The famous medieval castle of Haut Koenigsbourg is nestled at a strategic location on a high hill overlooking the Alsatian plain; as a result it was used by successive powers from the Middle Ages until the Thirty Years' War (17th Century) when it was abandoned. For a few hundred years the castle of Haut Koenigsbourg was left unused and became overgrown by the forest. Various romantic poets and artists were inspired by the castle during this time. In 1900 it was restored under the direction of Emperor Wilhelm II. Today it is a major tourist attraction, located on the Alsace wine route.

The famous castle of Haut Koenigsbourg, the most visited site of Alsace and one of the first of France (1 million visitors / year), is only fifteen minutes away from our House of the 4 Travelers in La Vancelle. Castle of Haut Koenigsbourg, a landmark of heritage and cultural tourism in Alsace, is one of the finest examples of a mountain fortress in the late fifteenth century. It overlooks the village of Orschwiller in the Bas-Rhin county in Alsace, at an altitude of 757 meters.
You will see the castle from your apartment by simply looking out of the window. Reaching the castle of Haut Koenigsbourg is simple: drive down to Liepvre and up to the castle on the opposite side. It will take only 15 minutes ...

Stay in our wonderful gite in Alsace, comfortable and convenient headquarters for visiting Alsace and the Vosges mountains.

Holiday apartment The Mountain Hiker

Gite The Mountain Hiker upstairs 85m2

Beautiful gite for 2/3 pers. With a stunning view on the mountains & the famous medieval Haut Koenigsbourg castle.

Rate from 94 EUR per night

See availabilities and rates

From your apartment in La Vancelle, it is a short 10 minutes drive to reach the Alsace Wine route in Chatenois. From there famous villages (like Scherrwiller, Dambach la Ville) and winegrowers are only an easy and short drive.

The Alsace Wine Route is one of the most spectacular wine route in France. The Alsace Wine Route is famous all over the world for the exceptional natural beauty of its scenery (mountains, vineyards and old traditional colourful villages) and the high quality of the Alsace wines.

The delightful Alsace wine route runs across a succession of undulating hills, through pretty villages with narrow streets of colourful half-timbered houses. Scherrwiller, Chatenois and Dambach la Ville are only minutes away. Less than half a hour south you will reach some of them which still keep their medieval ramparts and atmosphere: Riquewihr, Bergheim, Ribeauvillé and Kaysersberg (in the Colmar area) are among the most beautiful alsatian towns and villages.
Visitors can easily explore the vineyards, along numerous vineyard paths where signs explain the work of the winegrower and the diversity of the grape varieties.
Winstubs and tasting cellars offer an unforgettable experience. Many of them are able to welcome groups.

From April to October, a succession of wine festivals and wine fairs will highlight your trip. In August there is the traditional Colmar wine festival (20 minutes south of La Vancelle): 10 days of celebrations for what became the major summertime event in Alsace (more than 250 000 visitors in 2008!).

It is very easy to reach the famous city of Strasbourg from our house in La Vancelle.
With your car, drive down to the motorway which will lead you to the center of Strasbourg within half an hour.
But you do not need any car actually. Catch the minibus in front of the house. It will take you to the train station of Sélestat. There a frequent train service (TER) will drop you in Strasbourg in less than 20 minutes!