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Alsace Wine Road: Vineyards & Vistas

Tour: FASGS8
Circular Cycling Holiday
Hotel To Hotel Cycling Holiday

Alsace is brimful of delicious discoveries. From golden Gewurztraminers to sophisticated Sylvaners, Muscats, Rieslings and a whole colour palette of Pinots, its wines are the stuff of legend – and so too its fairytale villages, ruined castles and vineyard vistas. Sandwiched between the wooded hills of the Vosges and the Rhine plain, this is superb cycling country packed with must-see places such as Colmar - ‘Little Venice’; medieval Riquewihr; Haut Koenigsburg Castle; flower-filled Sélestat and the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Strasbourg. It also has more Michelin-starred restaurants than anywhere outside Paris – irresistible! Read More

Destination

Europe, France

Start Day

Any Day

Board Basis

Bed & Breakfast

Prices from

£1,086.00

Duration

8 Days, 7 Nights

Availability

Mar - Oct

Tour Grade

Grade 3 (Moderate)

Read Overview
Home > Europe > Alsace Wine Road: Vineyards & Vistas

Overview

Drink in the views all the way on this tour which leads along canal-side cycle paths and quiet rural lanes, down the Rhine plain and up through the vineyard slopes and villages situated in the foothills of the Vosges. Overnights at either end of your stay in vibrant Strasbourg combine time to explore France’s most cycling-friendly city with a tour of Alsace’s countless castles, fortified villages, vineyards and wine cellars. A refreshing cycle break designed to deliver a great taste of the place.

Tour Code:
FASGS8
Activity:
Cycling
Type:
Circular Cycling Holiday, Hotel To Hotel Cycling Holiday
Country:
Europe, France
Area:
Alsace
Duration:
8 Days, 7 Nights
Board Basis:
Bed & Breakfast
Availability:
Mar - Oct

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive & explore Strasbourg

Just across from Strasbourg’s magnificent cathedral, why not sit and sip a while on the café terrace by the richly timbered ‘Maison Kammerzell’. Oh-so-French, yet oh-so-Germanic in style, it’s a good place to ponder Alsace and its identity. Over in Place Benjamin Zix, you could be in Montmartre amongst the artists, if the criss-cross timbered façade of the old Tanners Guild didn’t feel quite so ‘Schwarzwald’. Strasbourg is an all-round fascinating place of contrasts, so you’ll not want to miss the iconic, contemporary European Parliament buildings, the town’s fine medieval fortifications or Palais Rohan museums. Too much for one day? Good job your tour will be leading you back this way again!

Overnight in Strasbourg.

Day 2 Down the Rhône-Rhine Canal to Sélestat

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

Day 3 ‘Ried’ the way down to Colmar

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

Day 4 Via vineyard slopes & villages to Guebwiller

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

Day 5 Up with the finest: Grand Cru country

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

Day 6 Castles in the sky – en route to Obernai

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

Day 7 Off to Strasbourg

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

Day 8 Depart after breakfast

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.

Dates & Prices

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For tour start days/dates, seasons and all prices, please click on the PRICES button above

PRICE INCLUDES

Ensuite accommodation as described with buffet/continental breakfast (prices based on two adults sharing)

Hire of hybrid bicycle and ancillary equipment (single pannier and handlebar bag, pump, basic tools, spare inner tube & puncture repair equipment)

Insurance for theft or damage to the hire bicycle

Local assistance on call (although puncture repair is excluded)

Information pack with detailed joining instructions and daily route overviews sent out approximately 2 weeks before departure so you can plan ahead and look forward to your cycling adventure

Detailed route notes and maps with marked routes provided on arrival (1 per room)

GPS tracks available on request

Please note that the price EXCLUDES

City/visitor taxes in France (Taxes de Séjour )

Costs of getting to and from the tour area.

Accommodation Options

Selected 2 and 3 star hotels in Strasbourg (3 star – 2 nights), the Sélestat area (2 star), Colmar (3 star), Guebwiller (3 star), Riquewihr area (3 star) and Obernai area (2 star).

Upgrades:
  • Selected 3 star hotels throughout
  • Selected 3, 4 and 5 star hotels – includes 5 star deluxe hotel in Strasbourg, 5 star deluxe hotel (historic monument) in Colmar, 4 star hotels in Sélestat, Obernai and Riquewihr areas and 3 star hotel in Guebwiller
  • Half board an option on all standard and upgraded tour accommodation packages

We are pleased to discuss details on request.

More Information

Useful websites, travel information and tips to help you plan your journey to and from the country and location of your holiday.

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