Although we have holidayed in France on many occasions, particularly when our children were younger, we had not previously visited Alsace and I suspect that it is not a holiday destination that readily springs to mind for many Brits. It is situated in north-east France and borders Germany. Indeed, the region has changed hands between France and Germany several times over the centuries. It last did so at the end of the Second World War. However, although it is part of France, the region is strongly influenced by its neighbour to the east,. This is apparent in its place names, its food and wines and some of its architecture.

We travelled to Alsace by train: Eurostar to Paris, the TGV from Paris to Strasbourg and then a local train to Obernai. We departed from London Paddington at 10:25 BST and arrived at Obernai at 17:50 (local time). With the benefit of hindsight, it would probably have been less tiring if we had flown to Strasbourg. The latter is the principal city of the region and is, of course, the seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.

The tour operator through whom we made the trip arranged our accommodation and transported our luggage from one hotel to the next. Thus all we had to carry was a rucksack each, containing waterproofs (which in the event were not needed), water and, on most days, something to eat for lunch. One can either walk in an organised group or independently. We chose the latter. There was also a choice each day between a high route and a low route. The former were longer walks and involved more hill climbing; the latter were mainly by or through vineyards. We did some of each but preferred the lower routes as they were prettier. The high routes tended to be through forests. The length of the walks varied. The shortest, an afternoon walk only, was 6.2 miles; the longest was  19 miles. We chose the shorter one of 10.3 miles, that day! On average we were probably walking between 10 and 12 miles a day.

After staying the night at Obernai, a picturesque small town, the walk started the following day from Barr, a short train ride away. From there we travelled, over the course of the next six days, in a southerly direction, staying at Dambach-La-Ville, St Hippolyte, Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Lapoutroie and Kaysersberg. Each of these places was of interest but two of them, Riquewihr (below left) and Kaysersberg (below right), are beautiful medieval towns.  I wish we had had more time to explore them.

The local food is very German-influenced, with a lot of pork and choucroute (sauerkraut in German) and the portions tend to be huge. If gourmet cuisine is more to your liking, you should not be disappointed. I understand that Alsace has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other region of France. We ate in two such restaurants, and one that was Michelin-recommended, and all three dinners were very good.

The white wines are world-famous. These include Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris.

For anyone who has not visited Alsace, I believe it has a lot to recommend it.

My wife and I have recently returned from a week’s holiday at Tremezzo on Lake Como. For anyone unfamiliar with the Italian Lakes, they are situated in the very north of Italy, close to the Swiss border. We had stayed in Stresa, on Lake Maggiore, a few years ago and so enjoyed the area that we decided to visit again.

Lake Como is shaped like an inverted “Y”. The town of Como is at the end of the western arm of the lake. Tremezzo is in the central lake area where the eastern and western arms meet the upper lake. Lake Como is 46 km long and its width varies from 4.3 km and 0.43 km.

We visited during the first week of May which was ideal for us in several respects. First, the weather was almost perfect: warm and mainly sunny, without being too hot. (The summer can be very hot and muggy.) We did hear, however, that there had been quite a lot of rain during the week before we arrived. Secondly, it was relatively quiet; summer is the main season. Thirdly, the azaleas were in bloom and so the gardens of the villas which are open to the public were probably at their best. Fourthly, there was still snow on the peaks of the mountains overlooking the lake, which adds to the beauty of the place.

It is the beauty which draws visitors. One of the great pleasures is sitting at a lakeside bar or restaurant, gazing out at the tranquil waters and the snow-capped Alps beyond. Another pleasure is visiting the colourful small towns and villages bordering the lake. Within easy reach of Tremezzo, in the central lake area, are Bellagio, Varenna, Mennagio and Lenno. Moreover, one does not need a car. The best form of transport is the public ferry service.

Tremezzo is a small town, the main attraction of which is Villa Carlotta, a grand 18^th century villa justifiably famous for its gardens. They are said to contain over 500 species of plants, shrubs and trees, including about 500 varieties of azalea.Bellagio is known as “the Pearl of the Lake” and is beautifully situated on a headland that divides the two arms of the lake. It is a pleasant town to stroll around. There are plenty of bars and restaurants and, unlike most of the other places we visited, a fair number of interesting shops. The fall in the value of sterling against the euro, however, makes shopping there expensive for the Brits. A short stroll along the lake takes you to the 19^th century Villa Melzi, which again has delightful gardens.

Gardens of Villa Melzi, Bellagio

The town of Mennagio is worth a visit but we went during siesta time, so a lot of places were closed. By contrast, we went to Lenno on a Tuesday morning when there was a large and vibrant street market. A short walk away (or, for the less energetic, a boat ride) is Villa Balbianello, built in the 18^th century, which is situated on a headland and has immaculate, terraced gardens.

My favourite of the central lake locations is Varenna, a very attractive small town that looks particularly enticing as it is approached from the lake. We visited the splendid gardens of Villa Monastero and, if we had had more time, could also have gone to the nearby Villa Cipressi.

Villa Monastero, Varenna

Possibly the only disappointment was Como itself, which we visited by the “fast” (and more expensive) ferry. Although it has some magnificent buildings, especially the Duomo (cathedral) and Villa Olmo, we thought the town, the only one of any size on the lake, was rather lacking in atmosphere and had relatively few shops of interest. The most disappointing aspect was the amount of graffiti that disfigured a large proportion of the buildings.

A holiday at Lake Como is suitable both for the energetic, as one can explore so much on foot, and for those who simply want a relaxing time.