Although Mulhouse is a lively city, you'll have easy access to the surrounding French, German, and Swiss countryside. If you're looking for a slice of nature in Mulhouse, Le Square Steinbach is a good place to start. This city park, in the shadow of the Temple Saint-Etienne tower, offers shade trees, open spaces, and a children’s playground. Also in Mulhouse, the royal Wesserling Park gardens are a lovely and accessible place to get your picnic fix. If you want to explore outside the city, you'll be near some of France’s awe-inspiring natural parks.
Less than an hour’s drive from Mulhouse is Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park. This lush park is known for its vast forests, peatlands, and glacial cirques. It’s also known for its 350+ historical sites, including castles, farms, and World War battlegrounds. Traditional orchards dot the open fields and provide apples, damsons, and cherries. There are plenty of opportunities to hike, bike, ski, and even snowshoe in Ballons des Vosges. Famous thermal baths are also nearby.
About an hour’s drive across the Swiss border is Jurapark Aargau, named after its Jurassic-era ammonite fossils. These fossils are still mined by amateur geologists. But people also visit the park for its walking, hiking, cycling, and mountain biking trails up slopes, passed castle ruins, and through cherry groves. (In season, you can pick and eat the cherries!) There are plenty of trails all ages can enjoy together. In winter, skiing is also available. Since the Jurapark is home to several communities, you can also visit local wineries and restaurants. Alsace is famous for its wine, liver dumplings, and potato pies.
About two hours (and worth every minute of the drive) is Germany's famed Black Forest National Park. With over 14,000 miles (23,000 kilometers) of trails, Germany’s biggest natural park offers almost every outdoor recreational activity you can imagine. For cyclists, Black Forest National Park has everything from leisurely cycling trails to mountain biking to bike racing. Lovers of winter sports can find cross-country skiing, alpine skiing, and snowboarding (the Black Forest is the birthplace of skiing, after all). There are several RV parks in the Black Forest where you can bring your camper rental from Mulhouse. Black Forest National Park is also easily accessible from Strasbourg.
