You’ve been visiting the Black Forest in Germany, have been to the Alsace region in France and of course you crossed borders into Switzerland. And you did it all in one day, right? In our region it’s possible to do – so why not!
The border region of Switzerland, France and Germany is considered to be one of the most beautiful region in Europe. Called the Dreilaendereck in German (literally 3-country-corner) people who live here are used to be crossing borders on a daily basis. Many live on one side of the border and work on the other side. Currently more than 90,000 people are crossing borders every day to get to work. On the weekend people cross borders to get cheaper gas in France or go swimming in the thermal pools of Germany. There is always a reason to drive over the Rhine to the other country. And it makes you feel special if you can quickly drive over to Switzerland at lunch time to buy a delicious cheese for the dinner party.
When it comes to tourism this region has always been a bit odd to promote though – the Germans have been promoting the Black Forest, the French have promoted the Alsace region and the Swiss told you that there is nothing else to see than Basel in Switzerland.
So it comes as no surprise to see the latest effort put into place a few months ago. The 3 countries have started to work together to promote the region as a whole – under the name of Upper Rhine Valley. Which makes a lot of sense – since visitors usually do visit the entire region during their stay- meaning all 3 counties – not just one country.
Culturally the region Upper Rhine Valley is very similar. People on either side of the French, Swiss or German border share the same heritage, the same history, the same dialect, the same foods, the same architecture, the same traditions and many more things. The political borders dividing the region into 3 countries were only drawn a few hundred years ago. On top of that we have the Alsace region which until recently was torn between being a part of Germany or a part of France – it’s french now in case you are still wondering:)
We do think that one name for our region- Upper Rhine Valley – makes a lot of sense. With many combined efforts underway tourists will find it easier to cross over borders. Guide Michelin just published a special edition of their guide book pointing to all 60 restaurants in the Upper Rhine Valley on either side of the border who have earned themselves one star (or more). You can now also book a culinary trip on the Rhine river during which you will be cruising and dining across borders into 3 different countries. There are many other attempts on the way to promote this region as a whole and we are looking forward to seeing how it will all turn out in the future.
So what’s your take on all of this – do you like the idea of promoting this area as a whole? Will it confuse you or will it make it easier to travel?
While you are deciding Black Forest Tours can take you on Upper Rhine Valley tours and make sure you get to see 3 countries in one day(although – we recommend to stay longer). Contact us for more information. Hopefully we’ll see you soon in the Upper Rhine Valley:)
