“There must be more than this provincial life…”

They’re ‘little towns,’ but not quite the ‘quiet villages’ Belle describes in the lyrics during the opening song of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

In fact, millions of people visit the medieval towns in the Alsace region of France, which inspired the illustrators who created the classic movie in the early 1990’s.

Close to Strasbourg in Eastern France, the small villages of Riquewihr and Ribeauville feature brightly-colored plaster and timber homes, along cobblestone streets.

They remarkably resemble the town Belle walks through on her way to the library, noting the baker, with his tray like always.

Disney artists may have brought them to the big-screen in the modern era, but these towns have been around for hundreds of years.

Neither was damaged in World War II. Riquewihr looks much like it did when it was founded in the 1500’s, while Ribeauville dates back even further.

This is Riquewihr, as seen from the vineyard above town:

You’ll notice a lot of German influence.

In a ‘tale as old as time,’ the land has switched between German and French rule several times over the centuries.

(I’m almost done with the “Beauty and the Beast” puns.)

The homes are brightly colored, with perfectly manicured gardens and planters in the summer months.

The easiest way to get here is to rent a car or take a shuttled tour from Strasbourg.

We found it reasonably easy to take public transportation from Strasbourg.

A train will take you to city of Selestat. Check the bus schedule (Google Maps worked great) for a ride to Ribeauville). From there, we decided to walk two miles through the beautiful hilly vineyards to Riquewihr. After the first mile, you’ll pass the tiny town of Hunawihr. Another mile beyond is Riquewihr.

Along the way, you’ll notice castles perched on the hilltops in the distance. You can only assume these were the inspiration for the Beast’s castle.

The towns are crowded with tourists all summer, so an off-season trip would be ideal. Maybe in October, or during the famous Medieval Christmas Market in Ribeauville during the first and second weeks of December.

In the summer months, the streets fill with tourists by midday. Most are from Germany or other parts of France. We ran into very few Americans.

If you don’t have a car, and don’t feel like dealing with the (semi-confusing) bus schedule plus hike between towns, you’ll find plenty of the same “Beauty and the Beast” charm in Colmar, which is a rather quick train ride (on the SNCF) from Strasbourg.

It’s a bigger city. Maybe Belle would’ve been happier here!

This is the most famous overlook in Colmar, called “Little Venice,” or “Petite Venise.”

Eguisheim is another town said to have served as inspiration for the Disney team. This is easier to access from the larger city of Colmar.

After getting off the train from Strasbourg in Colmar, and walking around town for a while, we rented bikes Le Velo Libre.

The ride through the French countryside into the vineyards was beautiful, and we ended up at the town of Eguisheim, which looks like a fairytale.

It’s full of restaurants and cobblestone streets, with a big fountain in the main square:

Check out my other blog about the Alsace region, which examines the impact of climate change on the vineyards here.