Riquewihr
Vineyards run right up to the ramparts of Riquewihr, the prettiest village on the Route du Vin. Deeply pragmatic, Riquewihr winemakers plant roses at the end of each row of vines - both for their pretty effect and as early detectors of parasites. The village belonged to the Counts of Wurtemberg until the Revolution and has grown rich on wine, from Tokay and Pinot Gris to Gewuertztraminer and Riesling. Virtually an open-air museum, Riquewihr abounds in cobbled alleys, geranium-clad balconies, galleried courtyards, romantic double ramparts, and watchtowers. 

From the Hôtel de Ville, the Rue du Général de Gaulle climbs gently past medieval and Rennaissance houses, half-timbered, stone-clad, or corbeled. Oriel windows vue with scultpted portals and medieval sign boards. On the right lies the idyllic place des Trois Eglises. A passageway leads through the ramplarts to the vineyards on the hill. Further up lies the Dolder, a 13th-century belfry, followed by the Tour des Voleurs (both are museums, the latter with a medieval torture chamber), marking the second tier of ramparts. Beyond the gateway is the Cour des Bergers, gardens laid out around the 16th-century ramparts.