2026-05-05 Ribeauvillé

With only a few days left for Dale & Kim and Janis & Clark, we need to make everyday count. Today we plan to visit Ribeauvillé, just 24 km away (23). 

This town is too large to be a Plus Beau Village, but is known as a tourist attraction, even among the French. We plan to discover why.

Near where we parked was this tower with a stork's nest on it

We can't resist stork photos and this one turned out great.

   

It's threatening rain, so we packed the rain coats for the first time since arriving. We also packed our lunch, planning to eat that somewhere picturesque in town. On arrival in Ribeauvillé, it's clear that it's a big  tourist town as we passed many large (for France) parking lots on our way to center town. Since it's early spring, there were not an overwhelming number of tourists in town today. There were however, lots of cars on very narrow streets with little room for pedestrians.

Grand Rue is the main street through town. Cars used this street.

Notice the two castles looking over the town, Built by the Ribeaupierre family who were the lords of the town.

First stop is the Post Office to mail postcards. The two women working were very helpful and friendly. But clearly they didn't sell a lot of postcard stamps to the US. They had to hunt some down from their safe.

Waiting outside the post office.

Buying stamps.

The tourist office a block from where we parked was our first stop. 

The square in front of the Tourist Office

The tourist office sign

With a walking tour brochure in hand, we set off  along the Grand Rue, the main street of town. We noticed plenty of tourist shops along the route, housed in the ground floors of ancient timber-framed buildings. 

Sign outside a toy store

A walk-up pretzel store. 

There are lots of interesting painted stucco buildings as well.

The Elephant House

This is why it's the Elephant House

The Grand Rue in Ribeauvillé is about a mile long. Toward the far end, we passed the City Hall and the Butcher's Tower (so named because it was the site of the Butcher's Guild) 

The Hotel de Ville (City Hall)

The Butcher's Tower

I was charmed by a potted tree planted in the square near the church. It's called L'arbre á Tetines (the Pacifier Tree) Look carefully and you'll see hanging from it all sorts of pacifiers. The sign posted on the large pot says:  "You’ve decided to separate yourself from you pacifier? Bravo, I know it’s not easy…you are very courageous. When you’re ready, take a little ribbon and attach it to the pacifier. Then, tell it goodbye and hang it on one of my branches. When all the pacifiers are hung, Santa Claus will take them to his workshop and the elves will transform them into gifts. Once more, Bravo for this big decision and above all Merry Christmas."

There are so many more half-timbered and painted stucco houses that I could post, but I won't. Instead here are some pictures with people in them. 

Clark, Janis, and Dave in front of wisteria

Janis and Clark

Clark in front a poster of Jeannala & Seppala, the Alsatian couple in traditional dress - a marketing couple if ever there was.

Dale on Grand Rue

Dave at the Butcher's Tower

You've probably noticed the grey skies and raincoats. It was supposed to rain in the afternoon. But it started sprinkling when we were at the farthest point away from the car and a few purchases yet to make. We agreed to meet at the square by the tourist office to eat lunch there. Not such a good idea. By now it was sprinkling harder. We ate what we could quickly and sped back to our car as the rain fell harder. 

Eating lunch at the Tourist Office square. Not our best lunch 

The stork didn't seem to mind.