The Alsace Wine Route by Bike: My Top 5 Picks for a Day on Two Wheels!
The Alsace Wine Route by Bike
My 5 favorite moments from a day on two wheels!
Today, I’d like to suggest a bike ride starting in Colmar—it’s sure to be a visual feast! On the agenda for this wonderful day: cycling along the Alsace Wine Route and through the vineyards on a loop of about 60 kilometers, taking in some of France’s Most Beautiful Villages, meeting locals, discovering great spots, and enjoying breathtaking scenery.
Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Hunawihr, and Bergheim mark the highlights of this day of cycling, with signage that’s really easy to follow. And don’t for a moment think that the Alsatian vineyards are flat! My loop has about 520 meters of elevation gain. The route climbs steadily between the villages, but that’s exactly what makes it so charming: as you gain elevation, you get to see the houses, church steeples, and vineyards from a whole new perspective.
And there’s something photos can never capture: the scent of the grape harvest! In early September, you can already smell the freshly pressed grapes and the first signs of fermentation around the wineries. Riesling, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer… Alsace lives to the rhythm of the grape harvest!
Here are my top 5 highlights from the day.
Eguisheim, of course!
It’s hard to start the day anywhere but Eguisheim! As soon as you enter the village, you immediately understand why it’s one of the most famous places in Alsace.
Colorful half-timbered houses line the small, concentric streets, along with the ramparts, fountains, and that quintessential Alsatian architecture that makes you want to stop every twenty meters to take a photo. In the heart of the village, you’ll also find traces of the history of Leo IX, who was born in Eguisheim in the early 11th century and became pope in 1049.
And then, of course, there’s the famous dovecote, one of the village’s most photographed spots. With its colorful houses and narrow streets, it’s easy to see why Eguisheim has long been compared to the world of *Beauty and the Beast*.
Here’s a little tip if, like me, you’re doing the route by bike: some parts of the city center and the rampart path are best explored at a leisurely pace on foot. No problem—just get off your bike, walk it, and enjoy the scenery!
Niedermorschwihr, with its completely crooked bell tower… and a delightful culinary break!
A few kilometers further on, the atmosphere changes as you arrive in Niedermorschwihr, a small village nestled among the hills and vineyards of Alsace.
But before you even put your bike down, look up!
The bell tower of Saint-Gall Church is completely twisted. It’s what’s known as a “twisted bell tower,” with a spire that twists around its own axis. And this is truly rare: there are about 200 of them in Europe, including 65 in France. The one in Niedermorschwihr even has an additional distinctive feature, as it is said to be the only twisted bell tower in the Grand Est region.
After cycling a few kilometers, it was the perfect time for a true Alsatian break at the Caveau Morakopf.
On the menu: baked Munster cheese or ham hock and potatoes. Not exactly the lightest meal before hopping back on the bike… but what a treat!
This Alsatian winstub is a true local institution. Chef Lukas has worked with some of the biggest names in fine dining and earned a Gault & Millau toque in Austria at a very young age.
Just what we need to recharge our batteries before heading back out to the vineyards!
In the cellars of Domaine Jean-Baptiste Adam with Laure Adam
To travel the Alsace Wine Route without stepping foot on a single winery would be nothing short of blasphemy!
So let’s head to Ammerschwihr to discover the Jean-Baptiste Adam estate, a family-run winery whose history dates back to… 1614! Fifteen generations have worked here in the vineyards and cellars. Needless to say, when it comes to Alsace wine, there’s quite a bit of expertise behind it all.
I had the chance to tour the facility with Laure and follow the grapes’ journey from the press to the aging process.
Above all, you have to go down to the cellar to see the enormous oak barrels. Some are over a century old and are still used today to age the estate’s wines. It’s quite impressive to think of all the grape harvests that have taken place here!
Of course, you can’t end the tour without a tasting.
Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris… but also a few much more surprising wines! In particular, I tasted their orange wine, a Gamay—yes, Gamay in Alsace!—as well as their house-made gin. Three wonderful surprises, each with a completely different profile… and honestly, they were delicious!
A fascinating encounter that, above all, allows us to put faces, a story, and a wealth of expertise to the bottles we come across along the Alsace Wine Route.
Beauvillé: Alsatian craftsmanship that really surprised me
Another completely different discovery that day: Beauvillé, in Ribeauvillé.
I was, of course, familiar with Ribeauvillé for its heritage, its Alsatian houses, and its vineyards—but much less so for its textile history. And yet, right next to the huge factory lies a rather incredible world centered around high-end linens.
In Ribeauvillé, Beauvillé carries on the expertise developed over more than two centuries by the Manufacture d’Impression sur Étoffes. From design and printing to fabric selection and manufacturing… production is all done in-house here in Alsace, and in 2009, the company was awarded the “Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant” (Living Heritage Company) designation.
I had the chance to meet some of the team that brings this place to life and to explore their small museum located in the heart of the store.
It traces the history of the factory, printing techniques, and the evolution of the collections over time. The museum, by the way, opened in 2023.
And what I particularly loved was discovering, right in the middle of a day of cycling, a company that also tells a story about a facet of Alsatian heritage.
Driving through the vineyards around Bergheim
And finally, my favorite part is perhaps the simplest: the course itself.
I loved this loop because there’s always something going on. A village, a wine cellar, a climb through the vineyards, a bell tower, a half-timbered house… practically every five kilometers, there’s a new reason to park your bike.
After Ribeauvillé and then Bergheim, the route gradually becomes much more gentle as it heads back toward Colmar. In particular, it follows the EuroVelo 5 route, which winds through part of the Alsatian vineyards and connects several of the iconic villages along the Wine Route.
And the end of that day was just perfect.
The sun was beginning to set, the colors over the vineyards were growing warmer, and as I looked toward the hills, I could make out in the distance several of the villages I had passed through a few hours earlier.
That’s exactly what I love about biking: in just one day, it feels like you’ve been on ten different little getaways.
60 kilometers, a few steep climbs, lots of breaks… and, above all, a strong desire to come back!
Julien Audigier
As a travel enthusiast, I want to share my adventures across France with my community. Whether hiking or biking, I love setting out to discover new adventures through breathtaking landscapes. In these articles, I’ll share the routes I’ve taken in Alsace, my favorite spots, and my top recommendations.
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