Biking along the canal in Colmar, Alsace, France. Photo via Flickr:Kiefer

Along quiet roads on this bike tour of Alsace, France. Photo via Flickr with permission from Espace Randonnee
5/5 (4 ratings)

Pearls of the Alsace Wine Route Bike Tour

France, Switzerland Bike Tours

Explore Alsace!

  • This bike tour in France and Switzerland will lead you through a beautiful region full of art and culture, excellent wines, and world renowned cuisine which will fascinate gourmets and bon vivant alike.

    The Wine Route is a cyclists dream and Alsace region has the longest cycling paths in all of France. You will bike through several small towns where time seems to have stood still since the Middle ages. The well preserved town walls and gates, the picturesque half-timbered houses, the impressive Roman and Gothic churches testify to an eventful past. Of course, the main focus is on wine; Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, and Silvaner.

    But there is more than wine to enjoy on this bike tour in France: the idyllic landscape is dominated and protected by the mountain range of the Vosges, on whose mountain tops sit castles and ruins. The starting point of this romantic Alsace cycling route is the European city of Strasbourg. In the city center, which is surrounded by the canals of the River Ill, you will get an idea of what lies ahead. At the end of the tour, you will have a hard time deciding what has been the highlight: Strasbourg, Mulhouse, Basel, or Colmar!

    Highlights:

    • Cities of Strasbourg, Colmar, Mulhouse, and Basel
    • The Alsace Wine Route and its typical villages
    • Architecture of the city of Neuf-Brisach, listed in the UNESCO World Heritage
    • The amazing architecture of the city of Neuf-Brisach, listed in the UNESCO World Heritage

    We have many bicycle tours in France, bike tours in Switzerland or view all our bike tours in Europe.

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    Season 1 £ 720 $ 1,597 € 848 $ 1278 NOK 7985 kr 7371 $ 958
    Season 2 £ 737 $ 1,635 € 868 $ 1308 NOK 8174 kr 7545 $ 981
    Season 3 £ 763 $ 1,691 € 898 $ 1353 NOK 8456 kr 7806 $ 1,015
    Single supplement (all seasons) £ 305 $ 676 € 359 $ 541 NOK 3381 kr 3121 $ 406
    7 x dinners included £ 174 $ 386 € 205 $ 309 NOK 1930 kr 1782 $ 232

    Season 1: April 4 to April 24 and September 26 to October 10, 2020
    Season 2: April 25 to May 29 and September 5 to September 25, 2020
    Season 3: May 30 to September 4, 2020

    extra options

    Electric Bike Rental: £ 93 $ 207 € 110 $ 166 NOK 1036 kr 956 $ 124

    Extra Nights

    Strasbourg 3 star B&B  £ 59 $ 130 € 69 $ 104 NOK 650 kr 600 $ 78

    Single room: £ 93 $ 205 € 109 $ 164 NOK 1026 kr 947 $ 123

    Strasbourg 4 star B&B: £ 64 $ 141 € 75 $ 113 NOK 706 kr 652 $ 85

    Single room: £ 98 $ 217 € 115 $ 173 NOK 1083 kr 1000 $ 130

    Basel: On request

    please note

    Rates are per person based on double occupancy.

    Information to read before you book.

    We recommend purchasing bike trip insurance.

    Please see our FAQ.

  • Travel

    Fly to Strasbourg International Airport

    Local Travel

    From the Strasbourg airport, take the shuttle to the main station, then a taxi to your hotel

    Climate

    Average high/low for Strasbourg: Jan 39/30, Feb 42/30, Mar 51/36, Apr 57/40, May 66/48, Jun 72/54, Jul 76/57, Aug 76/56, Sep 69/51, Oct 58/44, Nov 47/36, Dec 41/32 °F

Tour Dates

Departures daily from April 4 to October 10, 2020

Season 1: April 4 to April 24 and September 26 to October 10, 2020
Season 2: April 25 to May 29 and September 5 to September 25, 2020
Season 3: May 30 to September 4, 2020

Skill Level

This is a moderate self-guided hotel tour with averages distances between 37 to 66 km. You will cycle mainly on cycle paths or secondary roads with little traffic. There are significant climbs on days 3 and 4. All routes are signposted. There is a "sportier" version offered with longer daily distances.

Where You’ll Stay

Accommodations in 3 star or 4 star hotels

What’s Included

  • Accommodations in 3 or 4 star hotels
  • Breakfasts
  • Luggage transfer
  • Welcome meeting at your first hotel (not available on Sundays or public holidays)
  • Roadbook in English (also available in French and German)
  • GPS tracks
  • Map and travel documentation
  • 21-speed or 7-speed bike rental
  • Signposted route

What’s Not Included

Pearls of the Alsace Wine Route Map

TourBike
TypeSelf Guided
SkillModerate
Length8 days
From€848 Rates
Tour Reviews

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Day-To-Day Itinerary

Pearls of the Alsace Wine Route Map

Day 1: Arrival Strasbourg
Day 2: Strasbourg - Obernai or surrounding, 23 miles (37 km)
Day 3: Obernai - Riquewihr or surrounding, 31 miles (50 km)
Day 4: Riquewihr - Colmar, 23 miles (38 km)
Day 5: Rest day in Colmar or loop ride to Guebweiller/Mulhouse, 31.47 miles (50/76 km) + return by train
Day 6: Colmar - Mulhouse or surroundings, 41 mi. (66 km)
Day 7: Mulhouse - Basel or surroundings, 33 miles (53 km)
Day 8: Departure from Basel area

All distances are approximate. Itinerary is subject to change due to conditions on the path, roadwork, or other circumstances.

