Fairytale France & The Black Forest

A journey through the villages of France’s Alsace, south into Switzerland, and up through the Black Forest of Germany to the opulent spa town of Baden-Baden. See the locations that inspired the Beauty and the Beast story as well as the Forest linked to the Brothers Grimm. This trip is offered by no other travel company: it is extraordinary and one-of-a-kind — like you are!

Included in every Saints & Sages trip:

English-speaking, certified travel director offering 24/7 assistance, and expert local guides, certified by their countries
Professional driver
Hand-selected accommodations in 4- and 5-star hotels
Full breakfast daily
A glass of the restaurant’s “house wine” at included dinners
Activities menu for you to design your day on free days!
Internet access
Entrance fees, taxes, and all gratuities except for the photographer (when offered)
Laundry Liaison: if desired, we will arrange for your clothing to be laundered near the halfway point of the trip. (Notify us before trip start and we will schedule it and tell you the pricing.)
Indulgence add-ons: special occasion or extra pampering needed? We got you!
Guaranteed departure with just four guests

Booking Inquiry Booking Request

Fairytale France & the Black Forest

Set out on a journey through charming fairytale villages and castles, breathe in gorgeous architecture, and experience excellent regional cuisine and wine. We will start in Alsace's capital, Strasbourg, which is the seat of the European Parliament. Then we travel the Alsace wine route, France's oldest, and we stay in the picture-perfect village of Colmar, then we make our way into Switzerland to stunning, hidden-gem city of Basel. Continuing on, we will behold the sweeping panoramas of Germany’s Black Forest before unplugging into a much-needed dose of renewal and relaxation in Germany's most famous spa town, Baden-Baden.

S² Trip Highlights:

Two Michelin-star restaurants
Vineyard luncheon
All transportation starting from the train from Frankfurt to Strasbourg, including bullet train tickets and private transfers
All breakfasts, one lunch, and nine dinners
Easy, leisurely e-bike tour of Basel
Design Your Days: Multiple days where you choose what you'd like to do. Have us make your plans in advance, or just see how you're feeling that day! This is the secret to the perfect group travel experience; the ability to set the pace how you like it, so you never feel rushed or exhausted. You get to be as busy or as wander-the-cobblestone-streets-and-sit-in-a-pretty-café as you want to be!
Indulgence option to stay four nights at one of the world's best spa & luxury hotels with a 5-story spa complex and daily spa access included
Personal photographer included!
Small group: 16-person maximum

Itinerary at a Glance

Day 0 DEPART FOR FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Day 1 STRASBOURG, FRANCE | BOAT TOUR & WELCOME DINNER
Day 2 STRASBOURG | WALKING TOUR & FREE TIME
Day 3 ALSACE VILLAGES | HAUT-KOENIGSBOURG CASTLE & WINE TASTINGS
Day 4 COLMAR | DESIGN YOUR DAY
Day 5 ALSACE WINE VILLAGES | GUIDED PRIVATE TOUR OF ALSACE VILLAGES & WINE TASTING
Day 6 BASEL, SWITZERLAND | BASEL INTRO
Day 7 BASEL | LEISURELY E-BIKE TOUR
Day 8 BASEL | DESIGN YOUR DAY
Day 9 BLACK FOREST REGION, GERMANY | GENGENBACH & SCHWÄRZWÄLDER FREILICHTMUSEUM
Day 10 BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY | HIGHLIGHTS
Day 11 BADEN-BADEN | DESIGN YOUR DAY - MANY OPTIONS, INCLUDING GERMANY'S PRETTIEST (AND EASY!) TRAIL, THE PANORAMAWEG
Day 12 BADEN-BADEN | DESIGN YOUR DAY
Day 13 DIRECT SPEED TRAIN TO AND DEPARTURE FROM FRANKFURT

Want to see the full itinerary? Click on the itinerary tab above.

