Alsace wine road and Doubs river by bike

Discover the lovely town of Colmar. Stroll in the district of "Little Venice" and admire the "house of heads" and the "Pfister house".

   

 

You leave Colmar to cycle the southern part of the Alsace Wine cycle route. We recommend a stop in Gueberschwihr to admire its half-timbered houses and its Romanesque bell tower. Your route continues on the hillside through the Grand Cru Goldert vineyard before reaching Rouffach, recognizable by its beautiful yellow sandstone church. Then, you cycle to Soultzmatt located in the heart of the Vallée Noble, where once stood proudly seven castles that have now disappeared. The village has preserved beautiful vestiges of this prosperous period. Your day’s stopover ends in the Lauch valley, in Guebwiller.

 

For those who wish to extend the day, we recommend a 10km detour to the Murbach Abbey, a treasure hidden in the heart of the valley.

   

You take the Alsace vineyard bicycle route to Cernay, known as the city of storks. You may have the chance to see some of them freely in the city or in the stork park where about sixty specimens are kept. Then, you leave the vineyards and the Wine Route to cross the great plain of Alsace on small country roads. In Ungersheim, you can stop at the Ecomuseum of Alsace. This open-air museum immerses you in an Alsatian village from the beginning of the 20th century to share the popular traditions of Alsace. Then your path continues to the flowery town of Ensisheim. Pedal across the plain and follow the bike path that winds between small streams. You arrive in Mulhouse, the "city of a hundred chimneys".  

After a last tour in the historical center of Mulhouse or at the national car museum for those who love beautiful cars, go on the Rhone-Rhine canal and follow the Eurovélo route 6 (EV6) peacefully. In Montreux, leave the canal to join a small bucolic road which makes you discover the foothills of the Vosges. Magnificent mountainous landscapes will punctuate your route until you reach the Forges pond where peace and quiet will be the key words. Belfort is then only a few pedal strokes away. Go hunting for Bartholdi's lion and go back in time at the citadel.      

You leave Belfort along the banks of the Savoureuse river. You will have the choice between continuing straight along the canal or crossing the forest and following the Rhine-Rhone canal. Your bike route takes you to Sochaux to the Peugeot museum. Stop to discover this industrial epic before entering the small Renaissance town of Montbéliard.
Go up to the castle of the Dukes of Wurtemberg, see the Saint-Martin temple, the oldest religious building of the Reformation in France, and stroll through the streets of medieval origin admiring the houses with colorful facades. In the evening, don't forget to taste the famous Montbéliard sausage!

 

Your bike ride of the day makes you discover the magnificent loops of the Doubs. You will leave Montbéliard and ride along the bucolic banks of the Doubs river in complete peace and quiet. From Isle-sur-le-Doubs the valley becomes majestic and very wild. You wind your way through the valley between sheer cliffs, which are a delight for rock climbers. Very beautiful arrival on the small city Baume-les-Dames, labeled "City of character" at the foot of the Babre cleft.

 

The Doubs valley is particularly spectacular after Baume-les-Dames. The cycling itinerary is very diverse: green banks on a background of karstic rocks falling steeply and reverberating in the peaceful waters of the Doubs, small villages with colored tiled bell towers, towpaths lined with plane trees and old brick paper mills stretching their narrow chimneys to the sky. At the bend of a loop you arrive without even noticing it at the foot of the citadel of Besançon. I love this vibrant and cultural student city.

 

You leave Besançon after the breakfast, or extend your stay as you wish.