Riquewihr: A Romantic Fairy Tale in the “Beauty and the Beast” Village
The perfect setting for your 2026 engagement, marriage proposal, or romantic anniversary.
Whether you are planning a secret marriage proposal, celebrating a birthday, or seeking a Valentine’s escape, our historic vacation rentals offer an enchanted backdrop for your 2026 memories.
Where to spend Valentine’s Day with your loved one?
What if you came to spend a romantic weekend in Riquewihr? Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2026 is an excellent opportunity for a romantic stay in Alsace. But not only.
Yes, a stay outside of everyday life to live your love with the person you love, forgetting professional concerns or everyday tasks, is important.
By dint of living next to each other, we can forget to live WITH each other…
VALENTINE’s DAY, February 14, 2026
Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2026, the days that follow and precede, are an excellent time for a romantic stay in Alsace.
At home, at our “Gîtes des Remparts de Riquewihr”, February is the month of lovers!
Enjoy the charm and elegance of one of our apartments for a romantic romantic stay…
❤️✨🌹🍾 – Book a stay for February 2026, we will welcome you with a beautiful rose and a bottle of crémant!
Offer valid for any stay from February 1st to 28th, 2026.
How to show your love to the other?
A gift? A jewel to offer? It’s a delicate attention. But is that enough?
Is it enough to buy love? A beautiful table to share followed by a moment of tender hugs means time spent together and shared pleasures…
But for the magic to work, it is better to get out of your daily environment. Change location… Change city, change region, discover something else that will be, during the stay, a new center of interest to share with your lover.
LET GO TO FIND YOURSELF…
A romantic stay is letting go to find yourself. In short, a romantic weekend (or a longer stay of course) is an essential and very pleasant breath of fresh air.
Riquewihr and our charming cottages on the ramparts are an ideal place to stay for two.
A romantic stay in the magical kingdom of “Beauty and the Beast”
Riquewihr is one of the most beautiful villages in France, the whole world agrees.
At home, at the Riquewihr Ramparts, couples from all walks of life regularly come to celebrate their loves, their engagement, propose marriage or celebrate their meeting anniversary, spend their honeymoon and even get married in secret!
The traditional Valentine’s Day of this February 2026 is an opportunity to take this romantic break in everyday winter life.
It’s true, it’s not necessary to limit yourself to February to spend more time with your loved one. But it is nice to take a break away from the tumult, off the beaten track of the usual holidays.
February is perfect for that.
“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”, A MAGNIFICENT LOVE STORY…
Beauty and the Beast is a tale known all over the world even if there are many variants.
As is often the case with tales and fables, its origin dates back to antiquity before being taken up in Italian traditions at the time of the Renaissance. The French versions appeared later, in the 18th century, under the pen of Madame de Villeneuve (1740) and then Madame Leprince de Beaumont (1755).
“BEAUTY AND THE BEAST”, A TALE KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD…
In the tale of “Beauty and the Beast”, we talk about love and redemption, that is, the possibility of changing to become better.
A young girl called “Belle” sacrifices herself to save her father, held prisoner for picking a rose in the domain of a terrible monster. Against all odds, the Beast spares the Beauty and allows her to live in her castle.
Belle then realizes that, behind the animal’s features, a man suffering victim of a spell.
This tale has been and still has a great success. It was the subject of numerous adaptations to cinema, theater and television during the 20th century, including a feature film by Jean Cocteau and two adaptations, one for
animation, the other for live shooting, by Disney studios.
The cartoon Beauty and the Beast was released in 1991. It is this pretty version that I suggest you relive in the sets that inspired Disney designers and guided their pencils and brushes.
Experience the atmosphere of “Beauty & the Beast” in one of our charming apartments at the Riquewihr Ramparts!
www.i-love-riquewihr.com
But who is “The Beast” in Disney’s fashion?
According to the tale, the Beast was once a handsome prince punished by a fairy for his vanity. It is said that a very ugly old woman dressed in rags knocked on the door of a young and handsome prince’s castle to ask for hospitality. The prince allegedly mocked the appearance of the beggar and rejected her despite her pleas. The old woman was actually a very beautiful fairy who had dressed up. And the fairy punishes the prince for his selfishness. She condemned him to the appearance of a monstrous beast that would scare away all women who approached him except the one who would not rely on the physical but on inner beauty.
Reclusive in his fantastic castle, the unfortunate monster is condemned to wait for a woman’s love to be released from the spell. This love will come with Beauty.
“Beauty” – a (very) short portrait
Once upon a time there was a rich merchant (in the Disney cartoon it’s an inventor) whose younger girl was very beautiful. That’s why she was simply called “Beautiful”. While her older sisters only wanted luxury and wealth, the Belle was sweet, modest and very interested in reading. Belle adored her father, to the point of sacrificing herself and taking his place when he was thrown into the dungeon by the Beast for picking a rose in the castle garden. Beauty went to live with the terrible Beast and discovered, beyond its ugliness, a being that had become generous who only asked to love and be loved.
💍 Planning a Surprise or a Secret Proposal?
We love being your accomplices in magic.
Many of our guests — especially those traveling from across the Atlantic — have chosen the moonlit, cobblestone streets of Riquewihr
as the backdrop for their marriage proposal.
If you are planning a grand gesture or a beautiful surprise, our personal assistance is complimentary. From guiding you to the most romantic “secret spots” in the village to helping you coordinate a local surprise or flower delivery, we treat your special event as if it were our own.
