October
Wk 40–42
The quietest stretch among this region's best weather weeks: crowd level around 48 out of 100, weather comfort near 56.
- Crowd level
- 47–49
- Comfort
- 51–61
France · Elsass
Alsace: between the Vosges and the Rhine, between Strasbourg and Grand Est
Strasbourg was a bishop's seat from 614 and has been the seat of the Council of Europe since 1949; Mulhouse belonged, as an associate town, to the Old Swiss Confederacy until 1798. Since 2016 Alsace has lain within the region of Grand Est, and since 2021 Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin have formed the European Collectivity of Alsace.
Busiest week
AugustCrowd level 100
Wk 32 · 326,893 overnight stays
Quietest weeks
JanuaryCrowd level 0
Wk 2–4 · measured against the region's own year, not against other regions
Sweet spot
OctoberCrowd level 47–49
Wk 40–42 · quietest while the weather still holds
Warmest month
22 °CComfort 74
July · around 102 mm of rain in the month
Elsass in brief
Alsace lies between the ridge of the Vosges and the Rhine and was, at around 8,280 square kilometres and around 1.8 million residents, the smallest former region of mainland France by area; since 2016 it has belonged to the region of Grand Est, and since 2021 Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin have formed the European Collectivity of Alsace. Strasbourg was a bishop's seat from 614, was annexed by France in 1681, and has been the seat of the Council of Europe since 1949. Mulhouse belonged, as an associate town, to the Old Swiss Confederacy until 1798, when it joined the French Republic. The wine route runs along the foot of the Vosges, and in Colmar the Musée Unterlinden shows the Isenheim Altarpiece.
When is Elsass busy, when is it quiet?
Click a week. The panel on the right explains why it is busy or quiet.
Weather profile
Weather comfort is an absolute scale (0 = poor, 100 = ideal) and a second axis next to the season-relative crowd level.
JanuaryØ 4
FebruaryØ 10
MarchØ 17
AprilØ 48
MayØ 60
JuneØ 67
JulyØ 84
AugustØ 96
SeptemberØ 63
OctoberØ 50
NovemberØ 35
DecemberØ 67
Colour = season-relative crowd levelBar = weather comfort (Sun & warmth), absolute 0–100
Why this week?
October · Wk 40
Crowd level49/100 · moderate
quietbusy
Weather comfort23/100 · Sun & warmth
-2 % versus the region's annual average.
- Contributing months
- September (14 %) · October (86 %)
- Overnight stays/week
- 205,282
- School-holiday pressure (source markets)
- 1 % of source markets on school holidays · -3 % crowding from holidays
- Main source markets
- France (76 %) · Germany (5 %) · Netherlands (5 %) · 94% of guests modelled
- Region range
- 90,497–326,893 (avg 209,542)
- Base years
- 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (excluding 2020, 2021)
v1: Crowd-Score aus der Eurostat-Basisschicht (Übernachtungen), moduliert vom Schulferien-Druck der Quellmärkte, region-spezifisch gewichtet mit dem Quellland-Mix. Season-relativ zur Region. Event-Schichten folgen.
Plan your trip
Pre-filled with the next date in week 40.
DestinationElsass
Travel datesPick a week in the calendar
FlightSearch flights (opens in a new tab)
StayFind stays (opens in a new tab)
ActivityExplore activities (opens in a new tab)Ad · commission link
Photos: Johny Goerend · reisetopia · Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash
The travel year in Elsass, month by month
The year as a table to read and to cite: crowd level for every month, plus weather comfort and temperature from the climate normals.
| Month | Crowd level0–100, season-relative | Weather comfort0–100, profile “mild” | Avg temperature |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 4 | 14 | 3 °C |
| February | 10 | 19 | 5 °C |
| March | 17 | 31 | 8 °C |
| April | 48 | 47 | 12 °C |
| May | 60 | 62 | 16 °C |
| June | 67 | 71 | 21 °C |
| July | 84 | 74 | 22 °C |
| August | 96 | 73 | 22 °C |
| September | 63 | 69 | 18 °C |
| October | 50 | 53 | 13 °C |
| November | 35 | 28 | 7 °C |
| December | 67 | 16 | 4 °C |
The crowd level is season-relative: 100 is the annual peak of Elsass itself, not the busiest destination in Europe. The figures say when it is quiet here — not where it is quieter than elsewhere.
Weather comfort 0–100 from the climate normals, profile “mild” – the same profile as the recommendation above, not the selection in the calendar. A “–” means the data for that month is missing.
Index 2.0 · As of 25/08/2026
The windows worth catching
Three windows from the model: first whether the weather suits the region, then how busy it gets.
April–May
Wk 17–19
A second option, also with usable weather: crowd level around 55, weather comfort near 56.
- Crowd level
- 49–59
- Comfort
- 53–59
August
Wk 32–34
The region's peak: crowd level around 99 out of 100. Only if the dates are fixed.
- Crowd level
- 97–100
- Comfort
- 73
Elsass compared with Europe
How full the accommodation is here, measured against Europe – on the only measure on which two travel regions can be compared.
