The Piste des Forts Bike Route in Strasbourg (85 km) – My Review

My Review of the Piste des Forts

On the traces of the Belt of Forts in Alsace

The cycling route follows the “Ceinture des Forts,” a series of 19 forts built in the aftermath of the 1870 War. The Germans had just conquered Alsace and decided to build a defensive belt around Strasbourg. These forts were ultimately never really used, but they still exist, even though only traces of some of them remain. Only four of the forts are still open to the public: the Rapp, Frère, Kléber, and Ducrot forts.

🏰 My tip as a local: If you really want to see the forts, keep an eye out along the route—only Rapp, Frère, Kléber, and Ducrot are open to visitors; the others are often hidden by vegetation.

The route: an 85-km loop between France and Germany

Rest assured, you don’t have to be a fan of fortifications to enjoy the Piste des Forts bike route! The forts are really just an excuse to take a lovely bike ride around Strasbourg. The route is fully marked, and you ride almost exclusively on bike paths, which is really pleasant.

The route is varied and allows you to explore different areas with a beautiful diversity of landscapes in the Strasbourg area: the Jardin des Deux-Rives, the Illkirch Rhine Forest, Wantzenau, the picturesque, untamed branches of the Rhine on the German side, the Robertsau Forest, the Bruche Canal, the Hausbergen hillsides, the Marne-Rhine Canal…And of course, the route is dotted with forts, even if they’re often hard to see because of the vegetation (or sometimes not visible at all).

The bike paths are paved and the route is flat, so there aren’t any particular challenges—other than the distance, if you want to ride the full 85 km of the Piste des Forts. I did it in one day: I took a picnic break halfway through, and it went well, though you do need to be somewhat used to cycling so your muscles don’t ache too much 🙂. Otherwise, you can easily choose to do just a section of it. Here, for example, is a route I’ve done before that partly follows the Piste des Forts, but there are plenty of other options.

Marking of the Piste des Forts

Overall, the trail is well marked, even though there are always a few small pitfalls and I always find it easier to follow the GPX track. If you have a GPS, I recommend you do the same. There’s only one section that’s really poorly marked, where I had a hard time, even with the route: between the point where you leave downtown Strasbourg and the point where you arrive at the Jardin des Deux Rives—good luck! If you’re having trouble too, just find your way to the garden without necessarily following the route—you’ll end up in the right place when you arrive 🙂.

🧭 My tip as a local: Make sure to download the GPX track rather than relying solely on the trail markers, especially between downtown Strasbourg and the Jardin des Deux-Rives—the trickiest part of the route.

Where can you start and rent a bike in Strasbourg?

It’s easy to get to the Piste des Forts from downtown Strasbourg. In my opinion, the easiest way to do this is to start the route at the Jardin des Deux Rives—a Franco-German garden that stretches along both banks of the Rhine—and then begin with the section of the route located in Germany.

If you’d like to rent bikes to explore the Piste des Forts, you can do so here or at Alsa Cyclo Tours.

🥪 My tip as a local: the Jardin des Deux-Rives is a great spot for a picnic break before tackling the German part of the route.

FAQ: Your Questions About the Piste des Forts Bike Trail