Alsace Self-Guided Tour

Alsace is the perfect region for the independent cyclist. It is very cycling-friendly, with posted cycling routes from Strasbourg to Mulhouse, and helpful tourist information centers in every village along the way, each with a supply of cycling maps. Being a long and narrow region, it lends itself well to staying in two, maybe even one hotel and accessing the many rides easily by car after riding the routes directly out your doorstep.

Traveling by bicycle through the Alsace Route du Vin is like riding through a postcard: vineyards rise up the hillsides to meet the forests of the Vosges mountains; the ruins of proud castles of the Middle Ages are perched high on hilltops surveying the villages below; quaint villages surrounded by venerable ramparts abound. Inside the villages you are treated to flower decked streets, hospitable inns, baroque wrought-iron signs, historic half-timbered houses, Roman churches and fountains generously bequeathed by the Renaissance. More villages of Alsace have won awards as the "most flowered cities of France" and many have been awarded the appellation as a Plus Beaux Villages.

While cycling you can lose yourself in medieval cities far from the crowds, meet the winegrowers, taste their wines, and enjoy the spectacular panoramic views from the Vosges ridge tops overlooking the gently sloped wine region below.

Your custom Alsace tour can be concentrated in the easier rolling hills of the Route du Vin, with each successive village trying to outdo the other in quaintness. For those desiring a little more challenge, there is incredible cycling up into the Vosges mountains, with spectacular views and a peek at working towns where logging has been traditionally the most important industry. The Vosges mountains is also a winter resort area due to its beauty and forested mountains. Sights include an ancient monestery and a German concentration camp from WWII.

The plains to the east provide for easy cycling through farmland and unveil many historical reminders of the travails of the earlier part of this century. The Maginot Line, a system of defense developed to protect the continent from further advances by the Germans after WW I, extends for 200 km in Alsace alone. You can choose to spend a day cycling to Freiburg, Germany for a taste of a different culture.

Alsace tours can include visits to these principle villages from Strasbourg to Colmar: Obernai, Barr, Itterswiller, Dambach-la-Ville, Scherwiller, Ribeauvillé, Riquewhir, Turckheim, and more. Visits can include private tours of wineries and distilleries (where they make the local liquor, or eau de vie), walking tours of villages, and guided tours of the renovated Haute Koenigsbourg, one of the most visited chateaux in all of France.

Alsace boasts some of the finest accommodations in France, and is also one of the most gastronomic regions of the country, where you will be astonished by culinary genius married perfectly with the local famous wines. Your custom tour can include stays at some of the most luxurious hotels and dinners at Michelin three-star restaurants if you desire.

You may also consider combining your self-guided tour to Alsace to include a few days in the Champagne region.

As of this writing, the Hubs and Spokes for Alsace are still in the creation phase, but if you desire to bicycle this fascinating, verdant region, contact us for more information!