MAGICAL CHRISTMAS IN PARIS & ALSACE with Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Today is arrival day, where we all meet up in PARIS.  How exciting!!  If it’s your first time in the city of lights, we highly recommend arriving a couple of days before the trip so you can check out the sights.  We won’t have too much time to do so once we get going!   Please let us know if you need help with any hotel bookings and tips on sightseeing!

Our hotel is centraly located near tourist attractions and facilities while managing to remain very french and local.  The neighborhood is filled to the brim with bistros, parks and history, and home to several vegan eateries and shops!  

Our trip officially begins at 4pm, with a WELCOME MEETING where we’ll introduce each other.  We’ll be close friends by the week’s end, so obviously this needs to be celebrated with some bubbly.  🙂

Then we’re off to our FIRST DINNER at a nearby restaurant.   By now it’s a World Vegan Travel and CPG Vegan Trips tradition that we make sure our first meal together is memorable.  Definitely expect this one to be as well!  

Accommodation:

Hôtel Maison Mère (4-star)

Included:

welcome meeting & drinks

dinner

non-premium drinks during dinner

all transportation once the trip begins

Excluded:

breakfast & lunch

transportation to our meeting place in Milan

premium drinks

After filling up on our vegan breakfast, we pack up and board our coach for our first-class TGV train to Strasbourg (~2 hours).    This means an early-rise as we want to get to Strasbourg for lunch! 

As soon as the train pulls into the Strasbourg station, we’ll put our belongings on our bus and say “bonjour!” to our driver and local guide Muriel, who will be with us for the rest of the trip.     We’ll have plenty of time to get to know both during lunch at a local vegan restaurant.  Be sure to leave some space for their amazing french patisseries! 

Right after lunch, it’s time to  burn those calories with a guided walking tour of Strasbourg!  The self-proclaimed Capital of Christmas, Strasbourg wears its slogan proudly, and there’s little chance you’ll disagree.  Its old town, actually an island, was the first ever city centre to be entirely classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO.   It will not take long for you to see why.    Our guide will take us back in time to medieval Strasbourg, weaving in and out the alleyways of its old town and ending up 1.5hrs later at its stunning cathedral. 

Following the walking tour, you’ll have about 2 hours to wander the narrow streets lines with several Christmas markets.  Every cute alley seems to lead to a square, and each square seems to have its own market.  It’s nonstop Christmas everywhere, with merchants peddling mulled wine, pretzels (make sure they’re vegan before ordering!) and all kind of Christmas knickknacks.

Finally we’ll board our bus for the 1 hours drive to our home for the next 6 nights: La Couronne is a 16th Century Inn beautifully restored and located in Ensisheim, a small village on the south end of Alsace.  We’re taking over the entire hotel so unpack your suitcases and make it your own home!

We’ll be having dinner at the hotel — as every night — thanks to the amazing kitchen staff that create, what we think, the best vegan French cuisine in the world.  Come hungry! 

Accommodation:

Hôtel Restaurant La Couronne (4-star)

Included:

1st class TGV train Paris-Strasbourg

guided walking tour of Strasbourg

breakfast, lunch & dinner

non-premium drinks during meals

all transportation

Excluded:

premium drinks

After an early breakfast, we’ll board our bus for the ~30 minute drive to the Kazersberg, one of the most beautiful small town in the Alsace region.  Our guide Muriel will take us around for a short tour before letting you loose to explore on your own.  This is a great place to grab some Christmas souvenirs for your loved ones back home! 

Lunch is back at the hotel.

Afterwards, we board our bus once again for the 30 minute drive to the region’s gem, Colmar.  Surprisingly big for a medieval city, and perfectly preserved, this was actually the last town in France to be freed after the second World War!   It is so beautiful that both the American and British military were careful NOT to bomb the cobbles lanes and half-timbered houses that seem to populate every inch of town.

Our guide will take you on a 2-hour stroll through the stunningly beautiful streets, alleyways and squares.  At times you’ll feel like you’ve stepped 500 years into the past.  

By now darkness will have set in, which means Colmar’s streets and Christmas market will be all lit up.  You’ll have some free time to wander around, join the locals for some mulled wine, and maybe get a few souvernirs! 

Dinner is back at the hotel where you can expect yet another 5-star meal! 

