Our three holiday homes are in Holving, between Sarreguemines and the Pays des étangs (Land of Lakes), about 25 minutes from the German border. Here are the outings we love to recommend to our guests, from a walk around the nearby lake to a full day in Strasbourg, Nancy or at Europa-Park.
Approximate travel times by car from Holving. Opening hours and prices vary with the season: check them on each place's official website before you go.
Once part of the Maginot Line's water defences, the lake is now a haven of nature where you'll spot ducks and swans. A trail of about 6.5 km (1 hr 30 on foot, free access) runs around it; anglers love it and the jetties offer superb sunsets.
At the Faience Museum, don't miss the spectacular Winter Garden, covered entirely in ceramics. On the banks of the Blies, the Blies Mill tells the story of faience making and is surrounded by gardens.
Photo: Arie M. den Toom, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
In the heart of the Lorraine Regional Nature Park, large lakes such as Mittersheim, Stock and Gondrexange are perfect for fishing, cycling, walking and birdwatching. In summer, the Mittersheim leisure centre is popular with families.
Photo: Labraun90, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The capital of Saarland makes a great day trip: the baroque Ludwigsplatz and its church, the banks of the Saar, the old town and its shopping streets, just across the border.
Photo: Flocci Nivis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994, it is the only ironworks from the golden age of industrialisation to have survived intact. You can explore the blast furnaces, major art exhibitions and the “Paradies”, a former coking plant returned to nature.
Photo: Flocci Nivis, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
In the Lorraine Regional Nature Park, at Rhodes, this large park dedicated to European wildlife is a favourite with families. You can even spend the night there, in lodges among the animals.
Photo: Ji-Elle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Perched on its rock above the town, the citadel's plateau, with its 1794 relief map, is free to explore, and its underground passages can be discovered on an audio-guided tour. Right next door is the Garden for Peace (Jardin pour la Paix).
Photo: V.degouy, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
This large Maginot Line fortification in Siersthal immerses visitors in the life of soldiers underground. Just a few minutes from Bitche: the two visits are easy to combine in the same day.
The Simserhof (Pays de Bitche tourist office)
Photo: Franconia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
For a lovely day in town: Saint-Étienne cathedral and its immense stained-glass windows, the Temple Neuf on the Moselle, the riverside quays and the Centre Pompidou-Metz for modern and contemporary art.
Metz tourist office · Centre Pompidou-Metz
Photo: Pieter van Everdingen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A little further away, but easy to do in a day from Holving.
Place Stanislas, with its gilded gates and fountains, a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with Place de la Carrière and Place d'Alliance. Nancy is also the city of Art Nouveau and the École de Nancy.
Photo: Berthold Werner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Its Grande Île, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is best explored on foot: Notre-Dame cathedral, the half-timbered houses of Petite France, a boat trip on the Ill. In December, its famous Christmas market.
Photo: Dietmar Rabich, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Germany's largest theme park, organised into areas themed on European countries, with roller coasters and water rides. Right next door, the Rulantica indoor water park.
Photo: Gzen92, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photos of the sights: Wikimedia Commons, under free licences (authors credited under each photo), resized.
In Holving, the Game Room awaits you with over 40 pinball machines, a racing simulator, a pool table and a bar. And to enjoy the region, choose your holiday home: Gîte O², Le Dôme du Levant or Au Jardin du Levant.
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