Trip Report: Epic Sparkling Summer in Alsace, the Alps, Zurich, and Paris

I’ve been home a month from my unforgettable trip to Europe this summer, and I’m sitting down to write a trip report. Normally, a trip report is a quick recap of my trip that focuses on where I stayed, what I did, cost of the trip, and high/lowlights. It serves more as a reminder for me of my trip than a SEO-optimized itinerary post. 

How to write one encompassing a 18 day trip that included a day in Iceland, three different stays in Paris, cycling through wine country in Alsace, seeing Taylor Swift in Zurich, AND hiking in the Alps??? 

Below, the recap of my Sparkling Summer. Sparkling, because of the sparkling wine we drank in Alsace. Sparkling, because of the sequins and glitter that is a Taylor Swift concert. Sparkling, because the memories of so many incredible experiences will last forever. JK, that is pretty cheesy. 

Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links, meaning, at no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Length of Stay:

Eighteen days. Plus one overnight on a flight. 

• 1 night: Icelandair flight SEA-KEF
• 2 nights: Paris
• 8 nights: Alsace
• 2 nights: Paris again
• 2 nights: Zurich
• 3 nights: Wilderswil, Interlaken area
• 1 night: Paris again again

Why I visited Alsace and Switzerland in the Summer:

Sometime last year, a friend of mine asked if I wanted to go Beercycling with her and her husband for his birthday. They are fairly fit, and have done cycling trips before. I, on the other hand, have a bicycle with two flat tires and a Peloton that currently has a scarf, blazer, and box of things to mail out piled on it. We are not the same.

Then I googled “Alsace Lorraine,” and saw the stunning photos of the scenery in this region of eastern France. She convinced me when she said the cycling trip would make daily stops at wineries along the Route de Vins in the Alsace region of eastern France. Plus, I could get an e-bike. I booked it immediately. 

My original plan was to tack on a hike in the Dolomites to my trip. If I was already heading to Europe, why not make the most of it, right? I was hellbent on doing this until April, when I went to book hotels and every rifugio was booked.

I needed to come up with another plan. I waited, and waited, until finally one appeared: Plan B ended up planning to stay in Paris to see my good friend Amber while she was dropping her daughter off for a school program. 

As the months went on, my summer was shaping up to be pretty busy. A trip to Maui for a work award trip, then a last minute trip to London for work as well. A trip to Chicago for a conference, and then a pre-planned camping trip in Dry Tortugas for a week with my sister. I’d be home for a whopping 5 days, then I’d head to Paris. No sweat!

Sometime in the middle of criss-crossing the country, Hi Friends It’s Julia and I realized we needed to cancel the Dry Tortugas camping trip. For those that don’t know. Dry Tortugas National Park has a permit lottery to get camping and ferry tickets. Julia had secured the tickets almost a year prior. With all of my travel, Julia’s work schedule, and my mom’s surgery (she’s fine!), we decided to cancel it a week ahead of time. 

This was a silver lining in what turned out to be a Tropical Storm cloud. A huge storm system descended on southern Florida and the Keys, meaning that we would have been camping in the rain with a chance of getting stuck if ferries couldn’t make it to the island. In retrospect, I’m so glad we canceled because there is no way I would have been able to prep and pack with five days in between. 

In a twist of fate, four days later, a coworker mentioned she was selling her extra tickets to Taylor Swift in Zurich. 

Yes, a friend sold me two tickets to see Taylor Swift at face value!!!! I was part of the Great Ticketmaster Boondoggle of 2022, and bought a resale ticket to finally see her in Seattle last summer. I did not manage to score tickets to any leg of the European tour. I had friends seeing her in almost every other country this summer and I was incredibly jealous. 

I was already going to be in Europe, so why not just extend my trip? So that’s what I did. I changed my return flight thanks to a very helpful Air France employee, frantically searched for a hotel in Zurich, and booked essentially the last hotel in my price range in the Interlaken area. The Sparkling Summer began!

