Bicycling the Vineyards of Alsace Plus! the Black Forest

Bicycling Alsace and the Black Forest on this guided Bike Tour in Germany
  • Length 13 days
  • From USD$5850
  • Style/Level Classic 3.0
  • Countries France
    Germany
  • Begin/End Strasbourg / Baden Baden
See related tours

Alsace is arguably the most unique region of France. As a place that has changed hands 5 times between France and Germany over the last 150 years, it is now a cultural crossroads where French finesse meets German gusto. Tucked between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine River the region enjoys a perfect balance between architecture, nature, and gastronomy. Although officially located in France, the Alsatians have a distinct identity and refuse to be grouped with neither the French from the “interior” or the Germans across the Rhine river. Join us as we explore the wine roads and villages of Alsace.

Next we move into Germany and enjoy 2,000 year old thermal baths, the center of Germany’s haute cuisine, wineries, beer gardens, and some spectacular rides through magical villages.

***If this sounds great but you don’t have time for the full tour, check out our Cycling the Vineyards of Alsace tour, which features the first 8 days of this itinerary.

Highlights

  • Some of France’s best cuisine, Parc Regional des Vosges du Nord, Alsatian villages, The Wine Road, Pedal from France to Germany, Saverne, Colmar, Wine tasting, Freiburg, Baiersbronn – Center of Germany’s Haute Cuisine, Baden Baden

Includes

  • 13 days, 12 nights accommodation

  • 8 dinners with wine, 12 breakfasts

  • Gruyere cheese tasting

  • Baden Baden casino visit

  • All Classic tour inclusions


Date Price Private room fee Note

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  • Total distance 533-646km (329-399 miles)
  • Average daily distance 48 – 59km (30-36 miles)
  • Tour style Classic
  • Tour level 3.0

Highlights: Strasbourg, Capital of Alsace

We gather at our starting hotel this afternoon and fit bicycles. As host to many of the European Union’s institutions, this town is alive with activity and has a UNESCO classified historic city center as well. A crossroads between Germany and France, we encourage you to arrive early to visit this historic and politically vibrant town. The Notre Dame de Strasbourg Cathedral was started in 1015 AD and now stands as one of France’s most famous architectural masterpieces. The glowing pink stone comes from the nearby Vosges Mountains and it was the world’s tallest building until 1874. Strasbourg is full of architectural gems as well as quaint quarters such as the La Petite France, often called the little Venice of the north with its canals, revolving bridges, and typical Alsatian-style buildings. We’ll suggest a warm up ride this afternoon after we fit bicycles and before we meet for introductions and a welcome dinner.

Meals : Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Maison Rouge

Highlights: Alsatian Countryside, bike paths

We leave Strasbourg today via side streets, bike paths, and the serene Canal de la Marne au Rhin – part of the vast network of canals that crisscross Europe north of the Alps. Pedaling west over rolling hills, you’ll pass through several beautiful villages including Bouxwiller and Dettwiller and where you’ll want to stop for some pictures and perhaps an Alsatian lunch. Our route then leads us to the charming town of Saverne, laced by canals and the Zorn River. Saverne boasts an impressive Neo-Classical chateau formerly a fortress which was once the residence of the bishops of Strasbourg. After admiring the quaint streets and half-timbered architecture.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Chez Jean

Highlights: Marmoutier, Molsheim, Marlenheim, Alsatian “Wine Road”

We enter the heart of the Alsatian vineyards today as we leave the pasture lands of the north. First we pass through the village of Marmoutier with its 12th Century Romanesque Church and head on to Marlenheim and Molsheim. The majority of our ride today is on a bicycle path along the famous Alsace Wine Route. You are entering rich wine country today, so you’ll have ample opportunities to taste at small family-run wineries, but be sure to save yourself for our guided winery tour in Obernai this evening.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Le Colombier – Obernai

Highlights: Alsatian wine villages and vineyards, views of the Vosges Mountains

We’ll be back in the same hotel tonight so you can follow our recommended route to Mont Ste Odile, high in the Vosges Mountains with spectacular views, or enjoy a rest day off the bike. Obernai has a beautifully preserved medieval and Renaissance city center with plenty of sites to visit.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel Le Colombier – Obernai

Highlights: Wine villages of Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé and the Castle of Haut-Koenigsburg

We really are in the heart of Alsace today, with its festive villages in the midst of vineyards, Renaissance house facades, and expansive views across the Rhine River Valley, and the Haut Koenigsbourg castle. Those who want to can visit the castle, then explore any number of the sixteen villages of the local consortium on the way to our hotel in the center of Riquewihr (Bergheim is probably the best preserved). The villages have populations that range from 400 people to the 5,000 in the town of Ribeauvill?.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Le Schoenenbourg

