Biking: The Best Way To Experience The Magic Of Alsace, France

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Have you ever been somewhere and upon arriving, felt as if you were dropped into a movie set? If you have, then you will know exactly how it feels to arrive in the Alsace region of France. Nestled along the border of France and Germany, the Alsace area is home to fields of crops, gorgeous vineyards, amazing cheese, medieval fortress ruins and a string of towns and villages that look as if they are plucked straight from a fairytale. As this region has gone back and forth in ownership between France and Germany over the past several centuries, the area speaks to a beautiful blend of French and German influence with their architecture, food, history and even language. With many of the towns having survived the bombings of WWI & WWII, much of the architecture and castles date back to medieval times, providing layers upon layers of rich cultural history sprinkled among the agricultural landscape. Beyond just their architecture and history though, Alsace is particularly known for their cheeses, white storks nesting on rooftops and their  “wine route” which strings together vineyards, towns and villages in an easily bike able sequence. With so much to see, here are our favorite moments, tips and helpful hints for why biking is the best way to experience the magic of Alsace, France (and why it has become one of our favorite trips to date!). 

Car VS. Bike

Overview

Before visiting, the question of whether to travel by car or bike was one of the biggest that we struggled over. Do we take a car to visit a multitude of towns, or simply string them along and bike between them? Before we dive in, I will say, most definitely include biking in at least a portion of your trip (if not the whole thing) to really experience all that Alsace has to offer! The bike paths travel different routes than the interstates and instead take you through fields, vineyards and tiny neighborhoods that are simply stunning, so being able to bike gives a much fuller experience to see the region. With this in mind, there are a variety of ways to approach your stay. For our trip, we kind of did a hybrid of car and bike, however I would do it slightly differently if I was to visit this area again, so let me explain. 

There are over 70 cities, towns and villages throughout the 170 km (105 mile) stretch of wine route in the Alsace region, so it can be tempting to try to include as much as possible during your trip. The largest city in Alsace is Strasbourg (population around 275,000) with the second largest being Colmar (population of ~70,000) and the remaining towns and villages alternate mostly between populations of 1,000 and 10,000 residents. That being said, unless you are looking for a major bike trip over a couple of weeks, I am not sure that accomplishing the entire route is an option during a shorter stay.

Details

Seeing this, we decided to opt for primarily the smaller towns and do a hybrid of biking and driving. Coming from Munich, we drove to Alsace (stopping for lunch to explore one of the villages) before staying in Colmar as our home base. From there, each day we biked out to explore four other small towns (two a day). While this variation was wonderful in that we didn’t have to move our car, were able to be familiar with one hotel and got to explore Colmar a little more, we discovered that many of the small towns had charming hotels and it was much easier to bike between each town than in and out of the city to the towns. Colmar’s traffic is not that bad, however the bike routes between Colmar and each town are not as consistently lovely as biking between each of the towns or villages. In the future, we would likely park in one location (probably Colmar for easy bike rentals), bike to (and stay in) villages as we proceeded through the region and then bike back to Colmar to drop off the bike and retrieve our car. This would allow us to experience the towns without all of the tourists and groups that visit throughout the day (although the mornings are fairly quiet as well). Either way though, whether you adventure from one hub or spend the night along the way, biking throughout the area allows you to more fully experience Alsace rather than just seeing the views from afar out of your car window. 

Electric Bike VS. Traditional Bike

While we originally wanted to bike on a tandem bike, unfortunately all of the tandems were already rented. Instead, Charlie opted for a traditional bike, while I had my first experience with an electric bike, which became a fabulous investment. Having not ridden an electric bike before, I was not entirely familiar with how they worked, but soon discovered that you could operate the bike without any power assistance at all (like a normal bike) or with varying levels of added “boost” to your own pedaling. They won’t operate without you also putting in the work, but instead can amplify the movement you start depending on the level of assistance desired. As the terrain of the region gained much more elevation than we had anticipated, I most definitely recommend renting an ebike. While using a traditional bike is definitely still possible, most of the bikers we passed also had ebikes and it certainly helps to make the experience much more enjoyable. 

Navigation & Biking Tips 

Physical Maps VS. Google Maps

After getting your bike, you’re all ready right?! Well, almost, but now you must decide how to get where you want to go. When we started this trip, we brought every kind of map imaginable to navigate between the towns. We had paper maps, printed map directions and Google Maps on our phone and unfortunately still managed to get turned around. In the beginning, we planned on primarily using our paper maps and printed map directions to navigate to ensure we didn’t run our mobile data or drain our phone batteries too quickly, however that proved to be a bit of a challenge due to the signage circumstances.

