Alsace Wine Road: Vineyards & Vistas

Time to take to two wheels down the picturesque cycle path which leads along the Rhône-Rhine Canal into the heart of the Rhine plain, known as the ’Ried’. Gentle, fertile flatlands make for easy cycling along to historic Sélestat. Its name means ‘swamp town’ as the region here flooded frequently in the past, but maybe witches kept the waters of the River Ill at bay… you’ll find the 13th century ‘Tour des Sourcières’ at the heart of the town and also a medieval clock tower and the remains of double belt fortifications. Sélestat is a colourful place with bright houses clustering around the neighbouring churches of St Foy and St George, a bustling weekly market and an annual flower festival dedicated to the dahlia!

Overnight in the Sélestat area.

Miles: 34 Kms: 55

Enjoy a day exploring the landscapes and villages of the Alsace ‘Ried’ (Rhine plain), renowned for its waterside flora and fauna before following the Colmar canal into the heart of Alsace’s famous wine capital. Here, tiny streets overflow with charming ‘Weinstuben’ and both balconies and canal-side railings drip with geraniums. Head for the waterways of the old market gardeners’ quarter, ‘la Petite Venise’, visit Voltaire’s house or the museum dedicated to local sculptor, Auguste Bartholdi, famed for the Statue of Liberty. You’ll find more of his sculptures on the ‘Maison des Têtes’ and Customs Square fountain here in the town.

Overnight in Colmar.

Miles: 23 Kms: 38

Kiss goodbye to Colmar and say hello to France’s most famous ‘Route des Vins’, the Alsace Wine Road as you pedal beyond the Rhine plain and on through medieval villages and outstretched ‘domaines viticoles’ towards the foothills of the wooded Vosges. The historic textile town of Guebwiller with its three towered church rubs shoulders with the renowned wine-growing area of the ‘Grands Crus’. Time to stop and savour a while or perhaps check out the region’s oldest Benedictine Abbey at nearby Murbach.

Overnight in Guebwiller.

Miles: 20 Kms: 33

The wines from this part of Alsace are amazing, but oh, the scenery! Eguisheim curls like a cat around its château. Above, on the wooded slopes hang three castles. A stork’s nest crowns Turckheim’s main medieval gateway; it has other impressive gates and town walls too. At Kaysersburg, the round castle keep on the Emperor’s Mountain dominates the historic village where half-timbered houses huddle and the little oratory crouches on the fortified bridge. And as for Riquewihr next to the famous Schoenenbourg and Sporen vineyards… bell towers, cobbled streets, dressed stone and half-timbered houses, fine, fortified and five museums to choose from. No wonder it ranks amongst France’s top five villages.

Overnight in Riquewihr area.

Miles: 28 Kms: 46

And today, those timeless villages nestling in the vineyards just keep coming! Let your two wheels take you via picturesque Hunawihr to Ribeauvillé, famed for its Riesling, Gewurztrauminer and Tokay as well as its two ‘Tours de Cigognes’ (stork towers) and ‘Pfifferdaj’, the Pipers’ Day minstrel festival. Three castles crown rocky outcrops above, but for the ultimate château fix, take time out around Bergheim to head up and visit the fairytale Haut Koenigsbourg Castle. From its grand bastion on a clear day you can see not just the Alsace plain and the Vosges, but the Black Forest and even the Alps too! You’ll find Andlau village overlooked by two castles too and Mont St Odile, the convent and church high on a rocky spur and popular place of pilgrimage, nesting in the woods beyond historic Obernai.

Overnight in Obernai.

Miles: 30 Kms: 49

Guild houses, courtyards, tiny alleyways and town ramparts whose moats are filled with flowers and fruit trees – who wouldn’t want to linger a while longer in Obernai before setting off for Strasbourg? But Rosheim is calling, a twice-fortified village famed for its fine Romanesque church and ‘Maison Païenne’, the oldest domestic building in Alsace. Country lanes and cycle tracks lead on to Avolsheim before you pick up the waterside trackway along the Bruche Canal for the final pedal back in to Strasbourg.

Overnight in Strasbourg.

Miles: 22 Kms: 37

Depart after breakfast, or take time for a last wander around cosmopolitan Strasbourg, the capital of Europe.

Extra nights can be booked in Strasbourg to allow more time to explore the city and Alsace at your leisure.