Cycling in the Thur and Doller valleys (26km)

My summary

An accessible but hilly cycling route

This loop ofAlsace by bike is BL 625 “A toute vapeur vers le pays des oiseaux”, in a nod to the iconic Thur-Doller tourist train, whose track we follow at one point. Bird country refers to the regional nature reserve of the Michelbach lake, which is home to numerous protected species and is close to the route.

Most of the route is by road. Only a small part of it is on a bike path, so it’s not a route I would recommend with children, but it’s still small roads and I didn’t feel bothered at all by traffic.

Only 26km await you, but you’ll still need to make a bit of an effort as there’s 300m of positive ascent to climb 😉 Nothing too strenuous, I assure you, but those who aren’t too used to it may prefer to opt for an electric-assist bike.

By bike from the Wine Route…

The bike loop starts in Thann, a pretty town that I encourage you to discover before or after the ride, especially for its splendid collegiate church. One leaves the city quickly in direction of the vineyards of the village of Leimbach. Thann is indeed the southern gateway to the famous Alsace wine route!

… to mountain roads…

We change then rather quickly of atmosphere to pass from the vineyard to a more mountainous atmosphere. That’s one of the things I love about this valley: you have both vineyards and mountains!

We pass through pretty little villages with beautiful churches (a particular favorite is the chapel at Rammersmatt with its Burgundy-style glazed roof!) and the road climbs steadily, giving access to lovely views of the surrounding area. Meadows, cows grazing peacefully, rivers… It’s a real change of scenery!

We connect Leimbach, Rammersmatt then Bourbach-le-Bas by a pretty road of mountain raised: it is the principal difficulty of the day, that goes up slowly but surely!

…through a railroad track!

Once you arrive in Sentheim, the route becomes quite easy as it follows the railroad of the Thur-Doller tourist train, which gives another perspective on the landscapes of the valley. After passing a pretty washhouse in Guewenheim, the road climbs back up towards Michelbach, but the ascent is shorter than the previous one.

It’s time to take a break at the Michelbach lake if you want to admire the birds… Or continue towards Aspach-le-Haut, where you’ll find Vélo Rail Sud Alsace, where you can cycle in a different way, on the railroad 😉 Just leave the loop and cycle 1km further.

We return then to Thann by small roads and through fields, it is very pleasant. Another nice and exotic loop, to discover a not so well known corner of Alsace!