- Bed occupancy in Elsass
- 33.9
- European median
- 23.1
per cent of bed places, annual mean
per cent of bed places, annual mean
Furthest from the median: December, at 2.7× the value. Closest to the median: July, at 1.2× the value.
Mean across 12 months, weighted by their weeks. This occupancy compares travel regions with one another. The crowding in the table above compares Elsass with itself. The two measures are never combined.
Climate through the year
Average temperature with day/night range and precipitation across the twelve months.
- Avg temperature
- Day/night range
- Precipitation
| Month | Avg temperature (°C) | Day avg (°C) | Night avg (°C) | Precipitation (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | 3 | 1 | 116 |
| Feb | 4 | 5 | 3 | 85 |
| Mar | 6 | 8 | 5 | 90 |
| Apr | 10 | 12 | 8 | 87 |
| May | 14 | 16 | 12 | 116 |
| Jun | 19 | 21 | 17 | 132 |
| Jul | 20 | 22 | 18 | 102 |
| Aug | 20 | 22 | 18 | 102 |
| Sep | 16 | 18 | 14 | 92 |
| Oct | 11 | 13 | 10 | 95 |
| Nov | 6 | 7 | 5 | 97 |
| Dec | 3 | 4 | 3 | 99 |
The band shows mean daytime to nighttime temperature. Precipitation shown as monthly total (mm). Typical monthly value (climate normal), not a forecast.
How sunny?
How much sun a typical day delivers, month by month, expressed as hours of full midday sun.
Sunny
≈ 3.5 h of full midday sun per day, annual average
Jun
Sunniest month
| Month | ≈ h of full midday sun per day |
|---|---|
| Jan | 1.0 |
| Feb | 1.9 |
| Mar | 3.3 |
| Apr | 4.8 |
| May | 5.4 |
| Jun | 6.0 |
| Jul | 5.9 |
| Aug | 5.1 |
| Sep | 3.8 |
| Oct | 2.2 |
| Nov | 1.3 |
| Dec | 0.8 |
Basis: mean daily solar irradiance in kWh/m²/day; 1 kWh/m² is roughly one hour of full midday sun (1,000 W/m²). Not the same as measured sunshine duration. Typical monthly value (climate normal), not a forecast.
Directly reachable from
Destination airports of Elsass and every European departure airport with a direct connection to them.
Destination airports
Select a destination airport to see the direct departure airports.
“Directly reachable” means a direct connection exists according to our sources. We do not show a live timetable. Availability and flight days can vary by season and airline.
Ski areas in Elsass
Mapped ski areas in this region with slope kilometres, lifts and elevation, plus the long-term snow average from our climate data.
- Ski areas
- 13
- Slopes in total
- 45 km
- Lifts
- 49
- Highest point
- 1,341 m
| Ski area | Slopes | Lifts | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Station de ski du Schnepfenried | 9.08 km | 8 | 1,037–1,251 m214 m vertical drop |
| Le Markstein | 8.83 km0.1 km cross-country | 9 | 1,032–1,261 m229 m vertical drop |
| Ballon d'Alsace | 8.03 km | 10 | 816–1,150 m334 m vertical drop |
| Le Champ du Feu | 6.84 km | 10 | 894–1,066 m172 m vertical drop |
| Grand Ballon | 6.25 km | 5 | 1,065–1,307 m242 m vertical drop |
| Le Col des Bagenelles | 3.25 km | 1 | 874–1,074 m200 m vertical drop |
| Le Schlumpf | 1.4 km | 2 | 675–1,014 m339 m vertical drop |
| Thanner Hubel | 0.51 km | 1 | 1,004–1,160 m156 m vertical drop |
| Le Frenz | 0.5 km | 1 | 762–790 m28 m vertical drop |
| Snowkite Markstein | 32.89 km cross-country | not available | 1,068–1,281 m213 m vertical drop |
| Markstein-Grand Ballon | 16.23 km cross-country | not available | 1,108–1,341 m232 m vertical drop |
| Gaschney 360 | not available | 2 | 982–1,279 m298 m vertical drop |
| Le Tanet | not available | not available | not available |
Slope, lift and elevation figures come from open mapping and are complete to varying degrees. “Not available” means not mapped, not “does not exist”. Opening hours and season are not included. Snow figures are long-term averages for the whole region, not snow depth on the mountain and not a forecast.
Elsass in detail
Location and shape
Alsace lies between the ridge of the Vosges and the Rhine and was, at around 8,280 square kilometres and around 1.8 million residents, the smallest former region of mainland France by area. Its north-south extent is 190 kilometres, its west-east extent only 50 kilometres. The Grand Ballon is, at 1,424 metres, the highest peak of Alsace and of the Vosges. Since 1 January 2016 Alsace has belonged to the merged region of Grand Est, with Strasbourg as its capital; since 2021 the départements of Bas-Rhin and Haut-Rhin have formed the European Collectivity of Alsace.
