ORBIS city intelligence

Walking Obernai: Four Doors Inside the Walls

Obernai sits inside its ramparts and the central shops are minutes apart. Take them in this order, because it assembles a meal in the order you would eat it and puts the fragile purchase last.

Pain d'épices Mireille Oster: 2 rue du Marché, first S1

Begin here, because pain d'épices keeps for weeks and everything else on this walk does not. Buy it first and free your attention for the perishable stops that follow.

Ask which recipes hold up in a suitcase if you are flying, since the denser spiced loaves travel better than the softer ones do.

La Cloche à Fromage: 3 rue Dietrich, second S2

This is a minute from the previous stop. Ask what was aged in house and what is ready to eat today rather than choosing by name.

Ask for vacuum packing and carry a cool bag on a warm day, because the rest of this walk will take another hour at least.

Au Bien Boire: 4 rue du Général Leclerc, third S3

Wine, spirits and fine food from one merchant. Buy the bottles after the food, so you already know what you are matching them to.

Ask about weight and packing before committing to a case, remembering that you are still carrying cheese and bread at this point.

Galerie Goralsky: 63 rue du Général Gouraud, last S4

Contemporary art closes the walk because nothing here needs refrigerating. Allow an unhurried half hour, since this is the stop that repays one.

Ask about shipping rather than carrying anything framed, and ask whether unframed work can be rolled if you have hand luggage only.

Vins d'Alsace Blanck sits outside the walls at 167 route d'Ottrott and is a drive rather than a walk. Confirm the Obernai address for Chocolaterie Jacques Bockel before adding it, since the house keeps several Alsace boutiques and its head office is at Saverne.