One of the best cycling experiences we have ever had was the Alsace bike tour. To be honest, we underestimated the beauty of this region. But once there, our minds were blown away.

Why you should discover Alsace by bike (and not by car)

Out of experience, you will feel some kind of frustration while driving on the Wine Route. You will feel cut off from the landscape. You cannot stop anywhere to take pictures. You will then have the impression of passing your time to get in and out of the car if you want to take breaks. In short, it’s nice, but not ideal!

On the other side and on a bikepacking trip, it is just perfect! You are in the open air. You can enjoy the sounds and smells of the vineyard. You ride enough distance to see many different things in a day. You can stop to take pictures during your Alsace bike tour or take breaks when you find a particularly beautiful place. In other words, it gives more freedom.

As a bonus, you practice sports while enjoying your time!

Is it difficult to do the Alsace tour by bicycle?

This is the question everyone asked me before and after my stay. And I confess that I also asked the question before the trip. In short, the answer is no! 

The landscapes are certainly a little hilly. That’s also why it’s beautiful after all! A couple of times you have to walk your bike for some minutes. But nothing more. Most of the time you will finish the day with enough energy in the reserve.

Actually, this route is accessible to everyone with a fairly average level of fitness: a bit sporty in general, but not hard.

If you want to make the Alsace bike tour even easier, you can opt for an electric bike. Then you will not even notice the uphills. It is still a great experience.

Alsace bike tour geography

Alsace is the smallest of the 26 regions of France. Situated on the eastern border of France, the Alsace region is on the west side of the Upper Rhine. The region neighbors Germany and Switzerland at the same time.

This beautiful area of France is naturally surrounded by the Vosges Mountains in the west and the Rhine River in the east. In the south, you can see the Jura mountains rising. They create natural borders for Switzerland.

Most visited cities and villages in Alsace are Strasbourg, Colmar, Alsace Wine Route, a village called Riquewihr and Mulhouse. You can’t organize your Alsace bike tour without including those pearls in your itinerary.

Alsace history and culture

Alsace has the largest gathering of fortified castles in France. With more than 30 Medieval castles to visit, the region has many parts registered as UNESCO World Heritage, including Strasbourg city center itself.

Although Alsace changed hands between the neighboring countries, France and Germany, many times; the main architecture characteristics and infrastructure, and people’s interests generally point towards a more Germanic outlook than French. Also when it comes to cuisine, customs, language, dress, and music, these are mainly of German influence.

Reasons to discover Alsace by bike

What is better than traveling and practicing sports at the same time?

Alsace has one of the most scenic bike routes in Europe. While riding this region, your mind will be blown away by the beauty of wine plantages and the history of the authentic medieval villages.

This experience becomes best when the Alsace bike tour is done in Autumn. The golden seasons adds to this hardly-touched region a special charm that throws you back in the past.

The Alsace area is also very adequate for bicycles. The cities are bike-friendly and wherever you ride, you will find appropriate bike paths that get you away from the busy roads and immerse you directly into nature.

The geography of the area does not include difficult uphills or dangerous downhills. This makes it easy and safe to ride. You will as well have more time and flexibility to enjoy the landscapes you will cross along the way. 

Best time to visit Alsace

Alsace has a climate with cold and dry winters and hot summers. Not very common weather compared to the rest of central European countries. For example, the city of Colmar is the second driest city in France, with annual precipitation of only around 550 mm.

While July and August are the hottest months, it is recommended to visit Alsace between May and June. Temperatures will be around 25°C and the weather will be clear most of the time.

The fall period, which is between September and October is also great for visiting Alsace. If you come around this time of the year, you will have the bonus of experiencing the golden season in one of the most beautiful regions in Europe.

The best circuit for your Alsace bike tour

The whole Alsace bike tour path is more than kilometers long. We did only the “best” part as we had only one weekend to do it. That is why we chose the best 100 kilometers out of the 150.

Here is our itinerary:

Day 1: From Strasbourg to Itterswiller (55 km)

We arrived on Friday night in Strasbourg and spent the night in the city. On Saturday morning, we left the cobblestone streets of Strasbourg’s old city center and followed south of the city the channel “Canal de la Bruche”. 

We rode on a bike path along the shady banks and the old locks. This scenic route took us through charming Alsatian villages with their colorful and blooming facades. Afterward, we reached the famous Alsace Wine Route cycle path in Molsheim, our first stop and the birthplace of the Bugatti automobile brand.

This path got us quickly off the busy roads. We found ourselves most of the time surrounded by nature and breath-taking landscapes. The first part took us around 2 hours of cycling.

After a quick break in the beautiful village of Molsheim, we continued on our Alsace bike tour heading to Obernai, where we planned to have lunch. Obernai is a very beautiful medieval village, where visitors plan a stopover to enjoy the historical vibes of the city.

At the end of the first day, we headed to Itterswiller, a beautiful flowery village nestled in the heart of the vineyards. We rested and spent the night there. We were lucky to find a double room in a beautiful guest-house which has a panoramic view of the region.

Day 2: from Itterswiller to Colmar (57 km)

In the morning, we had a delicious breakfast in the Hotel Restaurant Faller Emmebuckel. Then I quickly checked our bikes and packed our stuff. Without losing time, we continued through the vineyards passing the charming villages of Blienschwiller, Dambach-la-Ville, and Scherwiller. We also could see above us the ruins of the castle of Ortenbourg, a forgotten piece of history.