Highlights: The festive villages of the Alsace Wine Road

You are in the same hotel again tonight so you can choose if you want to ride today. We’ll mark a beautiful ride going up into the mountains. Those who prefer a more challenging ride can continue on to the Col du Linge where you can visit the memorial of this World War I battlefield, which is a testimony to the “war of the trenches”. An exhilarating downhill takes you through Orbey and back to Riquewihr.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel Le Schoenenbourg

Highlights: Gorgeous Munster Valley, La Maison du Fromage

Perhaps the best known town on your route today is Munster, founded by evangelizing Irish monks in the 7th century A.D. They brought their cheese making skills with them and created one of the most famous cheeses in France. We’ll stop at the Maison du Fromage and learn how Munster cheese is made. Plan on a lunch stop here, or continue on to Colmar to explore the canals, museums, and great shopping. Colmar has been a famous market and wine center since the 13th century.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Le Colombier – Colmar

Highlights: Freiburg

Freiburg is without doubt one of Germany’s most beautiful cities. That’s not only because of its splendid colorful houses, or the impressive cathedral, but because it is also is a gorgeous city for shopping. And of course everywhere you will find the old “Bächle” an unusual system of gutters that run throughout its center. These Bächle, were once used to provide water to fight fires and feed livestock. They have a constant flow of water diverted from the Dreisam River and were never intended to remove sewage, and even in the Middle Ages such use would lead to harsh penalties. During the summer, the running water provides a natural form of air conditioning, and offers a pleasant gurgling sound. It is said that if one accidentally falls or steps into a Bächle, they will marry a Freiburger, or ‘Bobbele’.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel Oberkirch , Colombi Hotel

Highlights: Guided bike tour of Freiburg

We’ll explore Freiburg by bike together on a guided city tour. You will explore the green city Freiburg with an alternative concept of mobility and lots of renewable energy, and leave you plenty of time to explore on your own. Or for those who really want to pedal and climb we have the perfect ride for you to tackle on your own.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Oberkirch

Highlights: Center of Germany’s Haute Cuisine

After leaving Freiburg, we’ll follow the Elz river deep into the Black Forest on our way to Baiersbronn. It’s a long ride and you will be well rewarded tonight at dinner because Baiersbronn is famous as a center of haute cuisine. According to the New York Times, “Baiersbronn is now on its way to becoming recognized as the world’s most unexpected restaurant capital.” You can form your own opinions at our dinner together!

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Hotel Sackmann

Highlights: Hike or Bike into the Black Forest

You could enjoy a spa day, or hike one of the great trails around Baiersbronn, but if you really want to challenge yourself we recommend taking the optional hilly ride along the Black Forest High Road also known as the Schwarzwaldhochstrasse – your legs will tell you how the road got its name! Enjoy the views, waterfalls, narrow hidden valleys and the spectacular ruins of the Allerheiligen Monastery.

Meals : Breakfast
Lodging : Hotel Sackmann

Highlights: 2000 year old thermal baths

Baden-Baden used to be called the “European Summer-Capital” due to the number of nobles and wealthy that came to spend the summer here. But this international cultural center charms its visitors all year round. Be sure to visit its sophisticated thermal baths. The modern Caracalla Spa and the Friedrich’s Spa offer wellness and relaxation while the “Festspielhaus” and the Frieder Brurda Museum are the cultural stimulants. And of course you should not miss an evening in the oldest and most beautiful Casino of Germany.

Meals : Breakfast, Dinner
Lodging : Atlantic Parkhotel

Highlights: Baden-Baden

Stick around this morning for a special guided tour of Baden-Baden’s casino, with its rich 250 year history. The tour ends around 11 a.m. You might also want to consider an extra day or two in this fabulous town. Whatever your plans – enjoy!

Meals : Breakfast

Visit our Tour Level page to learn more about terrain levels and how we determine day and tour levels.



Pre-trip planning checklist



  • Great tour! Beautiful routes, quaint villages, great food and wine.

    Cheryl P., Livonia, MI
  • Truthfully, there were many favorite experiences on this trip. Let me see if I can give a few examples: the dinners were all unique and wonderful, and tasty; the wine tasting was fun and educational; picon beer and tarte flambe; the storks; the Maginot line tour & other historic stuff; the many charming villages we rode through that had the charms of Alsace–from flowers, to colors, to the squares, to people, etc. I loved Alsace, and would go back, and would encourage others to visit it.

    Patti F., Rochester, NY
  • One of the best tours in Europe. Beautiful countryside, charming villages, distinctive architecture, quiet roads and bike paths, culinary delights, good wines, varied terrain.

    David F., Columbia, MD