Bicycle ride in the Rhine strip from Mulhouse (3h30)

Updated on 2024-04-23

Here is a bicycle loop that I imagined starting from Mulhouse and that allows you to discover the Rhine strip, that is to say the part of the territory located on the Rhine. The starting point is the train station of Mulhouse and the distance isabout 58km, that is to say about 3h30 of cycling without counting the breaks. It's a bike ride that may seem a bit long if you're not too used to it, but it's really flat so it's easy.

Laurène

Laurène is the blog's creator. Originally from Brittany but now living in Alsace, she has fallen in love with her adopted region and loves exploring its every nook and cranny to unearth great ideas to share with you!

In addition, this part of the territory has many cycle routes (several Eurovélo in particular), which makes the walk more pleasant because the route follows mostly cycle tracks, small paths in the fields or roads with little traffic. Finally, there are some interesting stages that are worth stopping at, which also gives the opportunity to take a few breaks 😉

Canal du Rhône au Rhin and Hardt Forest

The first part of this cycling loop in Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération starts by following the Rhone-Rhine Canal, on theEurovélo 6. One leaves it then slightly while following the Eurovélo 6, which passes by Riedisheim (be really careful with the traffic circles at this place, the motorists don’t really care about the bikes crossing and drive much too fast, almost every time I pass by I almost catch one of them who doesn’t see me…) before joining the canal again.

Arrived at the Pont du Bouc, we leave the Eurovélo 6 to go up on the bridge, to cross it then to pass by a road in the middle of the Forest of Hardt. From there, a huge straight line through the trees awaits you! You will cut only one road (the one which goes towards Ottmarsheim, which you should not take because you will join Ottmarsheim thereafter).

After crossing this road, the signs are not very clear and there are two bicycle lanes in front of you: you have to take the one slightly to the right, which you will follow until you find a new road. It is there that we will turn to the right to join Bantzenheim, first stage of this bicycle route. One joined Bantzenheim by a road but this one is rather little frequented, I thus did not find it unpleasant.

Visit of the Grange à Bécanes in Bantzenheim

If you like old motorcycles, the Vintage barn (Rhineland Motorcycle Museum) is a must-see. It is a small museum, which nevertheless has an impressive collection of motorcycles dating from 1920 to 1960. I am not a connoisseur, but I enjoyed discovering these beautiful old bikes. As a bonus, there are even some bikes presented, designed by a motorcycle manufacturer 😉

Discovery of the abbey church of Ottmarsheim

From Bantzenheim, you can reach Ottmarsheim in 10 minutes by following theEurovélo 15. I already talked about it in this article about my ideas of visits in Mulhouse, theabbey church Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul of Ottmarsheim is a little jewel of Romanesque art, famous for its amazing octagonal plan inspired by the chapel of Aix-la-Chapelle. I advise you to admire it from the outside, but also to enter it because this way you can really admire its architecture and the beautiful frescos that are there.

If it’s time for lunch or a snack, you can stop at theEtape Romane, which offers a daily menu, sandwiches, salads and pastries. In good weather, the terrace is very pleasant. Don’t forget to make a reservation though, the address is very popular with the locals!

The amazing castles of Homburg

Next stop, Hombourg, which is reached by theEurovélo 15, which follows a bicycle path through the fields. I made a funny discovery there: Homburg has two amazing castles. They are both located on the Hombourg Estate (Golf de Hombourg), but it is possible to admire them from outside. One of them is located on the side of the road and reminded me of the Playmobil castle of my childhood or a movie set… It is really unusual to find it in such a place! The second one is located at the level of the parking of the Golf, it is enough to make a small detour of a few minutes to go to admire it.

The locks of Niffer

We continue on theEurovélo 15, which leads us while passing through fields until the locks of Niffer, impressive locks built at the time of the canalization of the Rhine. The command tower and the administrative building of one of them is one of Le Corbusier’s works. You may be lucky enough to see a boat passing by and to see the main lock (the biggest one) in operation, it’s impressive! There are several locks at this location, which allow boats to pass from the Rhone-Rhine Canal to the Grand Canal d’Alsace (or vice versa!), which is the canalized arm of the Rhine.

Then it’s an easy ride back along the Rhone-Rhine canal to Mulhouse (again followingEurovélo 6 and passing through Riedisheim as on the outward journey). A pleasant way to end this beautiful walk!

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