Bike tour “Between wines and cheeses” in the Valley of Munster (2h30)

Do you know the Munster Valley? Yes, like cheese, that’s where it comes from! The Valley of Munster is an Alsatian valley located right next to Colmar. It’s a great place to go for a walk, especially on a bike! I tested the bike loop BL 633 “Between wines and cheeses“…. A name totally adapted to this route as you will see!

From Turckheim to Soultzbach-les-Bains

The loop starts in Turckheim, a lovely village on the Alsace Wine Route (visit it at the beginning or at the end by the way!), and leads to Munster before going back in the other direction by another road. A bit like the itinerary I did in the Thur Valley, I liked to enjoy both the vineyard landscapes before going deeper into the valley and passing rather on the mountain side.

The itinerary starts by going along the vineyard through Wintzenheim. Then, we go along the Fecht by the left (without being stuck to it) while we enter the valley. We are sometimes along the railroad, with open landscapes that allow us to admire the fields as well as the villages nestled at the foot of the vineyards and the mountains, sometimes in small woods, which is very pleasant to enjoy a little shade, especially on a hot summer day!

There are no big climbs or difficulties but it goes up and down regularly, just to remind you that you are at the foot of the Vosges 😉 The road is very well marked and follows a bike path almost all the way to Munster, which is very pleasant.

Visit of Soultzbach-les-Bains

The village of Soultzbach-les-Bains is not directly on the itinerary, but I really advise you to make this mini-tour (not even 10 minutes) to see it. I warn you, it goes up a bit, but don’t be discouraged, it’s fast and the village is so pretty that it’s worth it! When I got there, I wondered how it was possible that I had never heard of it before. Soultzbach-les-Bains is small but has beautiful medieval half-timbered houses, it is a pleasure to walk around.

Moreover, we can see that the village is dynamic despite its small size: there are still several shops, including Chez Eve, the friendly shop which is both a grocery store and a tea room. I was immediately drawn to it when I walked by and I was glad I stopped by. The grocery store offers a lot of delicious local products (if you want to buy your picnic, this is the right place), Eve’s dynamism and smile will warmly welcome you as soon as you walk in the door and you can sit inside or on the terrace to drink a coffee. All this in a place decorated with love, it is immediately obvious. A favorite!

From Soultzbach-les-Bains to Munster

You can then go back down to join the cycle track and quickly reach Munster, a pretty little town where you will find many shops. If you want to have lunch, I recommend the restaurant La Table des Malker which offers dishes prepared with products from their farm and local producers. It’s very good and the terrace at the back of the building is very nice! If you ever come during the blueberry pie season, know that it is a marvel… Impossible to leave without having tasted it!

From Munster to Turckheim

From Munster, the route of the loop passes by the road, which is not necessarily very pleasant. You should know that there is a bike path between Munster and Wihr-au-Val, which is supposed to follow the Fecht river, but it is not well marked and so I didn’t manage to follow it all the way. In Munster, head towards the Parc de la Fecht and go around the pool to the left: then try to follow the track! Alternatively, it is always possible to follow the same path as the one to go, but it is a pity because you miss the whole vineyard part of the valley, which is magnificent to cross.

Along the way, you can stop off at the Maison du Fromage in Gunsbach, where you can learn all about cheese-making. Honestly, I find that this tour could be greatly improved but it can still make a nice stop to discover the valley and its traditions, up to you!

From Wihr-au-Val, we start again to pass between the vineyards. This is also the time to stop for a wine tasting (in moderation of course) if you feel like it! The Schoenheitz Wines are excellent and you will be very well received. Don’t forget to take some bags, you might want to take some bottles with you… But it is also possible to have it delivered, of course 😉

Then, there is only the descent in the middle of the vineyards until Turckheim… This allows us to realize that we climbed a bit on the way up, even if we were less aware of it because of the alternating ascents and descents! Count about 250m of positive difference in altitude in total (small detour to Soultzbach included) and 34km for this beautiful bike itinerary which allows you to have a first overview of the Valley of Munster.

If you don’t have a bike, you can rent one from Cycle Hop Evasion in Munster.

My photos of the 633 loop “Between wines and cheeses” in the Valley of Munster