Gerardmer

Gerardmer sits at about six hundred and sixty metres beside the largest natural lake in the Vosges, a glacial basin ringed by conifer slopes. The town was burned in November 1944 during the German withdrawal and rebuilt almost entirely afterwards, so it is modern rather than picturesque; the setting carries it. The Vosges here are rounded rather than jagged, their bare summits called ballons and their high pastures called chaumes, where Munster cheese is made in farm dairies. In winter it works as a modest ski resort with runs on the Mauselaine, and in summer the lake is used for swimming, sailing and pedalos. A fantasy film festival runs each January.

What you actually see

• The glacial lake - the largest natural lake in the Vosges below the town.
• The rounded summits - ballons and high pasture chaumes above.
• The farm dairies - Munster made on the mountain pastures.
• The Route des Cretes - a ridge road linking the high points.

When to go

June to September for the lake and hiking; January to March for skiing, though snow is unreliable at this altitude. The fantasy film festival fills the town in late January.

Honest expectations

The town is postwar architecture, which surprises people expecting an old Vosges village. Ski conditions are marginal in warm winters. The lake is crowded and cold in summer.

Nearby

The Route des Cretes runs along the ridge; Colmar lies east over the pass.