Cycling the Wine Route of Alsace

Explore this picturesque town with half-timbered houses, romantic canals, flower-laden windowsills and a labyrinth of cobblestone lanes. Visit the scenic Fishmongers’ Quarter or ‘Little Venice’, the Tanners’ Quarter and the Place de L’Ancienne Douane. Discover plenty of shops and a covered market before you sample the fabulous local cuisine.

Set off along the ‘Wine Route’ through the vineyards, enjoying spectacular views. Stop in beautiful and ancient Eguisheim. This typical Alsatian small town waits for you to wander in the heart of the ramparts, in a maze of alleys lined with old half-timbered houses. Explore the mediaeval Turckheim and continue to Kaysersberg, elected the favourite village of France in 2017. You’ll see why when you walk along its fortified bridge and through its medieval streets that lead up to the castle.

Highlights today include Riquewihr, still enclosed by its mediaeval walls; Ribeauville, with its Renaissance fountains and hillside ruins. Then, before reaching Selestat, you will have the opportunity to conquer the chateau Haut Koenigsbourg.

The amazing Chateau of Haut Koenigsbourg perched on mountain summits offering spectacular panoramic views of the Alsatian countryside towards the Vosges mountains and the Black Forest. The Haut-Koenigsbourg’s beautifully refined rooms are decorated with mural paintings, Renaissance furniture and enormous cast-iron stoves – and there’s an impressive collection of weaponry from the Middle Ages in the basement. Towering at 757m above picture-perfect villages and colourful vineyards, it’s one of France’s most visited castles.

In Selestat, do not miss a visit to the Humanist Library building designed by Rudy Ricciotti serves as a showcase for the outstanding collection of the humanist Beatus Rhenanus collection, composed of medieval manuscripts and documents of the fifteenth and sixteenth century.

Following tranquil lanes through the vineyards, take a look at the chateau de l’Ortenbourg overlooking the vineyards before reaching the pretty village of Dambach-la- ville then Barr and its beautiful flowery square.

In Barr, on the main square lies city hall, built on the ruins of a castle destroyed by fire, has a monument historical classification thanks to its Renaissance-style facade and its 1604-dated balcony.

Continue to the medieval city of Obernai. Behind the ramparts of Obernai ancient medieval city are half-timbered houses painted in bright colours and windows bedecked with flowers and some unexpected architectural gems, including the Renaissance-style townhall and the sublime belfry made of pink sandstone, which the Alsatians call Kappelturm.

Ride through the vineyards to Molsheim, a very pretty wine town. Then follow the bike path along the ‘Canal de la Bruche’: one of the most beautiful greenways in Alsace, with its shady banks and old locks! This bike path will lead you to Strasbourg.

In Strasbourg the bicycle is king! Admire the town on two wheels along the canals, through the parks and gardens and through the historic centre.
Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, there are delightfully twisting alleyways lined with half-timbered houses and a Gothic masterpiece of a cathedral, described by Victor Hugo as ‘a gigantic and delicate marvel’ and visible from miles around with its 142-metre spire. The ‘Petite France’ is a picture-postcard quarter once home to tanners, fishermen and millers, now a haven of peace at the city’s heart