Region · Leste

Grande Leste

Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.

Destinations

2 destinations in Grande Leste

2 cities

Alsácia

2 cities

Champagne

Cities

4 cities in Grande Leste in the guide

Grande Leste Capital

Estrasburgo

Capital of Alsace, on the Rhine and on the German border, Strasbourg blends French and German culture. The historic center is on the Grande Île, surrounded by the river Ill, with the Cathédrale Notre-Dame, the Palais Rohan and the half-timbered houses of the Petite France. The city is home to the European Parliament, is about 1h50 from Paris by TGV and hosts, in December, one of the oldest Christmas markets in Europe.

Grande Leste

Colmar

Colmar is the town of colorful half-timbered houses, the canals of the Petite Venise and the Musée Unterlinden, which houses the Retábulo de Issenheim. The historic center, with the Collégiale Saint-Martin, the Quartier des Tanneurs and Bartholdi's birthplace, is walked on foot. It is the best base for the Rota dos Vinhos da Alsácia, with Riquewihr, Eguisheim and Kaysersberg a few kilometers away, and for the Château du Haut-Kœnigsbourg.

Grande Leste

Épernay

Épernay is a small town on the banks of the Marne river, surrounded by vineyards, about half an hour by train from Reims. The Avenue de Champagne houses the headquarters of the major champagne houses, such as Moët & Chandon and Mercier, above galleries that hold millions of bottles, and the Musée du Vin de Champagne et d'Archéologie régionale. Six kilometers away is Hautvillers, the village of the monk Dom Pérignon.

Grande Leste

Reims

Reims is the largest city in the Champagne and the gateway to the region, 45 minutes by TGV from Paris. At the Cathédrale Notre-Dame nearly all the kings of France were crowned, and the Basilique Saint-Remi houses the tomb of the bishop who baptized Clovis. The city also has the Porte de Mars, a Roman arch, the Musée de la Reddition, where World War II in Europe ended, and champagne houses such as Pommery, Taittinger and Mumm, with cellars open to visits by reservation.