Where I stayed in Paris, Alsace, Zurich and Interlaken in July:

Where DIDN’T I stay????? I stayed in at least ten hotels/AirBnbs over the course of three weeks in late June and July. When we were cycling in Alsace, we stayed in six different hotels, a new one almost every night. Add in bouncing back and forth to Paris to catch pre-bought flights and you have a lot of hotels on the agenda. 

Would I stay in ten hotels over a 19 day period again? No, never. I remember when I “backpacked” through Europe for a little over a week when I was 20. We stayed in Paris, Innsbruck, Munich and Florence over the course of a week. This felt a little like that. As I’ve grown up, I appreciate a slower pace of travel. This felt very frantic, although needs must. I had places to be and Taylors to see, so bouncing around it is.

Iceland

Honorable Mention, because I didn’t stay the night in Iceland. However, we did visit the Blue Lagoon on our layover (and you can too!), giving us access to their showers and changing rooms to get ready. This was like a hotel, because we could freshen up, but also a fun experience.

Paris

Hotel Le Clos de Medici: Recommended by a friend, who also stayed there. It was a sweet hotel in a GREAT location on the Left Bank. I would absolutely stay in this area by the Jardin du Luxembourg again. However the electricity in my room barely worked and they didn’t provide any kind of refund or discount. I paid $250 a night in late June.

AirBnb near Pigalle: Location selected specifically to be near Amber. I picked a short term rental since I was originally booked for four nights, and I knew I’d need to do laundry. I ended up staying two nights so I could head to Zurich. The apartment was perfect, with a full kitchen, laundry, and cozy sleeping loft. My tweenage friend said it was amazing. Locationwise, I would not pick this area again only because the Left Bank seemed more my speed. The listing was for $200 a night, with a $100 cleaning fee. This hotel is nearby with excellent ratings. 

Courtyard Marriott Gare de Lyon: This was booked on points so I would have some place near the train station with easy access to the airport the next morning. My train from Basel ended up arriving after midnight, hours late, so this was a convenient place to stay. It was hella sketchy walking the three minutes from the station to the hotel though. The room was by far the nicest I stayed in, with an insanely comfortable bed, view of the Eiffel Tower, and a cool espresso machine. 

Alsace

Hotel Tandem, Strasbourg: An adorable bicycle themed hotel across the street from the main train station. This had, hands down, the most amazing continental breakfast I had ever experienced in my life. They had so many handmade pastries and cakes each morning, plus eggs, fruit, etc. They also had a full bar so we spent a lot of time hanging out in the evening. Rooms from $146.

A La Cour D’Alsace, Obernai: I do not remember this hotel or the room we stayed in.Rooms from $146.

Hotel de La Tour, Ribeauville: A very cute hotel in the heart of the town that had a great spa with hot tub (more like a tepid tub), sauna, and hammam. The breakfast was fine. The room was adorable with a balcony that looked out over the square. Rooms from $103.

Hotel Restaurant Du Faudé, Lapoutrie: This little village had a brewery and that was about it. The room we stayed in actually had two full bedrooms and baths, so I thoroughly enjoyed some space to myself. Rooms from $93.

Hotel Relais du Vignoble, Gueberschwihr: A huge meandering hotel with several entrances, separate staircases, and like three dining rooms. They also run a restaurant in town. For such an ornate looking hotel, the room seemed very airport hotel-y. 

Ibis Styles, Colmar: We had a balcony!!! This is a standard chain hotel in Europe. The room was pretty nice, with a balcony. Breakfast was good. 

Zurich

Crowne Plaza Zurich: This was one of the few hotels left in Zurich near Stade Letzigrund where Taylor would be playing. It’s a 5 minute walk to the stadium, a 5 minute walk to the tram line, and about a 15 minute ride to the main train station. We were not expecting much because we booked less than a month out. However, they let us check in super early so we could get ready for the concert, and were super nice. The room was fine – very dated – but whatever. The room averaged about $350 a night, but normal prices are closer to $125 a night. 