Early history
The Oaths of Strasbourg of 842 were first written in Old French and Old High German, and mark the earliest recorded language border in the area. Between 842 and 925 Alsace changed its overarching political allegiance four times: in 842 to the Middle Frankish kingdom, in 870 to East Francia, in 913 to West Francia, and in 925 back to East Francia. Strasbourg had been a bishop's seat since 614 and grew, alongside Basel and Speyer, into the region's leading city, and within East Francia into its second-largest after Cologne. Between the late 8th and mid-10th centuries the counties of Nordgau and Sundgau were set up as administrative districts, in the course of which the Jura territories to the south, as far as the Aare, which had until then belonged to Alsace, were split off. Alsace belonged, from 988 at the latest until 1254, to the Duchy of Swabia; after the end of the Hohenstaufen in 1254 many independent political lordships formed.
From the Peace of Westphalia to the Revolution
Mulhouse joined the Old Swiss Confederacy as an associate town in 1515 and remained, until 1798, one of the few Alsatian territories without French sovereign rights. In the Peace of Westphalia in 1648 the Habsburgs ceded their Alsatian rights to France; the last major annexation under France's Réunion policy was Strasbourg in 1681, recognised under international law only in the peace treaties of Rijswijk in 1697 and Rastatt in 1714. In 1789, in the course of the French Revolution, the départements of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin were created; in 1798 Mulhouse joined the French Republic.
From imperial territory to a European region
After the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace became, in the Treaty of Frankfurt of 1871, part of the newly created imperial territory of Alsace-Lorraine within the German Empire; the mostly French-speaking area around Belfort remained French as the new Territoire de Belfort. After the First World War, Alsace returned to France under the Treaty of Versailles; from 1940 to 1945, during the German occupation, it was attached to the newly formed Gau Baden-Elsass. In 1949 the newly founded Council of Europe took its seat in Strasbourg; in 1979 the city became the venue of the European Parliament, which moved into its own building in 1999. In 1972 France created 21 regions as territorial authorities; the départements of Haut-Rhin and Bas-Rhin formed the region of Alsace from then until 2015.
Landscape and sights
The Alsace plain is crossed by the Ill and marked by grain farming, with large forests such as the Hagenau Forest in the north and the Harth Forest in the south. The Alsace Wine Route runs for around 170 kilometres, from Marlenheim to Thann, through the hilly foothills of the Vosges. The Route des Crêtes runs through the southern Vosges almost continuously at around 1,200 metres, mostly along the western flank just below the ridge. The stork is Alsace's emblematic animal; its population fell from 148 pairs in 1960 to 9 pairs in 1974, before several reintroduction centres were founded. The Musée Unterlinden in Colmar shows the Isenheim Altarpiece by Matthias Grünewald.
Frequently asked questions about the best time to visit Elsass
Short answers on timing, weather and getting there, all from the data on this page.
When is the best time to visit Elsass?
- The best time to visit Elsass is October (Wk 40–42): it is the quietest stretch among the region's best weather weeks – crowd level around 48 out of 100, weather comfort about 56 out of 100.
When is Elsass quietest?
- January (Wk 2–4) is the quietest time in Elsass. Crowd levels there sit at 0 out of 100, the lowest across the year.
When is Elsass busiest?
- Elsass is busiest in August (Wk 32) with around 326,893 overnight stays in the peak week.
What is the weather like in Elsass and when is it warmest?
- It is warmest in Elsass in July with an average of 22 °C and around 102 mm of rain in the month.
How do you get to Elsass?
- Elsass is reachable via 2 destination airports with direct flights, including EuroAirport Swiss (BSL) and Strasbourg Airport (SXB).
Quiet travel windows across Europe, once a month
The Crowd Report names the emptiest weeks of the coming months — for every region, not just this one. Free, unsubscribe any time.
Sources and data vintages
Every provenance note on this page, collected in one place.
- Cover photo
- Photo by Anthony Choren on Unsplash
- Cover video
- Video by Julien Goettelmann on Pexels
- Crowding figures
- Index 2.0 · As of 25/08/2026. v1 approximation, calculated from Eurostat overnight stays. Day tourism and cruises (Venice, Dubrovnik …) are still missing, so we show these destinations as quieter than they are. The crowd score is a model-based forecast, not a measurement.
- Climate data
- Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2025.
- Reachability
Data sources: direct connections from Wikipedia (“Airlines and destinations”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, aggregated and modified by us), cross-checked with Eurostat, Destatis and the UK Civil Aviation Authority; airport data from OurAirports (Public Domain). The derived connection data is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data as of: September 2026
- Ski areas
Data sources: ski areas from OpenSkiMap, based on OpenStreetMap, licensed under ODbL 1.0; snow depths from ERA5-Land (Copernicus Climate Change Service).
- Region text
- Text by HolidayHub, written from Wikivoyage „Elsass“ (1765597) · Wikipedia „Elsass“ (270323562) · Wikidata Q1142. Wikivoyage and Wikipedia are licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikidata CC0.
- Data basis
- All figures are approximations derived from open data (crowd level from Eurostat overnight stays, climate from Copernicus/ERA5-Land), not measurements.