Riquewihr

This little village really looked promising on the drive into town…

However, once we parked (car lots were 3€ for two hours with no option for less time) and noticed bus loads of (mostly American) tourists being dropped off at regular intervals, the town lost a bit of its charm. It’s entirely possible that our brains were tiring of the multiple flower villages we had visited in the last few days but we found Riquewihr to be among the most touristy of the lot. The scenery was on par with other locations but the amount of people dampened our mood.

I did find a shop with some reasonably priced stoneware, however, and once we got off the main drag, the village regained some points for character.

I would recommend visiting if you are in the area but keep in mind that this seems to be a common destination for bus tours.

Obernai

In a complete contrast to Riquewihr, we found a gigantic free parking lot outside the ramparts (with bathrooms) and wandered around town for a bit before we needed to check into our hotel in Strasbourg. Within five minutes we had already been offered free samples of the local gingerbread and coconut macarons!

In the middle of town we visited an interesting cemetery behind the Church of Saints Peter and Paul with a nave representing the Garden of Gethsemane.

Obernai would be a good day trip from Strasbourg if you have a car and a free afternoon.