Large Family Gite in Alsace, Sleeping Up to 15 Guests

Gather the whole family under one roof in a 1723 half-timbered house in Dambach-la-Ville: three independent apartments, booked together or separately, in the heart of the Alsace Wine Route.

Family bedroom at the gite with a double bed and a single bed, in a warm, welcoming style

Finding somewhere big enough to bring a whole family together in Alsace usually means a compromise. Either everyone crowds into a single rental with no privacy, or the group scatters across several places miles apart. Au Cœur de l'Ours was made for exactly this: three independent apartments within one Alsatian house from 1723, bookable separately or all together to sleep up to 15 guests.

The idea is simple, and it is what makes the difference for family reunions, multi-generational trips and groups of friends. Everyone sleeps under the same roof, yet each apartment keeps its own fully equipped kitchen and its own bathroom. You share the good moments when you want to, and each family still has its own space — for the children's early bedtimes or the grandparents' lie-in.

All of this sits in a walled wine village on the Alsace Wine Route, with free parking in the village, a bakery directly across the street, and enough nearby to fill full days: Monkey Mountain, Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle, Europa-Park and cycling through the vineyards are all within easy reach of the whole group.

Three independent apartments, sleeping up to 15

The house is made up of three separate apartments, each with its own entrance, fully equipped kitchen and private bathroom. You can book just one, or bring all three together for the whole house — the ideal option when several generations or several households are travelling as one group.

This layout of separate spaces is what changes everything for a group stay. Families with young children keep their own rhythm, couples keep their quiet, and everyone comes back together for meals and evenings. You live as one without ever getting under each other's feet. Approximate floor areas are given in square feet alongside the metric figures for easy reference.

Cœur de l'Ours — sleeps 4
60 m²
A 60 m² (around 645 sq ft) apartment with one bedroom. The right size for a couple or a small family joining the rest of the group.
Rêve de l'Ours — sleeps 5
70 m²
A 70 m² (around 750 sq ft) apartment with two bedrooms and a mountain view. Perfect for a slightly larger family.
Grenier de l'Ours — sleeps 7
90 m²
A 90 m² (around 970 sq ft) loft with three bedrooms, tucked under the eaves of the 1723 house. The largest of the three, made for a big family.

Bright dining room with mustard velvet chairs, ideal for family meals

Why separate spaces make all the difference

When you bring a large family or a group of friends together, comfort is not just about the number of beds. What counts is being able to share without feeling boxed in. With three kitchens, three bathrooms and several living rooms, each household stays self-sufficient: you can warm a bottle or make a coffee without disturbing anyone, and the bathroom is never a morning bottleneck.

The children can go to bed early in one apartment while the adults carry on the evening in another. The grandparents enjoy the quiet, the teenagers get their own corner, and meals are taken all together around a big table whenever the mood takes you. It is the right balance between the warmth of a shared house and the privacy of separate homes.

Each apartment has its own character, too: exposed beams, authentic timber-frame panels, wooden and spiral staircases, all within the charm of a 1723 Alsatian house. A 9.8/10 rating on Booking and the welcome of Corinne and Mathias, your on-site hosts, put everyone at ease from the moment they arrive.

Living space with a spiral wooden staircase, in the warm spirit of the 1723 house

Activities for every generation, right nearby

One of the great strengths of a family stay in Dambach-la-Ville is how much there is to do within 40 minutes' drive. Young and old find something to enjoy without spending the day in the car. Here are the highlights to keep the whole group busy, with real driving times from the gite:

Monkey Mountain, Kintzheim
~15 min
More than 200 Barbary macaques roaming free in a forest you walk through on foot. A firm favourite with children, just minutes from the gite.
Eagle Park (Volerie des Aigles)
~15 min
Free-flight displays of eagles and other birds of prey within the walls of a medieval castle. Spectacular at any age.
Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle
~25 min
A restored medieval fortress perched at 757 m, with views across the whole Alsace plain. An outing that thrills small knights and parents alike.
Europa-Park, Rust (Germany)
~40 min
One of Europe's largest theme parks, just across the Rhine, with the neighbouring Rulantica water world. A full day of thrills for the whole family.
Cycling and the vineyard trail
On site
Straight from Dambach-la-Ville: family-friendly bike rides between the vines and the vineyard trail through the Frankstein Grand Cru.
Colmar and Little Venice
~30 min
Old town, flower-lined canals and the Unterlinden Museum: a charming, photogenic day out for the older members of the group.

