Cycle route – La Sarre, between forests and orchards (20km)

My summary

Discovering the preserved landscapes of Alsace bossue

Alsace Bossue is a region that not only has the merit of being pretty, but also of being a change of scenery. There are, of course, familiar elements of Alsace, but the landscapes don’t resemble either the Wine Route or the Alsace plain: they’re something else again!

For me, who knows the region quite well, it was a pleasure to discover this unspoilt Alsace off the beaten tourist track… And to realize how much Alsace never ceases to surprise me and is full of beautiful things to discover!

A cycling tour in the hills of Alsace Bossue

This itinerary is one of the local loops proposed byAlsace à vélo. It is about 20km long, with 350m of difference in altitude: it goes up a little bit at times, but nothing too bad! It takes about 2 hours to cover it. The start is in the small town ofHarskirchen, right next to Saar-Union.

Quickly, we discover whyAlsace bossue is called like that: hills with soft undulating reliefs surround us! I particularly appreciated the diversity of the landscapes: you can admire orchards, meadows where cows graze quietly, cultivated fields but you also pass through forests and along a canal. There are also beautiful buildings to admire along the way, such as the castle of Diedendorf or the old castle of Bonnefontaine (which is in ruins, but being restored).

The itinerary is globally on the road, but they are roads where there is very little traffic: we are not really bothered.

Break at the Horse Nature Park

Once in Altwiller, you can take a break at the Horse Nature Park a park that will certainly please families: wooden games and farm animals await you, in addition to horse shows… There is even a small snack bar if you are hungry!

Return via the Canal des Houillières de la Sarre

The loop then ends along the Canal des Houillères de la Sarre, a pleasantly curving (and therefore not monotonous!) canal along which it’s pleasant to pedal.

When arriving in Harskirchen, the route joins the city center (which was the starting point) but take the time to admire just after the bridge the lovely marina of Harskirchen… You feel elsewhere all at once!

Bike rental

If you’d like to rent a bike, you can do so from Loc’Bike & Trot, which offers mountain bikes and electrically-assisted mountain bikes.