DAY 0 TRAVEL DAY

Fly from the US to Frankfurt, Germany. Let us know if you'd like to arrive a day or two early in Frankfurt. We are happy to put an extension together for you. Frankfurt is a fun and do-able city where you can hit all of the highlights in 2-3 days. (Alternative: fly directly into Strasbourg, France.)

Overnight Flight Meals: In-flight

DAY 1 STRASBOURG, FRANCE

Alsace: Nestled in the foothills of the Vosges mountains lies a region of France known for its fairytale villages and mild, sunny microclimate. This is Alsace, located in France's Grand-Est region. Fought over for hundreds of years by both the Germans and the French, this region has an independent spirit and is proud of its unique culture, traditions, language, and cuisine.

We meet up for a two-hour bullet train from Frankfurt to Strasbourg, the capital of France's Grand-Est region. A green and beautiful city as well as the official seat of the European Parliament and home to the Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights, it is a vibrant city of gastronomy and street art. You'll have free time to settle in, rest, or explore on your own. We'll meet up for a short boat tour and then our welcome dinner.

Overnight City: Strasbourg Meals: Dinner

DAY 2 STRASBOURG

Our local, expert guide will take us on a walking tour of this charming city of canals, half-timbered houses, stunning Gothic architecture, and narrow streets. Then we will enjoy a free afternoon and meet up for dinner.

Overnight City: Strasbourg Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 3 ALSACE VILLAGES

Accompanied by a local guide and wine expert, we head to Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle on our way to meander charming Alsace and the cheery, flower-filled villages consistently ranked by the French as the most beautiful in their country! We will follow France's oldest wine route, the Alsace wine route, tasting fantastic, regional wine. We will enjoy a lovely charcuterie lunch at one of our wineries. We will then head to our home base in gorgeous Colmar, where we will spend the next three nights.

Alsace produces a number of amazing wines, but the most famous is its Riesling. The Alsatian Riesling, unlike the German, is a dry wine with complex flavors. Other important Alsatian varieties are Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and the sparkling Crémant.

Overnight City: Colmar Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

DAY 4 COLMAR

Design your day: relax, go for an easy hike or e-bike to see castle ruins and/or have wine tastings arranged. Or, meander the streets, rub shoulders with the locals, do a little shopping, spend some time at a café... you do you!

Overnight City: Colmar Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 5 ALSACE VILLAGES

Today we have a private, accompanied tour of Alsace's most beautiful wine villages with a tasting or two! The remainder of the afternoon and evening will be free.

Overnight City: Colmar Meals: Breakfast

DAY 6 BASEL, SWITZERLAND

This morning, our professional driver will give us private transport to our next home in Basel, Switzerland's cultural capital. Blending middle age and modern architecture harmoniously, you'll love this charming and highly walkable city and its vibrant gastronomic scene. We'll likely enjoy a Basel boat tour to help us get our bearings and then enjoy dinner together.

Overnight City: Basel Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 7 BASEL

Today, we'll explore the city the way most Baslers do: on bike! We will take a leisurely and scenic e-bike tour taking us down the Rehberger-Weg, a three-mile stretch created by artist Tobias Rehberger with 24 art stops and beautiful, sweeping views of the Rhine River. Then, we'll have a free afternoon, meeting up for dinner together.

Overnight City: Basel Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 8 BASEL

Design your day! Basel hosts Europe's oldest museum and one of the top design and architecture museums in the world, designed by Frank Gehry (the architect who designed the Guggenheim in Bilbao). There are forty incredible museums to choose from, or just take a day to stroll (or e-bike) Switzerland's third largest, and most walkable, city. If you want to be like the Baslers, you can even float down the Rhine River, whose water is cleaner than that of most outdoor pools! As always, for designed days, we can stay together and adventure, or just meet up at dinner to share our exploits.

