Piste des Forts de Strasbourg by bike – My opinion

My summary

On the traces of the Belt of Forts in Alsace

The cycle route follows the “Ceinture des Forts“, a group 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. In the end, these forts were never really used, but they still exist, even if only traces of some of them remain. Only four are still open to the public: forts Rapp, Frère, Kléber and Ducrot.

A beautiful bike ride around Strasbourg

Rest assured, you don’t have to be a fan of fortifications to enjoy the Piste des Forts tour! The forts are more a pretext for a nice bike ride around Strasbourg. The circuit is entirely signposted, and you ride almost exclusively on cycle paths, which is very pleasant indeed.

The itinerary is varied, allowing you to discover a wide variety of landscapes in the Strasbourg area: the Jardin des Deux-Rives, the Illkirch Rhine forest, La Wantzenau, the pretty wild arms of the Rhine on the German side, the Robertsau forest, the Bruche canal, the Hausbergen hillsides, the Marne au Rhin canal… And of course, the whole area is dotted with forts, even if they are often difficult to see because of the vegetation (if at all).

The cycle paths are paved and the itinerary flat, so there are no particular difficulties apart from the length if you want to do the 85 km Piste des Forts. I did it in one day: with a picnic break in the middle, it went well, even if you need to be used to pedaling to avoid feeling your muscles too much? Otherwise, as I said earlier, you can easily choose to do just one section. For example, here’s an itinerary I did on another occasion, which takes in part the Piste des Forts, but there are plenty of other options.

Marking of the Piste des Forts

Overall, the signposting is well done, even if there are still a few little traps, and I always find it easier to follow the GPX route. If you have a GPS, I recommend you do the same. There’s only one really badly-marked section, where I really struggled, even with the route: between leaving Strasbourg city center and arriving at the Jardin des Deux Rives, good luck! If you’re having trouble too, just manage to get to the garden without necessarily following the route, and you’ll be in the right place at the finish?

Start the Piste des Forts in Strasbourg

It’s easy to reach the Piste des Forts from downtown Strasbourg. The easiest way, in my opinion, is to start the route at the Jardin des Deux Rives, the Franco-German garden that stretches across the Rhine, and then start with the German part of the route.

Bike rental

If you’d like to hire bikes for the Piste des Forts, you can do so here.