From there, an ideal start towards all directions and excursions! To escape, to discover to the beat of history and nature!
Spring is lovely (golf, canoe, tennis, Easter celebrations); Summer is flowers and joy; Autumn is sparkling and all for picking the grapes; Winter celebrates the magic of Christmas in Alsace!
Ribeauvillé is a medieval town to be visited but not just once for it is a place where you feel well… and take the time to appreciate it fully…
The Pfifferdaj fair: Since 1390 Ribeauvillé has been the gathering place of all the minstrels and fiddlers who used to pay tribute to the lords of Ribeaupierre (in German, von Rappoltstein). Since 1312 the latter have granted their protection to this corporation and improved their conditions as public entertainers. The fair is therefore an occasion for a merry and musical reunion amidst the colours of the medieval times!
Come and meet the strolling players, the fire-eaters, the jugglers, the performers, the acrobats, the musicians, the minstrels for a magic moment, an amazing, astounding and unforgettable time: the torchlight procession, the medieval market, the ball, countless shows, and, above all else, on the Sunday, the most impressive float procession followed by a free wine tasting by the Town Hall fountain!
1500 to 2000 extras preparing this for a whole year to make this medieval fair work, within the heart of the town, once every first Sunday of September …
You can’t miss it!
Christmas in medieval Ribeauvillé: between the Rhine and the Vosges mountains, the enchanted atmosphere begins as early as November 20th and emotionally rises during the 4 weeks before Christmas (the Advent) until the climax at Christmas and the smooth finish on January 6th (Twelfth Night).
The Advent wreaths illuminate the homes, the Christmas trees twinkle, the Christmas markets and the streets of all Alsatian villages glitter, the right time to enjoy the winter sweets, the deliciously odorous chesnuts and baked apples, the mulled wine… undoubtedly the most stunning period of the year… Christmas is coming !
Don’t miss these two December week ends in Ribeauvillé, to return to the Middle Ages and meet minstrels, jugglers, yokels, beggars and rogues, stilt walkers, lords, and the Dancerie de Ribeaupierre… the atmosphere is infectiously merry! Come and see the occupations of old: fire, bronze, tin, enamel, glass craftsmen… Take part in all the other medieval celebrations!
It will also be a celebration of the senses with the tasting of spit-roasted boars and traditional ales…
Hark ye common folk! This is the time for authentic magical and sparkling Alsatian Christmas!
The Ungersheim Écomusée: it is the largest open air museum in France. Genuine Alsatian buildings were transferred and rebuilt there that form a live village. It is worth visiting to have another viewpoint on Alsace. Numerous celebrations turn the experience into a time travel to a village of old.
The Écomusée naturally follows the Christmas traditions of the Advent, the Nativity and the “Petite année” (from the Alsatian “s’Kleinajohr”): wakes, workshops to learn about Christmas decorations and the secrets of the Bredala, Berawecka, typical Alsatian cakes.