Overnight City: Basel Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 9 BLACK FOREST, GERMANY

Today, we cross over into Germany head north, through the hilly and picturesque Black Forest Region, taking in its Hansel and Gretel dwellings and postcard-worthy villages. We will "time travel" to see Black Forest life as it was 400 years ago. We will then stop for lunch and take a stroll in the picture-perfect village of Gengenbach, which the Germans refer to as the "Pearl of the Black Forest." Then, it's off to our hotel in the spa town of Baden-Baden to rest, recharge and reset. It'll be our home for the next four nights.

Overnight City: Baden-Baden Meals: Breakfast

DAY 10 BADEN-BADEN, GERMANY

World famous spa and culture town, and UNESCO World Heritage site, Baden-Baden has been on the map since Roman times! The town boasts Germany's largest opera house and concert hall and the most opulent casino in the world, inspired by the Palace of Versailles. Today will have a casino tour, and you're welcome to head back in the evening and feel like a high-roller in a James Bond film! You may also want to check out one of forty-four easy to moderate walking trails (including Germany's most beautiful trail, the "Panorama Way") while breathing the amazingly pure air that German doctors actually prescribe to their patients. Click here see the extraordinary options this city offers!

This is all wonderful, of course, but what keeps Baden-Baden on the map are the restorative and healing properties of its twelve thermal springs. Every day, more than 200,000 gallons of thermal water bubble up from the ground in Baden-Baden with temperatures of up to 150 °F. On its way up from a depth of over a mile beneath the earth's surface, the springs bring minerals with it: sodium, chloride, fluorine, lithium, silicic acid and boron. These substances are the source of its healing effect. Whether heart and circulation problems, metabolic disorders or respiratory diseases, the healing power of the springs is said to promote well-being and recovery. In addition, the thermal water, due to its warmth and ingredients, improves blood circulation to your muscles, joints and skin.

We will have three days in Baden-Baden (unfamiliar with Baden-Baden? Click here); ample opportunity for trails, shopping, cafés, pools, spas, and saunas, as well as optional medically-targeted spa treatments for any ailment you can think of: orthomolecular therapy, holistic therapies for joint issues, ozone therapy, altitude therapy for cell training, sleep optimization therapy, and many more! If you have specific health issues you would like addressed, we are happy to share with you with the therapies offered and schedule treatments.

INDULGENCE: For the ultimate in luxury and spa experience, ask for the Indulgence Add-on and upgrade your stay to the best luxury 5-star hotel in Baden-Baden. The add-on is $1,519/person, and you will stay at one of the finest luxury hotels in Europe, with daily unlimited spa access included.

Overnight City: Baden-Baden Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 11 BADEN-BADEN

Design your day.

Overnight City: Baden-Baden Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 12 BADEN-BADEN

Design your day. In the evening, we will have an incredible farewell dinner!

Overnight City: Baden-Baden Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

DAY 13 DEPARTURE

We will take a one-hour train that travels directly from Baden-Baden into the Frankfurt Airport for our afternoon flight home.

Meals: Breakfast

2024: June 1 - 13 (Guests must fly out of the US by May 31)
2025: June 7 - 19

Prices are in USD per person, based on double occupancy.

Price: $8,499 Single Supplement: $2,519*

Indulgence Option: Want luxury hotels only? We are always happy to upgrade all your hotels to a 5-star (when we are staying in a 4-star). For this specific trip, the recommended upgrade is in Baden-Baden, to one of the most luxurious spa hotels in the world. This renowned luxury hotel includes daily unlimited spa time in a spa complex that is five floors high and includes a 5,000-square-foot sauna, indoor swimming pool, plunge pool, and a ladies sauna. Extra $1,519/person, double occupancy.

*The single supplement is a cost increase paid by solo travelers booking a room to themselves. Hotels charge the same amount per room, regardless of whether the occupancy is a single or a couple. S² firmly believes that group travel is the absolute best way to travel, especially for singles! If you are traveling alone and would like us to try and find someone to share a room with you, let us know! We do not mark up our single supplement!