People often picture Alsace as a land of half-timbered villages and flower-filled balconies, but to truly understand the region, you have to wander through the towns in Alsace — the places where its culture, history and daily life quietly unfold.

I spent a decade living in Alsace, long enough to explore its towns in every season: autumns burnt orange in the vineyards, winters wrapped in Christmas lights, summers buzzing with café terraces, and springs scented with damp timber and wisteria.

These towns have shaped my memories of the region just as much as any wine route or mountain trail.

Here are my favourites — the towns that reveal Alsace’s complexity, charm, and irresistible personality.

My favourite towns in Alsace

1. Strasbourg — Gothic Grandeur and Life Between Worlds

Strasbourg is the kind of city that greets you with a cathedral—and what a cathedral.

The pink sandstone tower of Strasbourg rises so suddenly as you turn a corner that it feels like stumbling into an opera set.

Every time I saw it, even after years of living nearby, it stopped me in my tracks.

Wander through the canals of Petite France, past the timber-framed houses leaning slightly over the water.

Sit by the river and watch boats drift under medieval bridges.

Or head to the European Quarter, where glass façades and flags remind you that Strasbourg is both ancient and resolutely modern.

It’s one of these towns in Alsace between worlds—French and German, traditional and contemporary—and that tension gives it a rare energy.

2. Colmar — Pastel Houses and an Almost Gentle Kind of Beauty

Colmar is often called one of the prettiest towns in Alsace, and it’s hard to disagree.

The old town looks like someone dreamt it up with watercolours: soft pastels, wooden beams, canals, geraniums overflowing from windowsills.

The “Little Venice” quarter is charming, yes—but Colmar rewards drifting beyond the postcards too.

Inside the Musée Unterlinden, the Isenheim Altarpiece glows with a spiritual intensity that contrasts beautifully with the sweetness of the streets outside.

On market days, the smell of cheese, fresh bread, and early fruit fills the air.

Colmar is serenity in city form: warm, open, and endlessly pleasant.

3. Mulhouse — Industrial Soul, Creative Sparks

Mulhouse is one of the most surprising towns in Alsace on this list.

People expect prettiness in Alsace—but they rarely expect this: a city with industrial grit, bold museums, vibrant street art, and a multicultural heartbeat.

In Mulhouse, old factories have been transformed into creative spaces.

The Cité du Train and Cité de l’Automobile rank among the best technical museums in Europe. Murals burst across entire façades.

Cafés and markets buzz with a diverse energy.

Mulhouse doesn’t try to charm you—it hooks you with its honesty. Give it a day, and you’ll see how alive and inventive it really is.

4. Haguenau — Forests, History, and the Spirit of Northern Alsace

Haguenau is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t be.

Set at the edge of one of France’s largest forests, Haguenau offers a blend of nature, history, and calm urban life.

Its roots go deep: the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick Barbarossa once made it an imperial seat, and traces of that prestige remain.

Yet like many towns in Alsace, it feels easy-going—broad squares, quiet parks, and woodland trails that begin just a short walk from the centre.

Haguenau is a perfect example of northern Alsace’s gentler rhythm: proud, peaceful, and shaped by centuries of cross-border movement.

5. Obernai — A Town That Looks Exactly Like You Want Alsace to Look

If you imagine perfect towns in Alsace, you’re probably imagining Obernai.

Picture this: medieval ramparts, a lively market square, beautifully preserved timber-framed houses, tiled roofs glowing under the afternoon sun.

Add cafés spilling onto the pavements and the scent of kougelhopf drifting from bakeries. That’s Obernai.

Obernai sits right on the Wine Route, surrounded by vineyards and gentle hills. It’s festive, colourful, and full of life—popular, yes, but never overwhelming.

For many visitors, Obernai feels like the moment they truly fall in love with Alsace.

6. Sélestat — Humanist Heritage and the Roots of a Christmas Legend

Sélestat is one of Alsace’s intellectual treasures.

Its renowned Sélestat Humanist Library (a UNESCO site) holds manuscripts that shaped early Europe.

The town’s two great churches—one Romanesque, one Gothic—face each other like architectural siblings.

And somewhere in the town archives lies a humble 1521 document… the first written mention of a Christmas tree as we know it.

Sélestat is central in every way: geographically placed between the Vosges, the Rhine, and the vineyards, and culturally poised between medieval tradition and Renaissance learning. It’s a town for curious minds.

7. Wissembourg — A Borderland Gem of Quiet Streets and Painted Timber

Right at the northern tip of Alsace lies Wissembourg, a town that feels like a gentle exhale.

With its bright façades reflected in calm canals, its abbey church rising above the rooftops, and its timber-framed houses leaning comfortably into narrow lanes, Wissembourg has an almost storybook softness.

You can walk to Germany from here in minutes.

And you feel it in the architecture, the food, the accents—a subtle blend of borders that somehow feels completely natural.

Wissembourg is unhurried, quiet, and deeply endearing.

Bonus: Belfort — A Lion of a Town That Once Belonged to Alsace

Here’s a bonus for history lovers.

Belfort is not part of Alsace today, but it was—until 1871.

And its character still carries the imprint of that past.

Guarded by the monumental Lion of Bartholdi, the town sits between the Vosges, Alsace, and Franche-Comté, with a citadel that offers sweeping views over the whole region.

Its streets feel both military and elegant, both eastern and western.

Including Belfort here is a bit of a heart decision—but once you’ve seen the Lion emerging from the fortress wall, you’ll understand why it belongs in this list.

Conclusion — Seven Towns, One Alsace with Many Voices

Alsace is not just vineyard lanes and chocolate-box villages.

It is a region of cities—complex, colourful, layered, and full of life. Strasbourg’s Gothic ambition, Colmar’s pastel intimacy, Mulhouse’s raw creativity, Haguenau’s northern calm, Obernai’s postcard beauty, Sélestat’s humanist heritage, Wissembourg’s borderland serenity… each reveals a different face of this remarkable territory.

Walk them slowly.

Let their stories settle.

And you’ll discover towns in Alsace that go far beyond the postcards—places that feel lived-in, real, and endlessly compelling.