Cycling in Strasbourg – Discovering Strasbourg’s nature (33km)
With this bike ride in Strasbourg, I invite you to discover the city, but also the green Strasbourg that is often less well known. We're lucky to have a city surrounded by rivers and forests, so we've got to make the most of it!
My summary
I liked
- Very nice and easy walk
- Mixing city and nature
- Lots of beautiful places to stop and visit, have lunch and swim!
I liked less
- Nothing!
Au détour de l’Ill-Rhin looping route
This bike ride is a loop proposed by Alsace à vélo, the BL 478 “Au détour de l’Ill-Rhin”. It’s a route I’ve taken many times before, and I think it’s ideal for discovering Strasbourg by bike.
The route is easy: the thirty kilometers are quickly swallowed up, especially as the road is extremely flat. It’s a walk that’s easy to do with friends or family. What’s more, it offers a number of points of interest that make for pleasant breaks.
Cycling along the quays in Strasbourg
The bike ride starts at Strasbourg’s Place de l’Etoile and runs directly along the quays, allowing you to discover different parts of the city: the André Malraux peninsula, then the beginning of the port of Strasbourg, with its barges and containers. The port of Strasbourg is France’s 2nd largest river port, and the atmosphere is a little industrial!
We then join the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. At the junction, you will see an amazing church: it is a Russian Orthodox church, the Orthodox church of All Saints of Strasbourg, which I find sublime. Guided tours are organized there and there is also a restaurant/tea room, notice to the amateurs 😉
In the middle of nature in the Robertsau forest
We quickly leave the canal (which we’ll find again later!) and head for the Robertsau forest, one of the city’s great lungs. We’re there in no time, and the change of scenery is total: a beautiful forest, streams, the sound of birds… There’s no doubt about it: you’re pedaling through nature! Don’t forget to stop and admire the Château de Pourtalès, which houses a hotel-restaurant.
From the forest, we follow a part of the route called La Piste des Forts, which is a French-German route of 85km (which I also recommend!).
The loop then takes us to La Wantzenau, a pretty little town on the water’s edge: we cycle along the Ill for a while. We’re about halfway along the route, and you might like to consider a lunch break here, as there are plenty of restaurants in La Wantz 🙂
Swimming break
We then continue by driving through fields until we reach the ballastière of Bischheim, where you can take a bathing break in the summer! Yes, we don’t have the sea in Alsace, but we have lakes and gravel pits 😉
Also on the blog
Return to Strasbourg by the Canal de la Marne au Rhin
After having taken again its bicycle and made the astonishing discovery of a Buddhist temple in Souffelweyersheim (I do not say more to you, it will be the surprise!) we find then the Canal of the Marne in the Rhine (I told you that we shall see it again!) to join Strasbourg.
We arrive by the European district, which can be the occasion to make a visit of the European Parliament, then we follow the Ill. Admire the facades, there are very beautiful buildings in this area!
We pass then in front of the church Saint-Paul then we enter on the Big Island of Strasbourg (the heart of the city center), where the itinerary makes us make a small turn to join the place of the Star, point of departure and arrival.
If you haven’t had lunch yet, feel free to check out my favorite restaurants in Strasbourg, as well as my favorite vegetarian restaurants.
Practical information
Departure and arrival
Place de l’Etoile in Strasbourg.
Features
- Distance: about 33 km
- Duration: about 2h30, photo breaks included (but not the picnic!)
