What to do in Ribeauvillé? – My ideas of visits and good addresses

1. Visit Ribeauvillé town center

My advice for visiting Ribeauvillé is relatively simple: walk around! Strolling along the Grand Rue and regularly taking the little streets perpendicular to the Grand Rue is a real pleasure, as there are so many pretty things to see in the historic center: colorful, flower-filled half-timbered Alsatian houses, pretty stores, beautiful signs, sculptures on the corners of the houses… Ribeauvillé is a truly charming medieval village. It is necessary to raise the eyes to watch the details on the facades, there are very many to admire!

Along the way, you’ll come across a host of remarkable buildings, including the 18th-century town hall, the ramparts (part of which have been preserved) and the Tour des Bouchers (the town’s former defensive tower, dating from the 13th century and raised in the 16th), the 15th-century Halle aux Blés with its beautiful Gothic porches, the Church of Saint-Grégoire and the Church of the Augustins Convent.

Various traditional half-timbered houses also bear witness to the rich history of the city. The most beautiful of these houses is undoubtedly the Maison des Ménétriers (Pfifferhüss), located at 14 Grand Rue, which has a unique decoration on its façade dating from 1683. It was the seat of the corporation of minstrels (musicians). Another original building to see is the Elephant Inn (located at the n°1 of the First Army Square).

2. Hiking at Les Trois Châteaux

Don’t hesitate to leave the walls of this ancient fortified city to admire the vineyards and the three castles of Ribeauvillé (Château du Girsberg, Château du Haut-Ribeaupierre and Château de Saint-Ulrich), classified as Historic Monuments.

If you have a little time in front of you and like to walk, I advise you the hike of the Three Castles of Ribeauvillé. It is beautiful! In fact, I recommend it even if you don’t have much time because you will quickly have a very nice view of the vineyards and the village: you can only do a very small portion, you will already enjoy a beautiful panorama typically Alsatian!

3. Relax at the Ribeauvillé spa

Ribeauvillé has a very nice spa located outside the city, in the Casino Barrière. To relax in the middle of a stay full of visits or if the weather is a bit sad, the spa of Ribeauvillé is a really good option!

4. Discover lots of different beers in an unusual bar

If you are a beer lover, don’t miss the Bar Saint-Ulrich, a very nice little bar offering a huge choice of beers… Discoveries and conviviality at the rendez-vous!

5. Taste some of the best cordon bleu in Alsace

Want to taste a good Alsatian specialty? The cordon bleu in Alsace is sacred… And one of the best and most generous is served in Ribeauvillé, at the Restaurant Aux Trois Châteaux. Notice to amateurs, you will enjoy it! 😉

6. Visit a winemaker and taste wine in a cellar

Ribeauvillé being located on the Alsace Wine Route, it would be a shame not to take advantage of it to visit a winegrower and taste some Alsace wine. In Ribeauvillé, I advise you to book a tasting at the Domaine Bott Frères, where you will be very well received and will be able to taste wines of great quality.

7. Fill up on chocolate at Daniel Stoffel

The Daniel Stoffel chocolate factory, a family-owned Alsatian chocolate factory, is located in Ribeauvillé: you can go there to stock up on chocolates, but also participate in numerous workshops on the theme of chocolate. Yummy!

8. Buy linens from Beauvillé

The factory of Beauvillé, the famous brand of household linen, is located in Ribeauvillé. High quality products are made on site and you can visit the factory store for great deals. Ideal to bring back a nice souvenir from Alsace or as a gift idea!

9. Discover Ribeauvillé’s best addresses

Where to sleep in Ribeauvillé?

Looking for a place to live? Here is my selection of hotels in Ribeauvillé.

Where to eat in Ribeauvillé

I haven’t tried many restaurants in Ribeauvillé, but theAuberge Au Zahnacker is a great place to try Alsatian cuisine!

Where can you enjoy good pastries?

Here is a very important subject: pastries 😉 Here are two addresses that I can recommend to you:

• to buy delicious pastries to take away: Gilg (which I also ranked in the best pastry shops in Colmar!).
• to taste good Alsatian pastries on site: Pâtisserie Vilmain

10. Visit the Ribeauvillé Christmas market

The Christmas market of Ribeauvillé is very famous in Alsace because it is original: it is a medieval Christmas market really superbly organized and I can only recommend it to you!

11. Attend Alsace’s oldest festival, the Pfifferdaj

The Pfifferdaj (Fête des Ménétriers) is, with the Christmas market, the biggest annual event in Ribeauvillé. This festival celebrating the brotherhood of the Ménétriers dates from 1481, which makes it the oldest festival in Alsace! Every first Sunday of September, the appointment is unmissable for all the associations of the city as well as for many Alsatians. It must be said that the festival is superb, with parades of floats and bands whose theme (always medieval) varies over the years. A very nice event!