Cycling in Strasbourg – My favorite tours

by | Updated on 16/02/2024 | Cycling, Strasbourg | 0 comments

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What are the best bike rides in Strasbourg? Good news, there are quite a few! Strasbourg is indeed the first cycling city in France. There is a lot of cycling in the area and many facilities exist for cyclists. What I particularly like about Strasbourg is that you can not only get around the city very easily by bike, but you can also get out of the city to go green easily.

There is no shortage of bike tours in Strasbourg and its surroundings. I have prepared a list of my favorite itineraries, all of them starting from Strasbourg. So, ready to pedal?

Bruche Canal bicycle route

The bicycle path of the Canal de la Bruche is undoubtedly one of the favorite itineraries of the citizens of Strasbourg for their weekend bike ride. For my part, I must admit that I also have a big weakness for this channel… It’s simple, I can’t get enough of its vegetation, its curves and its beautiful lock houses!

You can reach the canal directly from the center of Strasbourg and in a few minutes you will find yourself in a totally different atmosphere: goodbye city, hello nature! The Bruche Canal cycle route is 25km long between Strasbourg and Soultz-les-Bains, or 50km if you choose to make a round trip.

The only drawback of this channel is that it is very popular. The most frequented times are in the evening when leaving the office (many people use it as a bike path) and on weekends. You just have to cohabit with all the walkers, whether they are on foot or by bike, as well as with the runners and cyclosportifs. Overall, it’s going well, you just have to be careful with others and not drive too fast 🙂

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Bicycle tour “Au détour de l’Ill-Rhin” (On the bend of the Ill-Rhine)

This is a bike tour that I find ideal for a discovery of Strasbourg by bike: it mixes indeed exploration of the city and its surroundings, allowing to discover a part of the city center but also the green side of Strasbourg. This loop is 30km long and very easy (it’s all flat).

The itinerary is really varied: we pass on the Grande Île of Strasbourg, in the European district, near the port of Strasbourg, in the Forest of Robertsau… And you can even take a swim break along the way at the Bischheim ballastière! What more could you ask for? 😉

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Cross-border bicycle loop

How about a visit to our German neighbors? Strasbourg is located right on the border with Germany: you just have to cross the Rhine to get there, which is very easy. Here is a 30km bike tour I made one day when I wanted to go for a bike ride between France and Germany. This is another flat and therefore easy route, which only passes through bicycle paths!

It is a very pleasant walk because it is rather bucolic, with small country paths on the German side and the omnipresence of water with the Rhine. We also pass by the Jardin des Deux Rives as well as by the beautiful Forêt du Neuhof and by the Canal du Rhône au Rhin. Many beautiful discoveries in perspective and the opportunity to fill up with greenery!

For a variation, you can also do the Parcours des Deux Rives: the route is very similar to mine, but it goes through the Neuhof Forest and then through the city on the way back, while I took the option to go along the Rhone-Rhine Canal. It is also 30km long.

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Trail of the Forts

For those who love long bike rides, the Piste des Forts is for you! This 85 km long French-German bicycle route is a great way to cycle, but don’t worry, you can also easily shorten the route to do only a part of it.

The itinerary follows the “Ceinture des Forts“, a group of 19 forts built around Strasbourg after the 1870 war: it is therefore easy to cut through the city center to reduce the number of kilometers.

This cycling tour starting from Strasbourg offers a nice variety of discoveries along the way: Jardin des Deux-Rives, Rhine forest, wild arms of the Rhine, Robertsau forest, Bruche canal, Marne au Rhin canal…And the forts, of course! A very nice ride, entirely marked out and with all the cycle tracks paved.

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Cycling along the (big) canals

I have already talked about the Bruche Canal but I mentioned it separately because it is quite short. But we have two other major canals that pass through Strasbourg (I’m not counting the many canals that surround the city center!): the Canal de la Marne au Rhin and the Canal du Rhône au Rhin.

These two canals make it possible to envisage long bike rides from Strasbourg. Moreover, you will not be obliged to make a round trip because it is easy in both cases to find a station to make only the outward journey and return by bicycle, for example (bicycles are accepted in the TER in Alsace). In terms of kilometers, you can really choose where to stop depending on how far you want to go.

The only drawback, in my opinion, is that these two canals are very linear and can become boring if you drive too many kilometers on them… but over one or two days, with breaks for sightseeing along the way, it’s great fun!

Canal de la Marne au Rhin

The Canal de la Marne au Rhin is part of the European cycle routes: we are here on the Eurovélo 5. Count 47km from Strasbourg to Saverne, for example, passing by Hochfelden and the Villa Météor. You can also go further and discover the Inclined Plan of Saint-Louis Arzviller but also the Valley of the lock makers.

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Canal du Rhône au Rhin

The Canal du Rhône au Rhin is also part of the European cycling routes: this time, we are on theEurovélo 15! You can for example go from Strasbourg to Colmar, or shorter to Sélestat, or longer to… Mulhouse or Basel!

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Want more bike rides? From Strasbourg, you can easily take the train with your bike and explore Alsace! Here you will find a lot of ideas for cycling in Alsace .

Laurène

Laurène

Laurène est la créatrice du blog Mon week-end en Alsace. Bretonne installée en Alsace depuis 2014, elle est tombée amoureuse de sa région d'adoption au point de lui dédier un blog et d'acheter avec son mari une maison alsacienne dans un village du Kochersberg, près de Strasbourg. A pied, à vélo, sur ses chevaux ou au volant de sa voiture, elle aime partir explorer les moindres recoins de l'Alsace pour dénicher de bonnes adresses à partager sur le blog.

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