open every day or at all hours

Every town and market is different. Most of them, with the rise of tourism, open daily, especially in the afternoon, but not all.

If what you want is to see the towns of Alsace at Christmas with their open markets, you must plan your route. Look at the official website where you have all the towns, markets, opening hours and days: https://www.noel.alsace/

And remember that we can organize the entire route for you, saving you time and making your route a trip of 10.

5 The best, how beautiful the towns are. The worst, the mass tourism and few local people

As it is. The best its beautiful fairy tale towns. The worst thing is that the tourism that there is in Alsace at Christmas is impressive. You don't see almost French or authentic Christmas local life.

Map of Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas

Discover on this map all the points of interest in Alsace by motorhome at Christmas. All places accessible with the motorhome and where there are authorized points or parking lots where the motorhomes can park well or even spend the night.

The 20 essentials of Alsace at Christmas in a motorhome

In the following post, discover the 20 essential plans in Alsace at Christmas with a motorhome, camper or independently as you wish.

Our Alsace route by motorhome at Christmas

Next, we detail the route we have done on our second trip through Alsace in a motorhome.

Our route began with a first stop in Alsace at the Alsace Ecomuseum but continued first towards the German Black Forest, a route that you can see on our blog.

After the Black Forest we return to Alsace from the north, from its capital, Strasbourg, and from there our route will go down to Colmar through various stops.

After Colmar heading south, we stop at one last Alsatian destination: Eguisheim. And this was our route of this last trip that we made through Alsace in a motorhome at Christmas.

Summary of the route:

• 1 Ecomuseum of Alsace
• 2 Tahnn
• 3 Strasbourg
• 4 Haut-Koenigsbourg Fairytale Castle
• 5 mountain home
•  6 Ribeauville
• 7 Richwhir
• 8 Turckheim
• 9 Colmar
• 10 Eguisheim

In addition to discovering in more detail and seeing photos of all these places, below, you can discover the 20 essential plans to do and see in Alsace at Christmas through our two experiences in Alsace by motorhome in the following post:

We hope this post has been useful to you and remember to leave us a comment below both to thank what we wrote and to answer your questions.

Ethical code:

On our blog you will find affiliate links. These are always placed with our highest ethics. We never publish any service or product that we have not used before and that we are sincerely happy with. That is why our recommendations are always ethical. In addition, there is no additional cost for you to book through our links and, on the other hand, it means a small commission for us that helps us maintain this blog so that you can continue enjoying it for free.

Ethical code:

On our blog you will find affiliate links. These are always placed with our highest ethics. We never publish any service or product that we have not used before and that we are sincerely happy with. That is why our recommendations are always ethical. In addition, there is no additional cost for you to book through our links and, on the other hand, it means a small commission for us that helps us maintain this blog so that you can continue enjoying it for free.