Accommodation:

Hôtel Restaurant La Couronne (4-star)

Included:

guided walking tour of Kayzersberg

guided walking tour of Colmar

breakfast, lunch & dinner

non-premium drinks during meals

all transportation

Excluded:

premium drinks

This morning we set off north for about an hour to visit a farm sanctuary.  La Ferme D’Henni Le Cochon is simply awesome.   This labor of love is founded and run by Jean-Luc Daub, who decided to start a sanctuary in order to deal with the trauma of having seen so many horrors and deaths during his years as a meat-packing industry inspector.  His story is very touching, while the animals are super friendly and adorable. 

After our visit, we’re off to a nearby town to visit a local winemaker.  He’ll tell us all about Alsatian wine while we eat lunch, and, of course, taste the fruit of his labor!   And yes, we’ll have plenty of cheese on-hand! 

On the way home we’ll stop at one of the cutest village in all of France, Enguisheim.  A cup of mulled wine will be a great way to cap off a fun day!  

Accommodation:

Hôtel Restaurant La Couronne (4-star)

Included:

visit and donation to the farm sanctuary

wine tasting at a local Alsatian winery

breakfast, lunch & dinner

non-premium drinks during meals

all transportation

Excluded:

premium drinks

With Germany so close, it would be a shame not to go check it out…  so let’s do it! 

After breakfast, we board our private coach and meet our local guide who will take us over the border.

We’ll start with a drive through the valleys and hills of the Black Forest, a mountainous area famous for its cuckoo clocks, watchmaking, hiking trails and fresh mountain air.   

Our first stop is the Wolf and Bear Park.  Don’t let the name fool you – this is a real sanctuary, primarily for bears rescued from European circuses and tourist traps, as well as for wolves and even a few lynxes, also rescued and given a new life in this protected environment.  As we’ll visit in winter, it’s not guaranteed we will get to see the bears, but we’ll still enjoy a private tour of their compound and learn about the plight of these animals as well as getting a behind-the-scenes glimpse on what it takes for such an operation to function. 

Lunch will be at the park.  On the menu: a real German feast of vegan bratwurst and spreads!! 

After lunch, we’re off to the nearby town of Freiburg to see how Germans do their Christmas market.  Despite being so close to France, you’ll notice a few differences, and while wine is the drink of choice in this part of Germany, it’s still very easy to find great beer.

We’ll then head back to France, arriving just in time at our Alsatian home, just in time for an apéritif and “le diner” at our hotel.

Accommodation:

Hôtel Restaurant La Couronne (4-star)

Included:

visit and donation to the farm sanctuary

guided walking tour of Freiburg

breakfast, lunch & dinner

non-premium drinks during meals

all transportation

Excluded:

premium drinks

We will start the morning off with a talk by Colleen, which will take us to a leisurely lunch.

The afternoon is free for you to build your own adventure.  We’ll be providing transportation to Colmar where you can visit its amazing art museum or simply explore the Christmas market further.  This is also a great time to purchase any Christmas gift for your family & friends back home! 

We’ll be back a bit early at the hotel today in time for a cooking demo from Colleen!   We’ll follow this up with a fun pre-dinner drink before our usual evening feast! 

Accommodation:

Hôtel Restaurant La Couronne (4-star)

Included:

talk  by Colleen 

cooking demo from Colleen

breakfast, lunch & dinner

non-premium drinks during meals

all transportation

Excluded:

premium drinks

Oh no, our last full day!   All good things must come to an end, but we’ll go out with a bang!
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We start the day off our usual delicious vegan breakfast.    We’re then off to Switzerland (~40 minutes drive) with a walking tour of Basel‘s wonderful old town.   Yes, there’s a Christmas market here too! 

We’ll have lunch at a local vegetarian restaurant before boarding the bus and returning back to France and the hotel for our afternoon festivities.  It’s time to have our (pre)Christmas party!

 Bubbly, wine and snacks will be served throughout the day as we take over the hotel’s basement.   Stockings will be hung up.  “DJ David” may even put on some Christmas carols! 

Finally, the moment has come: Christmas dinner.    We think nothing will beat having a beautifully prepared Christmas feast all spent in the company of your new lifelong friends!

Accommodation:

Hôtel Restaurant La Couronne (4-star)

Included:

guided walking tour of Basel, Switzerland

Christmas party!

breakfast, lunch & dinner

non-premium drinks during meals

all transportation

Excluded:

premium drinks

Today is unfortunately departure day.  Nothing is planned today except for your transfers to Mulhouse train station, or the Euroairport at Basel.

After breakfast it’s time to say our goodbyes with a final word from Colleen and a (orange juice) toast to fantastic memories and new friends!  Until next time!! 

Included:

breakfast

transfer to train station, airport or another hotel

Excluded:

lunch & dinner