Alsace Wine Route by bike

If you’re planning a visit to Alsace, I’m sure you’re thinking of taking a trip along the famous Alsace Wine Route. This is a great idea, but did you know that you can consider doing it by bike?

A beautiful bike touring route

The Véloroute du Vignoble (Eurovélo 5) follows the Alsace Wine Route, which stretches from Thann (southern Alsace) to Marlenheim (further north, not far from Strasbourg). By bike, you’ll need to cover 140km, with around 350m of ascent.

Cycling the Wine Route allows you to discover the vineyard differentlyNo noise, no pollution, your nose in the wind, the scent of sun-drenched earth and vines (or rain, depending on the weather, but it’s usually hot in Alsace in summer!). Only advantages! As a bonus, you can easily take breaks anywhere, which is not the case in a car!

The cycle route passes through beautiful countryside and charming villages. It is hilly, which may put some people off. However, you don’t need to be a great sportsman to ride a bike: if you do a minimum of sport regularly, it will pass by itself. Another increasingly popular option is the electric bicycle. I had already talked to you here about my electric bike ride, which I had enjoyed. The electric bike makes the route really accessible to everyone.

Cycle paths, pavements and choice of bike

The Véloroute du Vignoble has few real bicycle paths reserved exclusively for bikes. It is rather a mix between restricted traffic lanes (on which cyclists and local residents circulate, i.e. mainly the agricultural machinery of the winegrowers going to work in the vineyards) and roads (open to all). The road portions are still quite small, so cycling in the area is still very enjoyable!

Since you’ll be riding exclusively on asphalt, the choice of bike is yours: you can opt for a road bike if you’re in the sporty mode, or a mountain bike (perfect for cycle touring). However, I wouldn’t recommend taking a mountain bike, as it’s not really suited to this type of itinerary.

How many days does the Alsace vineyard cycle route (Eurovélo 5) take?

There are several options for discovering Eurovélo 5. As for me, it’s an itinerary I’ve travelled many times before, but never tire of! It’s clearly the most beautiful in Alsace, let’s face it.

If you’ve only got a day or so to spare, or you’re not really used to cycling

You can also opt for just one section of the Eurovélo 5. In this case, I advise you to choose one of the (many!) Loop walks You can choose from a wide range of existing tours, which you can take by the day or even half-day. You’ll be able to choose a walk that’s longer or shorter, more or less athletic, suitable for children, etc. Here are a few examples a particularly beautiful one from KayserbsergI’d recommend it to anyone wanting to get a good overview of the Véloroute du vignoble for a day.

If you have a few days to spare

In this case, I’d advise you to choose the section of Eurovélo 5 between Colmar and Strasbourg (you can easily reach Marlenheim, the start of the Route des Vins, by following the Bruche canal from Strasbourg). In my opinion, this is the most beautiful part of the Véloroute du vignoble! Allow at least 3 days for this, so you’ll be able to enjoy a fairly leisurely day’s cycling, but there’s plenty to see along the way, and it would be a shame not to plan several cultural and gourmet stops.

You’ll be able to explore picture-postcard landscapes and visit some superb villages at the same time (and enjoy wine tastings– in moderation, of course!). Examples include Rosheim, Obernai, Barr, Mittelbergheim, Itterswiller, Scherwiller, Châtenois, Bergheim, Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Colmar…

For more information, please read the detailed article I wrote on my other blog about the Alsace Wine Route by bike between Strasbourg and Colmar.

If you’re into sports

Are you a road cyclist who wants to cycle the Wine Route? You can easily do the entire Véloroute du Vignoble:

• or over a day if you are well trained and wish to pedal exclusively
• or two days of riding, but also take the time to make a few tourist and gourmet stops.

I’ve already taken this second option with friends for a weekend: it’s easy to get to Thann by train with your bike, then we did the first day between Thann and Colmar (with an overnight stay in Ingersheim), and the second day from Ingersheim to Strasbourg. It makes for a great weekend of sports and sightseeing!

Bike rental, electric bike rental or turnkey tour

If you want to cycle the Wine Route, there are three options: bring your own bike, rent one on site or book a turnkey cycling holiday. I’ve already told you about Alsace Cyclo Tour, located in Eguisheim, which rents out classic and electric bikes. For a turnkey trip (everything is organized, from bike hire to accommodation and itinerary, for which a detailed road book is provided), I can advise you to get quotes fromLe Vélo Voyageur or A bicyclette.

My photos of the Alsace Wine Route by bike