Eguisheim: Walking Tours, Castles and Wine Country

Eguisheim offers several distinct ways to explore its history and landscape: a walking tour explains the houses and town fortifications, sacred art provides its own historical highlights, and the wine trail and castle ruins open up further topics. If you choose a hotel destination based on the interests of your trip, you can weigh up cultural interpretation, winegrowing and views here. The attractions have different focuses: some explain individual details, while others draw your attention to the landscape and architectural history.

Castles and History in Eguisheim

The Château des Comtes d’Eguisheim is said to have been built or restored around 720. The comital family lived in the château until 1225, when the line died out. Today it belongs to the municipality; it is open only for exhibitions, certain events and receptions. Since these access conditions determine whether you can visit, check in advance whether a suitable opportunity to visit is available on your chosen date.

The Three Castles of Haut-Eguisheim are distinct from this château. They consist of three towers on the Schlossberg, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. Their remains stand on a wooded hill overlooking Eguisheim and the Alsace plain. From November 15 to March 15, access is possible only on foot; take this seasonal restriction into account when planning and check again before your trip.

Two sacred sites also offer their own historical and artistic highlights. The Église Saints-Pierre-et-Paul houses a polychrome wooden sculpture of the “Vierge Ouvrante” dating from the 13th or 14th century. The Chapelle Saint-Léon IX was built in the neo-Romanesque style on the site of the former keep and dedicated to Saint Leon in 1894. Inside, painted medallions show seven scenes from his life. Eguisheim thus brings together a medieval wooden sculpture and a later-dedicated chapel with its sequence of images.

Walking Tours with Different Focuses

The “Entrez dans la ronde” discovery walk uses nine panels made of enamelled lava stone. They explain the colours of the houses, the route of the town wall and the town gates, as well as inscriptions, stonemasons’ marks and the castle. The walk therefore ranges from visible colours and architectural features to signs and writing on the buildings. The richly illustrated discovery booklet complements the walk; there is also a child-friendly version with short games for children.

QR codes also link to videos of about two minutes each on every topic. The booklet, panels and short videos present the same topics in different formats: you can focus on individual explanations at the stops, or supplement them with the booklet and videos. The walk is therefore a clearly defined cultural focus, without requiring you to take in every aspect of the town’s history at once.

Wine Trail, Views and Exploration

The “Sentier viticole des Grands Crus d’Eguisheim” wine trail focuses on the geology and orientation of the “Eichberg” and “Pfersigberg” Grand Crus. It also explains seven grape varieties and the seasonal work of the winegrowers. The panorama takes in Eguisheim, the vineyards and the Three Castles. If you would like to consider winegrowing and landscape together, this trail combines informative explanations with views across the surroundings.

The “Circuit Vignoble et Châteaux” walking route offers a different perspective: along the way, you can enjoy both close-up and far-reaching views of the castle ruins and the plain. While the wine trail explains geology, orientation and grape varieties, the Circuit focuses on changing views of the ruins and landscape. The two attractions therefore have different emphases, even though both feature castles and wine country.

The Petit train d’Eguisheim travels through the historic centre, along picturesque streets and past old houses, as well as through the Grand Cru vineyards below the Three Castles. It departs seasonally from the car park by the town hall. Commentary is available in French, German, English, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish or Russian. Check the timetable and language information before planning, as these details may change. This gives you a choice between exploring the walking tours independently and taking a ride with commentary.

Discover more destinations: Husseren-Les-Châteaux, Sierentz, Holtzwihr, Houssen, Magstatt-le-Bas, Zimmersheim, Cernay, Dietwiller.

For the regional travel overview: Haut-Rhin.