A couple of hours later, we came into the fortified village of Bergheim, one of the few Alsatian villages, which has preserved almost all of its medieval fortifications. Following our google maps bike path to Colmar, we had to leave the Alsace Wine Route cycle path and ride up the hill to Ribeauvillé. This special village has picturesque streets.

Our last stops before Colmar were Riquewihr, the “Pearl of the Alsatian vineyards,” and Hunawihr. Both of them are referred to as one of the most beautiful villages in France. After spending hours taking photos of those “lost” villages, we finally rode quietly down through the vineyards and apple orchards to reach the beautiful city of Colmar, the capital of Alsace wines.

From there, our Alsace bike tour is officially finished. We took the train back to Strasbourg. The trains usually available each hour and take around 40 minutes to arrive at Strasbourg.

Where to rent a bike in Alsace

Strasbourg is a bike-friendly city. So you will have no problems finding bike rental shops. We brought our bicycles on the train with us. But here is a list of shops for you where you can rent your bike for the Alsace bike tour:

Velhop: this is a self-bike rental shop. Being the most famous one in Strasbourg, you can take your bike within minutes and pay with a credit card.

L’increvable: This an alternative for those who don’t want Velhop. The guy working here is very friendly and his work is driven by passion,

Bike rental would cost you around 10€ per day.

Alsace bike tour: where to stay during the trip

As we arrived in Strasbourg Friday night to start our Alsace bike tour, we stayed at Appart’City Strasbourg Centre. It is not an expensive hotel. However, it has great customer service and breakfast.

The hotel is also in a central location in beautiful Strasbourg and not far from our bike path starting point. That’s why we chose it.

On your cycling path to Colmar and depending on where you will stay, you will find only limited choice. The reason is, the villages which you will ride through are not big and have only a handful of properties for accommodation.

Hotels in the village center will be expensive if not fully booked. That is why we recommend looking for better opportunities in the village neighborhood.

If you are staying in Molsheim, you should try Hostellerie du Rosenmeer. It is a couple of minutes ride by bike, not expensive, and provides exceptional service.

There are also a couple of good stays in Obernai:

Les Jardins D’Adalric: only around 1,5 km away from the city and situated in a calm area.

Le Gouverneur Hotel: try this one if you are not on a tight budget and you won’t regret its medieval style and inner courtyard.

In Itterswiller, we recommend the hotel-restaurant which we stayed at the Hotel Restaurant Faller Emmebuckel. The panoramic view from there is just breath-taking.

In Ribeauvillé, Le Clos Saint-Vincent is a great choice. It has an exceptional view of a hill.

In general, you should book your stay quite early in Alsace, as the region doesn’t have a lot of options and the best ones will be fully booked ahead of time.

Alsace bike tour tips

Strasbourg is crossed by the 570 km EuroVélo 5 route. The London to Brindisi (Italy) path comes into France from the North at Calais and continues further to Lille before going out into Belgium. Then it continues down to Luxembourg and comes back into France to take in parts of Lorraine and Alsace.

Take your time, on the way by bike and when you arrive at a beautiful spot, take the time to stop and enjoy it. Don’t feel pressured by the time. Take some moments to enjoy as you might not cross that landscape again for the rest of the way.

Don’t get fooled by comfortable temperatures and the refreshing wind while riding, the sun is usually strong. If you don’t drink enough water, you will quickly become dehydrated.

For music lovers: don’t forget your Audio JBL box for good music on the way. You will ride for hours and will need some mood-boosters.

Take care of your muscles: you might need some Magnesium pills if you feel some headache or if you start feeling a slight pain in your foot muscles. Make sure you have some of them.

Alsace bike tour packing list

• Smartphone bike mount: very handy to always keep an eye on your way while riding.
• Bike lock: you will need it each time you stop in a village to discover it or have a break
• Air tube: you need a spare one per bike in case of a flat tire.
• Plastic tire levers: helps you easier get a damaged tire out of the wheel
• Mini pump: if a tire goes flat, you need to pump up the spare one 🙂
• Multitool Repair Tool Kit: you never know what could happen with your bike on the way. Better be well equipped.
• First-aid kit: a must-have on long trips. I always have it with me.
• Powerbank: you need your smartphone to be always on to follow the way 🙂

What to eat in Alsace

Alsatian chefs have been particularly clever using everyday ingredients and elevate them to a piece of delight.

Flammeküche or Tarte Flambée

Close to the pizza, some restaurants specialize in this tasty dish. It is a thin pastry slathered with creme fraiche, onions, and champignons.

Kugelhopf

This delicious cake is baked with almonds and raisins and topped with powdered sugar on top. It is worth the try!

Tarte aux poires

The Alsace region is very famous for its sweets and pastries. One of them is this pear tart. It has an eggy custard filling with baked pears. It serves as a perfect dessert.

If you are on a Europe tour, planning your Alsace bike trip can be also easier done as a day trip from Paris. If you have more time in the city of lights, check what you can do in 36 hours in Paris.

That’s it, guys! I hope our experience helped you better plan your Alsace bike tour! If you are looking for more travel inspiration, have a look at On A voyagé Pour Vous on Instagram. If you are planning a bigger trip to Europe, have a look at my favorite destination in Europe!