Wilderswil, Interlaken in the Jungfrau Region of Switzerland

Chalet Gafri: This was the cutest little chalet in Wilderswil, a small town just outside Interlaken on the rail line to Lauterbrunnen. The chalet itself is a 15 minute walk uphill. It was an uphill in the rain walk when we arrived from Interlaken, and after a long day of traveling it was pretty miserable. As it turns out, the owner Fritz is more than happy to pick you up or drop you off at the station with advance notice. He was a little offended we hadn’t asked him! Julia paid for this, I don’t know what she spent. I should pay her back one of these days, eh?

This small hotel had a delightful breakfast each morning with a stellar view of Eiger and the valley. There isn’t as much to do in Wilderswil as there is in Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen or on the lake, but the hospitality was top notch. Fritz and Gabi are a married couple who were so kind to us. We met an English family who has been coming to Fritz’s hotels for more than 30 years! The hotel is a bit of a walk from the train station, as I said. For a first timer, I would suggest staying in Interlaken. For those who want a quiet and relaxing stay, this place is for you. Rates from $223.

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Highlights of my trip to Paris, Alsace, and Switzerland in July:

What is not to love about a Sparkling Summer? I biked through French vineyards, drank bottles of sparkling wine, saw Taylor Freaking Alison Swift, and hiked in the Alps. Plus I ate my weight in cheese and bread. I’ll try to pick a few favorites.

Winery: 

My favorite winery we visited was Domaine Fritz-Schmitt, where they introduced us to the French sparkling wine known as crémant. We loved it so much, we all ordered three cases to Seattle. The winemakers gave us a bicycle tour of the vineyards, walked us through the production process, and let us taste to our heart’s content. 

Brewery:

A tie between Les Intenables in Rosheim and Mogwaï Beer Company in Mundolsheim. Both are small batch breweries that rarely (if ever) repeat a batch of beer recipes. Les Intenables was run by a woman co-owner, Alice, who was so cool and informative. Mogwai is tiiiiny, fitting into a small industrial warehouse. Both had amazing beer. Les Intenables had a perpetual cuvée beer that was partially fermented in a wine cask. It was a sour/gose style, which is reminiscent of my favorite beer ever from Jolly Pumpkin. Mogwaï had a tzatziki style beer with cucumbers, lime and salt. It doesn’t sound like it would work but I absolutely adored it enough to buy a pack to go. 

Museum or Historic Site: 

The Museé de Montmartre with Amber. We paid a lot of money to visit this museum for only 30 minutes, but the views from the garden were top notch! This museum houses art from many artists from Montmartre, like Renoir and Lautrec. I would go back to get a sandwich, beverage and read in the garden. And maybe pair it with a walking wine tour of Montmartre (there is a vineyard in the neighborhood!) People:

I saw so many people! I got to spend a week cycling around Seattle with friends new and old (Hi Les Femmes!), see Amber and her daughters in Paris, spend a week with my sister, AND meet up with two coworkers to see Taylor. This was really four trips in one!

Drinks:

I drank so many Aperol Spritzes, which is my go-to favorite. The spritz is the official Drink of Sparkling Summer, especially if made with crémant. I even convinced the rest of my cycling crew to drink them too! New profile pic just dropped. 

Lowlights of my trip to France and Switzerland during the Summer:

It rained. A lot. Like a lot a lot. 

But Laura, you say, you live in Seattle? YES I KNOW. That is why I try to LEAVE Seattle when the weather is crappy and stay in Seattle when it is nice here. 

It rained six out of our eight cycling days, I think. Bone chilling and need to wear full rain gear. I was constantly cold and wanting a warm sweatshirt. In general, the weather in France was not warm at all. Zurich was stifling but we caught rain again in Interlaken. 

