VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
Camper hire in Strasbourg: the Wine Route, the Vosges and the Black Forest
Three first-rate ranges within an hour: why Strasbourg is one of Eastern France’s best road trip bases — the Alsace Wine Route, the Vosges crests and Germany’s Black Forest — with the driving rules to know on both sides of the Rhine.
Few French cities offer such a crossroads: from Strasbourg, the Alsace Wine Route starts twenty minutes away, the Vosges crests are an hour out, and Germany’s Black Forest lies just across the Rhine. A perfect base for a first road trip or a two-week loop straddling two countries.
Before you go: the rules on both sides of the Rhine
On the French side, the Strasbourg Eurométropole applies a low-emission zone: check the Crit’Air sticker of your rental vehicle and the rules in force when you set off — our guide to low-emission zones in Europe covers it country by country. On the German side, many cities require the green Umweltplakette sticker; on the other hand, there is no motorway vignette for light vehicles. For overnight stops, the region is well equipped: see the motorhome aires around Strasbourg.
Heading south: the Alsace Wine Route (2–4 days)
Obernai, Mittelbergheim, Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Eguisheim… France’s oldest wine route strings together 170 km (105 miles) of half-timbered villages at the foot of the vineyard — our dedicated guide to the Alsace Wine Route by motorhome details the stages and tasting cellars. What wine-route visitors actually experience is a research topic in its own right: the work of Tan Vo Thanh and Valentina Kirova published in 2018 in the Journal of Business Research (Google Scholar page), based on the analysis of visitors’ online accounts of a French wine region, shows that a successful wine-tourism experience inseparably blends wine, landscape and heritage — exactly the Alsatian promise. Haut-Kœnigsbourg castle and the climb to Mont Sainte-Odile add the panoramic dimension.
Heading west: the Vosges via the Route des Crêtes (2–3 days)
Grand Ballon, Hohneck, the glacial lakes of Gérardmer and Longemer, farm inns and raw-milk Munster cheese: our Vosges campervan itinerary covers the Route des Crêtes and its variants. Watch your vehicle size on the secondary passes, and note the Route des Crêtes closes in winter.
Heading east: the Black Forest (2–4 days)
Once across the Rhine at Kehl, the B500 (Schwarzwaldhochstraße) climbs towards Baden-Baden, the Mummelsee and Titisee lakes, Freiburg im Breisgau and the cuckoo-clock valleys — full itinerary in our Black Forest campervan guide, with pickup available in Freiburg im Breisgau for an all-German loop.
When to go
May–June and September–October are the ideal windows: green vines or harvest time, clear passes, reasonable crowds. Summer is superb on the crests but busy on the Wine Route; December changes register entirely with the Christmas markets — magical, but city parking becomes a combat sport, so park on the outskirts and take the tram.
Compare before you book
Van-Comparator queries Yescapa, Goboony, Roadsurfer and Indie Campers in one search for pickup in Strasbourg, in Mulhouse to start from the southern end of the vineyard, or in Freiburg im Breisgau on the German side.
Free checklist: your first campervan trip
Licence and vehicle size, pick-up inspection, stopovers or campsites, water and electricity, insurance, drop-off: everything to check before and during a first trip. Sign up — the link to the full checklist appears immediately.