France Hotels: Where to Stay in France, from Alsace to Paris (2026)

Grande Île and La Petite France

On the final day of our Alsace tour we drove into Strasbourg, parked, and covered the cathedral, La Petite France and Kléber on foot; the island is small enough that we never needed a tram. For a first visit, or to wake up among the Christmas markets, stay on the Grande Île.

La Petite France gives you canal views and slightly calmer evenings. Arriving by train with luggage? The station area is practical, and the first market stalls are about a 10 minute walk along a signposted route (noel.strasbourg.eu). All five areas, including the European Quarter and Kehl across the border, have a guide of their own.

• The largest city in Alsace; the cathedral, Place Kléber and La Petite France share one island
• Booking treats the cathedral area and La Petite France as a single district, "City Centre - Petite France - Cathedral"
• 1 hour 45 minutes from Paris Gare de l'Est on the fastest TGV (Omio)

Best for: First visits, rail travellers, walking to the Christmas markets

Getting there: About 1 hour 45 minutes from Paris by TGV; 25 minutes to Colmar by train

the Old Town and Little Venice

We did not stay overnight in Colmar: we reached town in the evening after Riquewihr and Kaysersberg and filmed the line of boats on the canal and the crowd outside Au Vieux Pignon. First time here? Pick Little Venice or the old-town streets right above it; they merge into one walkable area with every market a few minutes away.

In December these two are the priciest and the first to sell out. Rail travellers on a budget should look around the station, about 15 minutes' walk from the Dominicans market.

• Little Venice, known for the half-timbered houses along the Lauch, sits at the southern tip of the old town
• Basel is 37 minutes away on the quickest train (Omio, October 2026)
• Six separate Christmas markets, all inside the old town (noel-colmar.com)

Best for: A small canal town and its evening lights

Getting there: The shortest Basel train is 37 minutes; village buses start in Colmar

Obernai, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg

Obernai was a daytime stop on our drive north to Strasbourg, with no overnight. Riquewihr was a morning visit on a tour, with Kaysersberg straight after; Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle stands on the same Vosges slopes. A village night means seeing the ramparts and the stone bridge lit up once the day crowds leave.

The price is scarcity: when we looked on 15 October 2026, the second Tuesday night of December had only 12 free places in Kaysersberg and 15 in Riquewihr. Without a car, Obernai is the easier pick, a direct 28 minute TER ride from Strasbourg.

• Alsace lies in the north-eastern corner of France, on the west bank of the Rhine with Germany on the far shore
• 8,580 properties across the whole Alsace region on Booking
• Riquewihr and Kaysersberg have no railway; from the Colmar Théâtre stop, Fluo line 813 reaches Kaysersberg in roughly 29 minutes

Best for: Drivers who want a quiet village evening

Getting there: Obernai is 28 minutes from Strasbourg by TER; Kaysersberg about 29 minutes from Colmar on bus 813

Hotels by Gare de l'Est (We Have Not Been)

Paris, France hotels draw far more searches than anywhere else in the country, so a France page without Paris would leave most readers short. Our French trip stayed in Alsace; we have not spent a night in Paris and suggest no districts or hotels here. Where to stay in Paris for a first time is therefore a question we cannot answer from experience.

What we can offer is the rail link: if Alsace comes next, the Strasbourg trains leave from Gare de l'Est, and a hotel within walking distance of it makes the morning departure painless. For cheap hotels in Paris, sort Booking's Paris list by price and check the walk to the nearest metro stop.

• The capital; 13,244 properties in Paris on Booking
• 4,069 properties listed near Gare de l'Est (Booking, 31 October 2026)
• Strasbourg is 1 hour 45 minutes away on the fastest TGV (Omio, 31 October 2026)

Best for: Pairing the capital with Alsace; we have not been

Getting there: Strasbourg trains leave from Gare de l'Est, 397 km away