Lorraine and Alsace

Champagne : Lorraine & Alsace

Car Hire (main collection points only) : Strasbourg Airport : Strasbourg Railway Station

This part of France is made up of two historic territories, Alsace and Lorraine. These territories have see-sawed from French to German control during conflicts between the two countries for centuries.

Hugging the western slopes of the crumpled, wooded Vosges hills in the south, Lorraine is a region of tranquil, little visited countryside, whose major cities of Metz and Nancy are well worth a visit, as well as the deeply moving battlefields of Verdum.

Metz, a Gallo-Roman city, is situated in a strategic position as a defence point and is also a crossroads of trade routes. It contains some elegant medieval walls, arches and public buildings, but its pride is the Cathedral of St Etienne.

Nancy is best known for its perfectly proportioned Place Stainslas, gracefully surrounded with elegant wrought iron gates. The history of Lorraine is excellently documented in the town's museum.

Nestling between the Rhine and the Vosges is France's smallest province of Alsace. Cosy and compact, with a picture postcard prettiness of Hansel and Gretel gingerbread houses, excellent cuisine and fine (distinctly German style wines) wines, Alsace is heavily influence by the cultures of both France and Germany, although it still maintains its own distinct individuality with two-thirds of the population speaking their own dialect of Elsassdutch.

Situated on the border with Germany and close to the Rhine, Strasbourg is known as the 'Crossroads of Europe'. Today it is the headquarters of the European Parliament and the European Court of Human Rights and site of the futuristic Palais de l'Europe.

The magnificent cathedral is the centre piece of the city, built in rosy stone splotched with cream, is like an immense marble cake. When it was finished in the 15th century, the 142 meter (465 ft) steeple was the highest in Europe.

This is cathedral laden with decoration, carrying the Gothic idea to its limit. A more recently alteration is the astronomical clock, a multi-faced mechanism tracing hourly, daily and yearly celestial movements. When it strikes at 12.30pm, figures of ancient and biblical mythology execute their ordained rounds.

In this area you can obtain your hire car from Mulhouse Airport, Mulhouse Railway Station, Strasbourg Airport and Strasbourg Railway Station.