Surroundings

Etange de la Chapelle
8 minutes by car or 25 minutes by bike on quiet roads, a beautiful and quiet place for a picnic and swimming, away from the tourists.

Gerardmer
20 minutes by car, this lively tourist town has a lake, where you can swim, take out pedalos or boats, or just wander around its periphery. There are numerous restaurants, shops and bars in the town. In winter, visit the ski resort, which has 40km of 22 downhill slopes and 80km of cross country routes.

Lac de Longemer
35 minutes by car, Lac de Longemer offers the opportunity to swim, fish, picnic and take out pedalos. There are restaurants in the vicinity

Epinal
25 minutes by car, this town is the prefecture for the Vosges region. With its many restaurants and bars, shops it is a great place to visit. Wander along the river, visit the historic Place de Vosges with its Renissance arcades, see the 13th century Chateau d’Epinal park ruins, discover traditional prints at the Musee de L’Image, visit the Planetarium or walk along the Quartier du Chapitre with is colourful and historic houses in the old town. For adventure, visit Base Natu’O where you can rent canoes, paddleboards or take a boat ride on the Moselle, or try the tree climbing adventure park and ziplines in the nearby forest at Spinaparc.

Colmar
75 minutes by car, Colmar is a fairy-tale town famed for its colourful half-timbered medieval houses, romantic canals, it’s month long famous Christmas market and the capital of Alsacian wine. Take a boat ride on the canal at Petite Venise (Little Venice), visit the striking 13th century Gothic St Martin’s Church in the heart of the old town and Bartholdi Museum, which is dedicated to the sculptor who designed the Statue of Liberty. Depending on which route you take into the town, you may see a a smaller version of the famous landmark. Sample the local Riesling, Gewurtramoner and Pinot Gris wines, or sample regional specialities such as flammkuchen and choucroute in traditional taverns (winstubs).

Le Linge Memorial (Memorial du Linge), Orbey
An hour by car is a World War I museum and preserved mountain battlefield. It commemorates the brutal 1915 Battle of Le Linge where French and German forces suffered nearly 20,000 casualties fighting for a strategic peak. The battlefield features remarkably well-preserved trenches, barbed wire posts and fortifications from both the French and German defense systems. There is a museum and nearby can be found the Wettstein national French necropolis and a German military cemetery.

Mancha Kart, Gerbepal
20 minutes by car is an outdoor karting track 600m long with 270cc 4 stroke engine karts. Restaurant and refreshments on site.

Velorail, Vesoul
1 hour 20 minutes by car is a 9km ride on disused railway tracks through nature. Each railbike can accommodate 2 pedalers over 1.40m tall and 2 adults or 3 children on the bench. A flat and easy to pedal route. Each bike has a turning system and parasols.

Bol d’Air, La Bresse
45 minutes by car is an open-air adventure and thrill park, located in the heart of the Vosges mountains. Activities include a giant 1.35km zipline where you fly like a bird over the valley at speeds exceeding 100km/h, a thrilling tree-to-tree zipline coaster featuring sweeping 360° and 720° turns through fir trees, bungee jumping and big air jump and paragliding

Le Manoir aux Legends, Laval sur Vologne
10 minutes on foot, 5 minutes by bike is Le Manoir aux Legends, an immersive horror-themed leisure and escape game park. Housed in a 1,000m² period manor, it features live actors, special effects and multiple themed rooms. Various languages are spoken. It is open for coffee and sandwiches

Nancy
About an hour by car, or by train from Epinal (connections from Bruyeres are possible), Nancy is known as the City of Gold. Stunning 18th century royal squares, rich Art Nouveau architecture and vibrant green spaces. Place Stanislas is UNESCO listed with is ornate golden gates, fountains and grand surrounding buildings, walk through the adjoining 18th century UNESCO squares of Place de la Carrier and Place d’Alliance, step back in time at the massive, well preserved medieval gate of Porte de la Craffe at the edge of the old town, visit the Musee de Beaux-Arts with centuries of European paintings and Daum crystal glass, tour Nancy’s iconic, fully preserved Art Nouveau house, Villa Majorelle and Musee de l’Ecole de Nancy, the birthplace of the French Art Nouveau movement.