Dambach-la-Ville, an ideal base for groups

Dambach-la-Ville is a walled wine village on the Alsace Wine Route, with medieval ramparts, fortified gates and a vineyard trail climbing to a chapel above the rooftops. It is a calm, central place to stay: out on the Alsace plain at the foot of the Vosges, halfway between Strasbourg and Colmar, with its own TER station for anyone who would rather leave the car behind.

For a large group, the logistics are simple. Free parking in the village takes several vehicles, the bakery directly across the street handles breakfast for the whole household, and three restaurants about 200 metres away cover the evenings when nobody feels like cooking. The village is also lovely and safe to explore on foot, even with pushchairs or young children.

Whether you are coming for a summer family reunion, a milestone birthday to celebrate in style, or a get-together with friends, the house can be booked in full to bring everyone together — or apartment by apartment to suit your needs. That flexibility is what makes a group stay in Alsace work.

Getting here from the UK and abroad

For visitors arriving from the UK, the US or further afield, the easiest gateways are Strasbourg airport and EuroAirport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, each a manageable drive from the village. By rail, the TGV reaches Strasbourg from Paris in about 1 hour 50 minutes. For a group spread across the region's villages and hilltop castles, a car is genuinely the best way to get around, and free parking in the village makes arriving as a convoy straightforward.

Dambach-la-Ville also has its own TER station on the Strasbourg–Molsheim–Barr–Sélestat line, useful for car-free days out: you can reach Sélestat in minutes, then change for Strasbourg or Colmar. It is an easy way to give part of the group a day in the cities while others stay closer to base.

Your home base

The Au Cœur de l'Ours gîte

A 1723 Alsatian half-timbered house, fully renovated, in the heart of Dambach-la-Ville on the Alsace Wine Route. Three independent apartments for 4 to 7 guests, free parking in the village, Wi-Fi and a bakery across the street. Guest rating: 9.8/10.

House from 1723
3 apartments
up to 15 guests
9.8/10 on Booking

Discover the gîte →

Frequently asked questions

How many people can the gite sleep in total?

The house sleeps up to 15 guests when all three apartments are booked together: Cœur de l'Ours (60 m² / 645 sq ft), Rêve de l'Ours (70 m² / 750 sq ft) and Grenier de l'Ours (90 m² / 970 sq ft). Each has its own fully equipped kitchen and bathroom.

Can I book a single apartment, or do I have to take the whole house?

The three apartments are independent and can be booked separately, or all together for the whole house. You match the option to your group size: one apartment for a single family, two for two households, or all three for a large group of up to 15.

Is the gite suitable for a family reunion or a group of friends?

Absolutely — that is exactly what the house is best at. Everyone sleeps under the same roof, but each apartment keeps its own kitchen and bathroom. You share meals and evenings while keeping each family's privacy, which avoids the friction of crowded group stays.

What family activities are there near the gite?

Within 40 minutes: Monkey Mountain and the Eagle Park (~15 min), Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle (~25 min), Europa-Park in Germany (~40 min) and Colmar (~30 min). On site, the vineyards are easy to explore by bike and along the vineyard trail with the family.

Is there parking for a large group?

Yes. Parking in the village is free, handy for several vehicles when the group arrives from different places. The bakery is directly across the street and three restaurants are about 200 metres away, which keeps mealtimes easy to organise.

Is the village suitable for children and older guests?

Dambach-la-Ville is a calm wine village, partly pedestrian and pleasant to explore on foot, even with young children. Most of the major family attractions are under 30 minutes away, and the TER station connects to Sélestat, Strasbourg and Colmar without a car.