Let’s make it unforgettable together.
Integrated from their YouTube channel, here is a summary of Disney’s cartoon “Beauty and the Beast”.
The cartoon “Beauty and the Beast” has been and still has a huge success. But its creation took a lot of time and effort. The creators of Disney have made several trips to Europe to find the places and settings in which they would make the characters evolve.
You too can enjoy our beautiful village of Riquewihr, one-on-one with the loved one, in a setting that strongly inspired the Disney artists who produced Beauty and the Beast (1991).
It is a precious opportunity to enjoy a romantic stay.
RIQUEWIHR, THE COLORFUL VILLAGE WHERE “BELLE” AND HER FATHER, THE INVENTOR, LIVE…
Riquewihr is known all over the world for being one of the most beautiful villages in France. Riquewihr still presents himself today as if he had just left the 16th century, with his colorful facades and half-timbered walls and timbered frames. “Belle” evolves in a village where many details (and even traders!) Are indeed found in the streets of Riquewihr. Just open your eyes. I invite you to follow me through the village, according to the screenshots of the cartoon.
By hovering over the images with the mouse (or tapping on the picture for smartphones), you will take turns revealing the cartoon and reality.
Experience the atmosphere of “Beauty & the Beast” in one of our charming apartments at the Riquewihr Ramparts!
www.i-love-riquewihr.com
THE VILLAGE OF RIQUEWIHR IN ALSACE, THE PERFECT SETTING FOR A FAIRY TALE
I invite you to recreate your own romantic stay program from some emblematic scenes of this famous cartoon. The tale wanted to show that every being must be loved for his human values and not to appear so.
Will you be Beauty or the Beast transformed into the charming prince?
From these screenshots, I give you here some keys to treasures to discover. You probably won’t be able to discover everything in the space of a romantic weekend. By hovering over the images with the mouse (or tapping on the picture for smartphones), you will take turns revealing the cartoon and reality.
Haut-Koenigsbourg, the fabulous castle of “Beauty and the Beast”?
Here is the mysterious castle in which the “Beast” holds “Belle” captive while trying to win her love. This castle could well be that of Haut-Koenigsbourg, just a few kilometers from us in Riquewihr!
The Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg overlooks the plain of Alsace and the vineyards at the top of the mountain (714 m). He has witnessed conflicts and rivalries between lords, kings and emperors for centuries. The Haut-Koenigsbourg castle is open all year round, except on January 1, December 25 and 26. Schedules vary depending on the season.
Experience the atmosphere of “Beauty & the Beast” in one of our charming holiday homes at the Ramparts of Riquewihr!
www.i-love-riquewihr.com
Riquewihr in Alsace and its fabulous landscapes…
During their trip to prepare the cartoon, the Disney artists went to the castles of the Loire. Finally, they placed the kingdom of “Beauty and the Beast” in a beautiful mountain landscape. Riquewihr in Alsace (Eastern France) is nestled in a beautiful valley at the foot of the Vosges.
The Humanist Library in Sélestat, Kingdom of Fine Books
“Belle” loved reading and books. To follow the legend of the tale, one of the most wonderful libraries awaits you a few minutes from Riquewihr: the Humanist Library of Sélestat.
From the 14th century, Sélestat played a key role in Europe with a very famous Latin school. It trains hundreds of students in the art of Latin grammar. From 1440 to 1526, Sélestat was at the heart of new knowledge dissemination networks. Who knows, maybe our “Belle” was one of the students? Of this rich period of its history, Sélestat retains an exceptional testimony: the Humanist Library, listed in the UNESCO World Memory Register, since 2011.
Beatus Rhenanus, a Selestadian humanist, friend of Erasmus, bequeathed an exceptional library to his hometown in 1547. His 670 books constitute one of the richest collections of the Renaissance.
The Treasure of the Humanist Library, with its 154 medieval manuscripts and 1611 prints from the 15th and 16th centuries, is housed in a glass cube. We can “leaf” through the books that are now digitized.
A beautiful table to share followed by a moment of tender hugs means time spent together and shared pleasures…
You can fill the cottage table with some beautiful local specialties or taste the specialties of one of the village restaurants.
Our tourist office of Ribeauvillé-Riquewihr has created a tool that presents a list of restaurants (Riquewihr and 15 villages in the surroundings) open during the next 4 days (the link is automatically updated every day).
February is the month of Lovers and Valentine’s Day! Charm and elegance await you in our cottages in the Remparts de Riquewihr, for a romantic romantic stay…
The fairy offered a magic rose to the Beast with the obligation to be loved by her Beauty for her true qualities of heart and not for her external appearance and riches.
As a nod to the conversion of the Beast, we offer you a beautiful rose and a bottle of sparkling crémant wine of Riquewihr to toast to your loves!
In February, but also throughout the year, to those who will stay with us for their engagement, their wedding anniversary or meeting! Simply inform us at the time of your reservation.
Extend the Magic: Where Productivity Meets Inspiration
Take advantage of the serene winter atmosphere in Alsace
to stay a little longer. Our latest residences, built with healthy,
natural materials and high-performance insulation, are the perfect setting for a “Workation”.
With our ultra-high-speed fiber optic connection, you have a dream office at the heart of history. Work efficiently during the day and escape into the romantic streets of Riquewihr as soon as your meeting ends.
Or the other way around: spend your day discovering the hidden treasures of Alsace, and dedicate your evening to writing your next book, soon to be published… 😏
Why choose between productivity and pure disconnection?