Riquewihr, Ribeauville, Eguisheim and Kayserberg
An hour to 75 minutes by car, these four villages are regularly voted within the top 5 most beautiful villages in France. Featuring colourful half-timbered houses and medieval stone walls and surrounded by vineyards, they are a must-see when visiting Alsace. An hour to two hours in each village is plenty of time to explore the cobbled streets and marvel at the old buildings. Nestled in the heart of the Route de Vins (Wine route), there are plenty of opportunities for wine tasting. Reservations aren’t always necessary.

La Linge Maginot Line Fort Schoenbourg
Two and a quarter hours by car is the Fort de Schoenenbourg. A massive underground artillery fortification built between 1931 and 1935 as part of France’s Maginot Line. It is the largest and most heavily bombarded Maginot fort open to the public in the region, remaining undefeated during the Battle of France in 1940. Buried about 30m underground it has nearly 3km of electrified galleries, with a garrison designed to house up to 630 crew members. The original kitchens, barracks and electricity generating plant and military hardware in the form of heavy combat blocks, shell hoists and revolving gun turrets can be seen.

E-drift, Epinal
25 minutes by car is an indoor three wheel electric karting experience. High-powered purpose built electric go-karts which are designed to slide sideways.

Luge sur rails, Schlitte Mountain, La Bresse
45 minutes by car is a new generation sled that operates in both summer and winter. On a 900km circuit, it alternates between banked turns, waves, jumps and 340° spins

Spinaparc, Epinal
30 minutes by car is a large 5-hectare outdoor adventure and tree-climbing park in the forest and build inside an old sandstone quarry. It combines high-ropes courses with via ferrata elements along a 200m cliff. In addition, there are about 2.5km of cumulative pathways, zip lines and obstacles across 13 varying courses and a cliff and via ferrata.

Fraispertuis-City, Jeanmenil
25 minutes by car is a popular, Western-themed amusement park. It features nearly 40 attractions, ranging from gentle children’s rides to major thrill experiences, like the Timber Drop roller coaster and the Golden Driller drop tower. There are multiple water rides. Open from April through September.

Remiremont
30 minutes by car, Remiremont is located on the foothills of the Vosges mountains. Known for its Venetian carnival in March, it is a compact city with a small square surrounded by bars and restaurants and a high street full of shops, boulangeries and cafes. Visit the Eglise Abbatiale Saint-Pierre with its ancient ice storage system outside or walk around Le Plan d’Eau

Chateau de Haut Koenisgbourg
75 minutes by car, the Chateau is perched at 757m in the Vosges mountains and offers stunning panoramic views of the Alsace plain, and on clear days to the Black Forest in Germany and the Alps. It was meticulously rebuilt in the early 1900s by Wilhelm III and features authentic medieval-style furniture, grand ceramic stoves, weapons collections and drawbridges.

American Momument, Bruyeres
10 minutes by car, 30 minutes by bike is the American Monument. It commemorates the role played by the 100th/442nd Combat regiment in the liberation of Bruyeres in October 1944. The Battle of Bruyeres is considered one of the ten greatest battles fought by the US during World War II. The regiments are the most decorated in the entire American army. There is an historic walk that can be followed, starting in Place Stanislas in Bruyeres, finishing at the momument.

Bike Park, la Bresse-Hohneck
45 minutes by car, is a premier mountain biking destination, offering a wide range of lift-accessed downhill and freeride trails. Attach your bike to the express ski chairlift to access the start. Bike (downhill / electric mountain bikes) and protective gear can be hired on site.

La luge d’ete, La Schlucht
40 minutes by car, get to the start on a telesiege, and then descend 107m on one of two pistes each 850m long. Restaurant opposite.

WAM park, Thaon
35 minutes by car is an outdoor water sports and leisure recreational base. Activities include wakeboarding and water skiing, water games in a floating aqua park of inflatable modules, obstacles, slides and trampolines, stand up paddleboard rental and a swimming beach area. There are also picnic spots

Cascades de Tendon
15 minutes by car is The Tendon waterfall. The longest waterfall in the Vosges Mountains, it is nestled in the woods and cascades down some 30m, polishing its rocky sides. About 1km away is the Petite Cascade. The Petite Cascade can be reached by foot via the 2km marked path from the larger fall, or by car.