What I read, aka books about Paris, Alsace, and the Alps in July:

Also a lot. I think I read 8 books on vacation, although it seemed like more. Maybe I didn’t track them all on Goodreads. Anyhoo, when I travel, I try to read books about the places I’m going. As I’d been to Switzerland (Lausanne) last year, and Paris three years ago, I read a lot of the “big” books set in those areas. One of the best books about Switzerland I read previously was The Alps, by Stephen O’Shea. It’s about, you guessed it, the Alps. 

The most interesting book I read was The Dance Tree, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. This fictional book is set in Strasbourg in 1518, when a dancing plague descended on the town. The dancers were, of course, women, so you can see where that is headed. I started reading a nonfiction book on this subject, The Dancing Plague, by John Waller but haven’t finished. 

An interesting mystery I read was The Enigma of Room 622, by Joël Dicker. I happened to read it right after two of the Helena Marsh series, and a lot of Russia, Bratislava, and more happens in all three books, even all are set in Switzerland. 

Approximate Trip Cost of my trip to Paris, Alsace, and the Alps in July:

HAHAHAHAHA I literally have no idea. I started to tally it up, put the pen down, pushed the notebook away, and said this is for the devil to know. 

Airfare:

Main flights booked on points. I was originally flying coach on Aer Lingus, but they canceled our flights due to a pilot’s strike. A 27K Alaska points redemption and $200 got me to Iceland, then to Paris.
On the return, I used something like 185K to fly business on Air France back direct from Paris.
I also flew intra-Europe on Air France from Paris to Zurich, for about $300. I had a very specific time I wanted to arrive by, so this was the right option. 

Tour:

I booked Beercycling last fall. The price of the 7 day tour is $2900 now. I have no idea what I paid for it, probably similar. 

Hotels:

I stayed at every hotel in Europe. The Alsatian hotels were included. Something like $2300, excluding the Alsace stays. Alsace hotels were around $100/night, everywhere else was $250+/night. More than I would normally want to spend, however the second half of the trip Julia and I were splitting the stays. 

Just kidding…I asked Hi Friends It’s Julia how much hotels were at the end of the trip and those alone were $2000. So more like $3K all in on hotels.

Transport:

I took cabs to the airport in Paris, but besides that we took public transportation. In Paris, I bought a carnet on the RATP Navigo app so my rides were something like  €1.70 each. 

In Switzerland, Julia and I had the Swiss Half-Rail Card. This card is 120CHF for one month and is for tourists only. It gives you a 50% discount on train travel in the country. We spent about 150CHF on train fare, so we came out almost even. 

You need to do the math to see if this is a good deal for you, or if something like the Bernese Oberland Pass, or Jungfrau Pass is a better deal. The Jungfrau Travel Pass gives you 3-8 days of travel in that region, with almost all cable cars or railroads to the tops being free. 

We also bought the 3-day Zurich Tourist card for 56CHF. This was NOT worth it for us. It provided free transit on Zurich trams and rail, and also free museum entry. We ended up not going to any museums because we were too tired from the concert. A daily transit pass would have been 13CHF each, 39CHF total, so we would have saved about $20USD. We could have also just booked our longer tickets (Zurich-Interlaken, Interlaken-Paris) via Trainline and saved ourselves some effort.

Food:

Literally no idea and I’m not adding it up. The average price for an Aperol Spritz in Alsace was €8, in Zurich €10, in Paris as high as €15. I’m calling it the Aperol Spritz Index.

Entrance fees:

The Carnavalet museum in Paris was free, while the Montmartre museum was €15. Amber pre-purchased us Eiffel Tower Summit tickets, which are around €85. I don’t think we did any other museums. 

Other fun stuff:

I bought pretzel earrings for €12, a French girl ornament for €15, some postcards, and a Hermes scarf at the airport. 🙂 

Total: Priceless