Vosges: holiday apartments and holiday homes

The Vosges combine plateaus, wetlands, lakes, forests and peaks with long trails, spa towns and a well-established craft culture. When looking for a holiday apartment to rent, this creates a diverse landscape at the centre, whose facets unfold through nature, activity, history and regional cuisine.

Nature

The Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park encompasses high pastures, wetlands, beech-fir forests and calcareous grasslands. The wetlands of Lispach and Ténine are listed in the Inventory of Sensitive Natural Areas of the Vosges département. At Lac de Lispach, a floating peat bog covers almost half of the surface.

The Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park has visitor reception points offering documentation and temporary exhibitions. Almost 2,500 species have been identified in the park.

Trails

The Vosges offer more than 4,000 kilometres of signposted and well-maintained hiking trails. Since 1921, the Club Vosgien has marked almost 4,000 trails in the Vosges; the Vosges also include 500 kilometres of signposted Grande Randonnée trails.

The 77-kilometre Route des Crêtes passes by the Grand Ballon, the Hohneck and the Col de la Schlucht, offering views over lakes, valleys and peaks. In winter, it is closed to traffic from mid-November.

The Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges offers 53 kilometres of routes for several activities through the mountains. The Route du Canal des Vosges connects Nancy with Bains-les-Bains via a greenway running along forests and valleys.

The Nordic area of Gérardmer offers 40 kilometres of signposted pistes.

Spa towns and culture

The four spa towns of the Vosges include Bains-Les-Bains, Vittel, Plombières-Les-Bains and Contrexéville. In Plombières-les-Bains, four historic thermal baths are listed as Monuments Historiques. Bains-les-Bains preserves Gallo-Roman traces, including ancient mosaics.

Mirecourt has exported violins all over the world since the 17th century. The Musée de la lutherie et de l’archèterie françaises explains Mirecourt’s violin-making craft.

Cuisine

Repas marcaire is traditionally served in the farm inns of the Hautes-Vosges. Glace de Plombières is associated with Plombières-les-Bains; according to a local legend, it originated from the meeting between Napoleon III and Cavour in 1858.

Places

Epinal, Godoncourt, La Bresse, Le Thillot, Le Tholy, Le Val-D'ajol, Xonrupt-Longemer, Girmont Val D`ajol, Hurbache, Le Valtin, Les Voivres, Liézey, Lironcourt, Morizécourt, Pargny-Sous-Mureau, Ramonchamp, Saint-Nabord, Le Menil, Ventron, Saulxures-Sur-Moselotte, Vagney, Anould, Allarmont, Gerbepal, Corcieux, Cornimont, Travexin, Thiéfosse, Dombasle-Devant-Darney, Bonvillet, Ban-De-Laveline, Beaufremont, Bussang, Colroy-La-Grande, Rupt-Sur-Moselle, Frapelle, Vecoux, Denipaire, Sapois, Remiremont, Laval, Golbey, Chavelot, Housseras, Rehaupal, Baudricourt, Arches, Saint-Dié-Des-Vosges, Xertigny, Saint-Julien, Raon-Sur-Plaine, Rochesson, Le Syndicat, Saint-Pierremont, Ban-Sur-Meurthe-Clefcy, Bulgnéville, Vincey, Neufchâteau, Charmes, Coussey, Basse-Sur-Le-Rupt, Tendon, Rouvres-En-Xaintois, Saint-Maurice-Sur-Moselle, Raon-L'étape, Fontenoy-Le-Château, Plainfaing, Celles-Sur-Plaine, Monthureux-Sur-Saône, Sainte-Marguerite, Saint-Remy, Thaon-Les-Vosges, Saint-Léonard, Grand, Senones, Fresse-Sur-Moselle, Ainvelle, Lamarche, Luvigny, Darney, Autrey, Saint-Amé, Saint-Maurice-Sur-Mortagne, La Grande-Fosse, Dommartin-Lès-Remiremont, Raon-Aux-Bois, Le Clerjus, Granges-Sur-Vologne, La Chapelle-Aux-Bois, Gemmelaincourt, Rouvres-La-Chétive, Martinvelle, Champdray, Martigny-Les-Bains, Ferdrupt, La Chapelle-Devant-Bruyères, Châtenois, Étival-Clairefontaine, Herpelmont, Sercœur, Sanchey, Docelles, Fraize, Taintrux, Provenchères-Sur-Fave, Autigny-La-Tour, Légéville-Et-Bonfays, Deycimont, Aumontzey, Saint-Jean-D'ormont, Cheniménil, Rambervillers, Ban-De-Sapt, Lubine, Moyemont, Gironcourt-Sur-Vraine, Jeanménil, Bruyères, Rugney, Bellefontaine, Damblain, Champ-Le-Duc, Frebécourt, Landaville, La Voivre, Grandrupt, Destord, Lusse, Hennezel, Bouzemont, Gerbamont, Fays, Claudon, Belval, Grandrupt-de-Bains, La Neuveville-devant-Lépanges, Pouxeux, Les Rouges-Eaux, Domrémy-la-Pucelle, Igney, Chantraine, Uzemain, Hadol, Nayemont-les-Fosses, Jeuxey, Mazirot, Wisembach, Vrécourt, Faucompierre, Brouvelieures, Ambacourt, Sauville, Cleurie, Fremifontaine, Brechainville.

From here, the overview of places leads to the individual destinations in the Vosges.

To the higher-level travel overview: Lorraine.