Camping Les Bouleaux

Settle in here and you’ll be right on the edge of the Vosges du Nord Regional Natural Park, home to several varieties of deer, lots of birdlife and rare lynxes, some of which you may spot as your roam on the park’s trails (there’s well over 1,500 kilometres of signposted bike and walking trail here, so plenty to choose from). Folk with an interest in engineering should make a beeline for Arzviller (15 minutes’ drive away) to see Europe’s largest boat lift, or drive for 45 minutes to Molsheim to admire the shiny cars at the Bugatti Foundation and factory. Also around 45 minutes’ drive away are the vineyards and cellars of the Alsace Wine Route: Marlenheim, Marmoutier and Mutzig are all good places to sample the wares while also poking about in historic places including a seventh-century basilica and Kaiser Wilhelm II’s fort. If you want to make a break for the big city, Strasbourg is about 55 minutes from the site. Top picks here include a walk round the cobbled Petite France area, a visit to the European Parliament and a climb of the cathedral’s 143-metre spire (followed by a restorative coffee and kugelhopf cake).