Civil Airfield Haguenau (LFSH)

Good, fairly busy VFR airfield. No PPR, no ATS; open to VFR traffic during daylight. Not “French-only”; you can make your radio calls in English (being able to speak and understand French is still better). As a rule, Runway 03 is used for noise abatement. On approach, observe D526 and the noise abatement areas. Although there is no ATS, a landing fee is charged, but it is low; you can now pay via aerops. 100LL is available, but there is no card-operated pump—you depend on the Aeroclub Haguenau office, which you should contact in good time beforehand. You can then pay in cash or by credit card. Prices are not particularly cheap. The UL91 offering was recently replaced by Mogas. For food and drink you’re well catered for: directly adjacent to the apron is the “Saint-Ex” restaurant, located in one of a total of five somewhat quirky “triangle houses.” Ultimately inconspicuous from the outside, but quite refined and pretty inside. It’s relatively small, and especially on weekends it’s often full of locals, so you should definitely reserve by phone in advance. Also be punctual… after 14:00h you won’t get served anymore. The dishes are mostly not the typical rustic Alsatian kind, but rather more French. Proper cookery, hence not exactly cheap (on weekdays you can get a reasonably priced lunch menu). Closed on Wednesdays. If you can’t get a table: 200 m farther on there’s an Italian restaurant (“Il Giardino d’Italia”). However, at lunchtime it’s only open Tuesday to Friday and on Sundays. Nearby there’s also a hotel (“Champ d’Alsace”), but its restaurant only opens for events. Additional restaurant tips in the area: about a good 20-minute walk south of the field is “La Petite Auberge,” a very rustic Alsatian restaurant with regional dishes. Unfortunately, at lunchtime it’s only open on Sundays. Alternatively, north of the field (about a 15-minute walk) there’s “Le Repère des Sorcières” (somewhat more modern); it’s also only open at lunchtime on certain weekdays. Use Google Maps for the route in each case. There’s also a bus connection (Line 1) into town, except on Sundays. To use it you have to walk about 500 m along the airfield road to the main road (the stop right at the field is only served in the mornings and evenings). The town is quite nice for a short day trip; you can stroll and shop particularly on and around Place de la République. Overall, though, in terms of size and atmosphere, Haguenau of course can’t begin to compare with Strasbourg or Colmar. You get back onto the airfield by entering the first four digits of the airfield frequency into the keypad lock on the door.