Winter and Snow in Southern Alsace - Ferrette © French Moments
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Last Updated: 19 August 2023

Winter is here at last! For a few days, we are visiting Alsace, and against all expectations, snow fell yesterday morning. We quickly drove across the Sundgau region to the South of Alsace to take photos of the villages under the snow…

 

Winter and Snow in Southern Alsace

When we stay in the Sundgau, we enjoy visiting a few favourite spots: Hirtzbach and Ferrette. On our way from Altkirch to the Alsatian Jura, we also stopped at Hirsingue, where the banks of the Ill River offered some excellent spots for photos.

 

Hirtzbach

First, the village of Hirtzbach and its river are bordered by two long streets. See how the snow enhances the colours of the half-timbered houses:

Half-timbered houses in Hirtzbach © French Moments
Half-timbered houses in Hirtzbach © French Moments

The railings of the Chateau of Reinach:

The chateau of Reinach, Hirtzbach © French Moments
The Chateau of Reinach, Hirtzbach © French Moments

The St. Affre chapel is situated in the upper part of the village with great views over Hirtzbach and the Ill valley. We took a photo from this exact location in Spring. This scenery looks similar to a Bavarian landscape (without the Alps!)

The St. Affre Chapel in Hirtzbach © French Moments
The St. Affre Chapel in Hirtzbach © French Moments

 

Hirsingue

Our next stop on the way to the Alsatian Jura was Hirsingue. There isn’t much to see there except for the picturesque banks of the Ill River, which are – like neighbouring Hirtzbach – bordered by beautiful half-timbered houses.

The banks of the River Ill at Hirsingue © French Moments
The banks of the River Ill at Hirsingue © French Moments
Half-timbered houses in Hirsingue © French Moments
Half-timbered houses in Hirsingue © French Moments

 

Ferrette

Lastly, the village of Ferrette. The little town lies to the South of Mulhouse, between Montbéliard and Basel. It takes great pride in its ancient town centre topped by two medieval castles:

The little town of Ferrette under the snow © French Moments
The little town of Ferrette under the snow © French Moments
The two castles of Ferrette © French Moments
The two castles of Ferrette © French Moments

The view from the castle extends to the hills of Sundgau and the Alsatian Jura.

View from the castle of Ferrette © French Moments
View from the castle of Ferrette © French Moments
View of the Alsatian Jura from the castle of Ferrette © French Moments
View of the Alsatian Jura from the castle of Ferrette © French Moments

Find out more about the Sundgau.

 

Gems of Paris by French Moments
About the author

Pierre is a French/Australian who is passionate about France and its culture. He grew up in France and Germany and has also lived in Australia and England. He has a background teaching French, Economics and Current Affairs, and holds a Master of Translating and Interpreting English-French with the degree of Master of International Relations, and a degree of Economics and Management. Pierre is the author of Discovery Courses and books about France.

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  1. Greetings Pierre,
    Could you please let us know if Colmar/Strasbourg normally gets snow for Christmas? We are travelling from Queensland and are interested in this area.
    Merci

    1. Bonjour Nicole! Thank you for your question. I have been living in the Alsace region for more than 10 years and as far as I can remember, it has been snowing only once on Christmas Day. It does snow sometimes in December but it is not always the case… that said, you never know, you might have a pleasant surprise. If so, the Christmas markets of Alsace will be truly enchanting. Just be prepared for cold days – particularly at night time. My advice: make sure you visit a few Christmas markets at night time: they are awesome with the illuminations. If you have any more questions about Alsace, please do not hesitate to ask! Have a nice day Down Under. 🙂

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