Day 1: Arrival in Strasbourg 
Check-in to your hotel.

Day 2: Strasbourg to Oberna or surroundings, 23 miles (37 km)
The Canal de la Bruche once served to transport wine from the wine-growing areas to the capital. Today, the cycle path runs along this canal from Strasbourg to Molsheim on the wine route. It continues past the 12th century Romanesque church at Rosheim to Obernai.

Day 3: Obernai to Riquewihr or surroundings, 31 miles (50 km)
The cycle path runs through the famous vineyards and their wine-growing villages, which are among the most beautiful in Alsace: Mittelbergheim, Andlau, Itterswiller, Dambach-la-Ville, Ribeauville and Riquewihr.

Day 4: Riquewihr - Colmar, 23 miles (38 km)
Today there are more vines and beautiful wine-growing villages. Ammerschwihr and its famous Kaefferkopf watches over the wine-growing villages of Turckheim and Eguisheim, where time stands still. You reach Colmar in the early afternoon. 

Day 5: Rest day in Colmar or roundtrip to Guebwiller/Mulhouse, 31 or 47 mi. (50 or 76 km) + return by train 
From Colmar you go to the south along the Alsace Wine Route and its typical villages. From Guebwiller, you cycle to Bollwiller and take the train or continue to Ungersheim, until the Ecomusee d’Alsace. From there, the cycle path guides you directly to Mulhouse. Return to Colmar by train.

Day 6: Colmar – Mulhouse or surroundings, 41 mi. (66 km)
From Colmar head east to Neuf Brisach, then continue towards the south to reach the gentle village of Ottmarsheim with its 12th century nice church. Next you enter the Hardt’s forest then you go along the Huningue’s canal to reach Mulhouse.

Day 7: Mulhouse - Basel or surroundings, 33 miles (53 km)
Today's route takes you along the Rhone-Rhine Canal to Basel. The cycle path of EuroVelo route 6 runs over the Three Countries Bridge to Basel.

Day 8: Departure from Basel area.
Departure or extend your stay!

Sporty version:

Day 1: Arrival in Strasbourg
Day 2: Strasbourg – Obernail, 75 km
Day 3: Obernai – Riquewihr, 85 km
Day 4: Riquewihr – Colmar, 82 km
Day 5: Rest day in Colmar or Roundtrip to Munsterr, 40 km
Day 6: Colmar – Area Mulhouse, 111 km
Day 7: Area Mulhouse – Basel area, 82 km
Day 8 : Departure or prolongation

All distances are approximate.

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Tour Reviews

  • Stan and Nancy H. 1 month ago     Verified Reviewer

    This trip was fabulous, very scenic and the ebikes were perfect. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip although we went at a time when the vineyards were mainly closed for harvest. We made our own picnic lunches along the way or stopped at local pubs and restaurants for lunch and wine. The written directional instructions were very helpful, as were the gps tracks. Julian, our local coordinator was very helpful in resolving a small glitch with our first hotel. All the hotels were great, and the restaurants and food were generally quite good, even though our dinner selections were limited to a few choices. Of the towns we stayed in, Colmar and Kayersburg were the best! The dessert in the Colmar Grand Hotel Bristol was memorably fantastic. The restaurant we were sent to in Basel was rather mediocre and disappointing given what we had pre-paid, especially the horrible cup of fruit cocktail we were given for dessert ( not even on the menu!) The vineyards ended before Mulhouse, which seemed like Read more… a very industrial city. And although the scenery into Basel was lovely with rolling hills (ebikes saved the day!) Basel itself was just okay. We would probably skip the Mulhouse-Basel part of the trip if we were to do it again. We would prefer in future to spend more time in Colmar and smaller villages like Kayersburg.

     Reply

  • Lise H. 1 year ago     Verified Reviewer

    First of all we had spectacular weather on our 8 days of riding on the Alsace Wine Route, from Strasbourg to Basel in late September. +/- 30 miles a day was perfect. It allowed us to get to our destination in the early afternoon, rest up and then go and explore the villages. The scenic beauty was off the charts. It was early fall and the grapes were still on the vine with the leaves turning an autumn yellow color. That with a backdrop of the green hills set us up for some beautiful photographs. The backroads that we took were frequented by locals out for a walk and when passing by, everyone would say bonjour to each other. We loved that! We are already looking at other trips through Tripsite. Great memories.

     Reply

    • Susan thomson 3 months ago    

      I am going on this trip in September with another couple . Do you have any recommendations for stops along the way ? Wineries ,pubs , sites not to miss etc
      Thanks

       Reply

  • Marcus O'Neill 4 years ago     Verified Reviewer

    Only real complaint was the signage throughout the route. More route markers would have been very helpful and prevented us from getting lost several times.

     Reply

  • Kenneth Larsen 4 years ago     Verified Reviewer

    We started with the book with maps and directions. Although it was pretty good, we got lost a couple times with that. I think on the 3rd day we met the woman who wrote the directions and she got us the file for my Garmin. That gave us turn by turn directions with no mistakes. Everyone we met was very pleasant. The trip was great. The bikes were a bit heavy.

     Reply

    • Susan 3 months ago    

      My husband & I are taking this tour in September . Do you have any recommendations for places to stop along the route ? Wineries !pubs! Sights !etc.
      Thanks

       Reply

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