The holiday season 2025

in Alsace and

the Upper rhine valley.

“A place like no other at a time like no other”

THE DISCOVERY TOUR:  an overview.

For a while now, Olga and Philippe have been wondering why so many exclusive discovery tours to France take place in just a few areas—Southern France and Paris spring to mind immediately—while other regions are all but neglected. At best, they are covered in ways that do justice neither to the local resources nor to the expectations of discriminating travelers.

This is particularly true of Alsace — the place where Philippe (like at least six previous generations of Holtzweilers) was born and raised. Which is a pity, because Alsace is fascinating in so many ways. Its culture is completely unique. Its highly original, regional cuisine has few equivalents in terms of variety and quality. Its wines are outstanding: an Alsatian Riesling is still the benchmark for any Riesling in the world. In addition, the Upper Rhine Valley is home to extraordinary architectural treasures and idyllic landscapes: they alone are worth the trip. 

Our tour will take place when Alsace and the Upper Rhine Valley shine and sparkle like at no other time: the Holiday Season. There are good reasons why Strasbourg calls itself the ‘Capitale de Noël’. Christmas is really big, and it starts early.

For eight days, from December 3^rd to December 10^th, 2025, Olga and Philippe will introduce you to the very best Alsace and the Upper Rhine Valley have to offer.

This includes delicious local and contemporary cuisine, three wine tastings, six different Christmas markets, architectural landmarks and improbably beautiful villages, not to forget several cultural highlights, a dinner at an intimate, charming *Michelin Star ‘Gasthaus’ and a farewell six course dinner with exquisite wine pairings in an extraordinary **Michelin Star restaurant.

Join us for this exceptional voyage! It will be so much more than a trip to some area Philippe discovered at a point of my life. This is a private tour to the place where he was born and raised — a place he still knows better than any other — and this is making it deeply personal.

It will not be a tour curated from a distance with the help of local guides. Philippe has designed the trip from scratch with excellence in mind, and he will be your guide myself every inch of the way. Together with our small group of like-minded travelers, we will explore the Upper Rhine Valley — and you will gain insights only a dyed-in-the-wool, ‘certified authentic’ Alsatian can give who has traveled the world and lived in five countries.

Dates:  December 3 -10, 2025


Group size:  12 participants maximum

Accommodation: two 4-star hotels, located in Strasbourg and Durbach


Areas covered:  Alsace (France), Südbaden (Germany), Basler Land (Northern Switzerland)