While the French are good at many things, they apparently are terrible at planning their streets (certainly not in a grid pattern) and/or providing signage. If road signs were included (which they frequently aren’t, especially in the fields), they are only slightly larger than a piece of paper and are fixed to everything from a normal sign post, to a fence, wall or other stationary object at various heights and levels of visibility. Turns out, it is quite challenging to follow a map if no road signs are included in real life (or if they are mounted to a short wall and hidden behind parked cars), so we had to make do with a mix of our maps and Google Maps. All this to say, I do believe having a physical map can be extremely helpful if you’re in a pinch, but in these conditions, I would instead recommend investing in a good portable power bank (to keep your phone alive) and a bit of mobile data or a bike GPS. We did discover that the maps on bike routes do not use that much data, so that wasn’t an issue as we had originally thought, but our phone batteries were a major concern (with added picture taking, videos, and navigating to and from the city). Bring a portable charger or cycle GPS and you should be just fine. 

Cycling Shorts

The one other item we wish we had invested in before the trip was a few pairs of padded biking shorts. After biking 50+ miles in two days, we were incredibly sore. We had dressed fairly nicely and were not uncomfortable otherwise, but when sitting down, we felt every mile we had biked. In the future, I likely would wear a pair of padded cycling shorts under a summer dress to stay cool (in the warm summer temperatures!), cute and comfortable all at once. 

Itinerary 

Our Itinerary

While Alsace has dozens of beautiful towns, cities and villages, we explored 6 total towns (not including the connecting ones we biked through) and each was amazingly delightful. For our four day excursion, our itinerary looked something like this: 

• Day 1: Drive from Munich to Colmar. Stop for lunch / exploration of Dambach La Ville before a quick hike to the ruins of Chateau de Bernstein. Drive to Colmar; rent bikes; check into our hotel (Hotel Beausejour was wonderful!); eat dinner in their historic downtown. 
• Day 2: Bike from Colmar to Riquewihr. Explore Riquewihr before biking to Ribeauville for lunch. Explore and shop in Ribeauville, then hike to a cluster of chateau ruins. Bike back for dinner in Colmar. 
• Day 3: Bike from Colmar to Eguisheim. Explore Eguisheim before biking to Kaysersberg for lunch. Visit Domaine Pierre Adam vineyard for tour and tasting. Bike back to Colmar for dinner. 
• Day 4: Return bikes to Lulu Cycles before driving to Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg. Tour the medieval castle then drive back to Munich.  

While we were driving from Munich, you also could drive from Strasbourg (they have an airport) or simply explore towns closer to Strasbourg. From our research (and now experience), Riquewihr, Ribeauville, Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Colmar are some of the best in the region with the most to see and do, however it is gorgeous throughout so there are a plethora of options. 

Optional Itinerary

In the future, if we were to bike between each town, our itinerary would likely look a bit more like this: 

• Day 1: Drive in (for us, from Munich) to Colmar. Rent bikes (with luggage / kid carrier attachment) in Colmar and park the car. Eat lunch in historic Colmar before biking to Eguisheim. Spend the night in Eguisheim. 
• Day 2: Bike from Eguisheim to Munster area. Explore a dairy farm / cheese making tour in Munster. Bike from Munster to Kaysersberg. Eat dinner and spend the night in Kaysersberg. 
• Day 3: In the morning, visit Domaine Pierre Adam vineyard tour (optional), then bike from Kaysersberg to Riquewihr. Tour Riquewihr before biking from Riquewihr to Ribeauville. Explore the chateau ruins near Ribeauville, shop and stay the night in Ribeauville. 
• Day 4: Bike from Ribeauville to Colmar to return bike rentals. Leave from Colmar to visit Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg before returning to Munich (/airport/wherever you would be traveling). 

While this itinerary lets you spend about the same amount of time in each area, it capitalizes on times where the towns are not as busy with other tour groups and also lets you get to know each village more intimately by staying in them. 

Things To Do

Biking

While biking might seem just like your primary mode of transportation, it also is an amazing excursion and adventure throughout your trip. Soon traveling to your destination becomes as much of an experience as your destination, giving all the “it’s not the destination, it’s the journey” quote feels. 

Shop & Explore 

As each town has its own feel, it is amazing to just walk throughout the crooked lanes and tiny streets. Pop in shops, alleys, churches, markets and restaurants to see the sights and experience the local charm. In early June, the flowers are just incredible and as many of these towns are renowned for their floral abundance, strolling the streets gives lets you take it all in. The character of these streets, homes and architecture is so inspiring (inspiring this post of 6 Wonderful Ways To Add Historical Character To Your Home) and we found that some of our best exploring and local finds were beyond the main lanes of travelers and tourists. Even on the main lanes though, we discovered gems of cheese shops (some offer free tastings!), glass blowing studios with artisans at work, souvenirs and local markets. 

