Alsace top region to visit according to Lonely Planet Guide

Alsace has been singled out as one of the hot regions in the world to visit this year by the Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2010.

The annual Best in Travel guide aims to give “a collection of the world’s best journeys, destinations and experiences for the year ahead” to “take travellers out of the ordinary”.

One of the highlights of the guide is the Top 10 regions which brings Alsace to the forefront. Located on France’s eastern border, on the west bank of the Rhine river, Alsace received global recognition in 1988 when Unesco awarded Strasbourg’s Grand Ile the World Heritage status, the first time this accolade was given to an entire city.

Lonely Planet describes Alsace as a “mountainous, vine-ribboned region” and according to the guide the “defining experience” would be “cycling among vineyards and wine cellars along the rural Route du Vin d’Alsace or Alsace Wine Route one day and overdosing on city culture the next.”

The Guide recommends the wine festivals taking place in villages all over Alsace during the summer, the B&Bs in the wine country and the Winstubs, literally “wine rooms”, local wine bars also serving food, offering local gastronomic specialities.