Tracing family roots in Lorraine and Alsace
France
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Oct 15 - Oct 21, 2026
Just completed a smooth 6-day journey across Lorraine planned with the help of Nathalie/kimkim, visiting small villages where our 19th-century family ancestors once lived. Hotels in Nancy, Zweibrücken and Strasbourg were well-chosen and reflected local histories rather than international hotel chain homogeneity. Local drivers Olivier and Pauline were charming, wonderfully knowledgeable and flexible, enabling our group of 6 travelers to stop, look and make unplanned visits to local museums or sites as we discovered them in real time (cemeteries, farms tucked away on winding lanes, tiny glass-making museums). The two wine caves we visited along the Alsatian wine road were also great fun, enabling us to talk with the owners and wine-makers and not just hired staff. This trip allowed us to sample the countryside (rather than the large cities), an experience we could not have arranged on our own.
Hotel Review
Handsomely appointed hotel in a restored 18th-century baroque estate with gardens, pool and sauna and two splendid restaurants, one formal, one rustic, located several km from the center of Zweibrücken. Generously sized rooms, exquisite service.
Activity Reviews
For me, the Alsatian Wine Tour was a delight. I knew very little about Alsatian wines, and left the area with a new appreciation of their variety. The hosts at our two vineyards were informative and eager to answer all our questions. Both afternoons were a highlight for our entire group, which ranged from wine snobs to those who know what they like but have little background in wine culture. We all learned from and loved this experience.
Great fun driving through the countryside, trying to find traces of ancestors who lived in these villages more than 200 years ago. First organized by Napoleon, the civil registration records for births, marriages and deaths, now scanned and available at websites of the regional archives, offered just enough breadcrumbs to follow our ancestors as they grew their families and struggled to make a living in 19th-century France. Talk to a genealogist to get started.