Visit A Vineyard & Enjoy A Wine Tasting

While neither Charlie nor I really enjoy wine, when in the heart of wine production in Alsace, we wanted to learn and felt we must try it. Many vineyards throughout the area offer vineyard tours and wine tastings, so after a little research we landed upon Domaine Pierre Adam and had a wonderful time. Our guide took the two of us on a golf cart ride through the vineyard, explaining the growing process, harvesting process and answering any questions we may have had during the tour. Following this, we joined a wine tasting in which we toured their cellars, learned the process of tasting and compared a few wines they produce on their vineyard. While we personally still do not enjoy the taste of wine, we most certainly have a huge appreciation for the process and had a marvelous experience at the Domaine Pierre Adam vineyard. If you enjoy wine, or just want to learn, the gracious staff (who very nicely accommodated us in English, instead of French) and the beauty of Domaine Pierre Adam will make your experience a wonderful one, so I highly recommend it! 

Tour A Dairy & Enjoy A Cheese Tasting

As the Alsace region is home to the town of Munster, it also is the birthplace of the original Munster cheese (American Muenster cheese is an imitation variation that was introduced by French immigrants in the 1800’s). Strong and creamy, Munster cheese is loved throughout the region, closely followed by Tomme (coming in many flavors) and other cheese varieties that are also thoroughly enjoyed. We particularly loved the Munster Blanc (an unripened Munster cheese that isn’t quite as strong) and Tomme varieties. Just like the “wine route”, Alsace boasts of a “cheese route” near Munster, in which you can travel to dairy farms to explore the cheese making process and partake in a cheese tasting. Unfortunately, we had not realized this at the time of our trip, but definitely will include a dairy/cheese tour if we make it back to this region! 

Explore Chateaus Of The Middle Ages

Lastly, but certainly not least, visit chateaus from the middle ages. Due to the tumultuous history in this region as it passed between French and German hands over the years, the ridges along the valley are speckled with former Chateau fortresses. Most of them are now in ruins and are accessible by hikes or drives up from the various towns.

Chateau de Bernstein is a set of ruins accessible by short drive from Dambach-la-Ville to “Schulwaldplatz” where you can park and set off on an easy 15 minute hike along a forest path (simply follow the signs). It currently is undergoing restoration which was incredible to see as antique methods are employed to recreate the fortress. 

Closer to Ribeauville is a cluster of three Chateaus: Château de Saint-Ulrich, Chateau du Giersberg and Chateau du Haut-Ribeaupierre. I will note that the path we took (although there appear to be several, so I am not sure about all of them) turned into a much more strenuous hike to reach them than we had experienced at Chateau de Bernstein. Based on our maps, it appeared as if we could easily bike to reach them, however this definitely was not the case as you would need a more rigorous mountain bike instead of the city bikes we had rented. We love hiking and the views / ruins were incredible, but we do wish we had better understood what we were undertaking! Overall, the views were stunning and the climb certainly was worth it, but learn from us and be prepared that reaching these Chateaus involves true hiking and not just strolling through the woods like at Chateau de Bernstein. 

Finally, if you would like to see a chateau not in ruins, check out Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg. Set high on top of a ridge (definitely drive to this one, hiking and/or biking would not be enjoyable), this medieval castle was restored throughout 19th and 20th century and now is a wonderful example of the life, furniture, weaponry, fortification and mindset of the lords, ladies and knights of this time. As one of France’s most widely visited castles (and one of our personal favorites in comparison with some we have visited), Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg gives an insider look at life over the ages. When buying a ticket, I highly recommend adding on the audio guide (coming in many languages) to your tour to gain a full understanding of the history and restoration of this gem. 

Final Thoughts 

Between fairytale streets, fields of crops, fresh cheese, beautiful vineyards, white storks and hikes to chateaus, Alsace is a wonderland to explore, particularly on bike. Other than your bike, hotel and food, the trip can be taken fairly inexpensively as most of the exploring does not require pricey tickets or tours like other popular destinations. One of the most consistent questions we asked ourselves was “do the locals know they live in a fairytale?” and whether or not they do, it has been a blessing indeed to step in and experience this beautiful little corner of the world. If it wasn’t already, be sure to add Alsace to your bucket list and share / pin this post for later!

Happy traveling!

Chloe

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