Alsace Wine Country

Traveler photos

Route Map

Maps are for information purposes only and reflect typical routes between overnight locations. They may not reflect your actual route.

• ★★★★★ Bluenose October 1, 2018

  Alsace in September

  Great time of year to do this trip as the vineyards are being harvested. The weather is perfect for cycling! Much of the trip is on dedicated cycle paths which reduces the amount of riding in traffic.
  We took the dinner package which saved us the hassle of trying to find dinner each night. A couple of the meals were terrific but most were average.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 9, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  6

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Much easier

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • 3/5 Value
  • 2/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 1/5 Local tour company services
  • 3/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Chris118 October 1, 2018

  Lovely, but there were problems

  A friend and I just completed the Alsace trip. We had perfect weather and it was lovely to ride through the vineyards while the grapes were being harvested. Accommodations and dinners ranged from superb (Osthouse) to “meh”. It seemed to us that the quality declined with each successive day.

  The tour company rep who met us in Strasbourg was very rushed and did not give us a particularly warm welcome. We only discovered the next morning that the mileage computer on one of our bikes was faulty because an electrical lead had been pulled out. This is the bike he used to “demonstrate” so he should have known that it was faulty. We were never able to fix it because it required too small a screwdriver. This inhibited our route-finding throughout the week since the computer was on the navigator’s bike.

  On the flip side, I had a crash (someone ran into me) and I called from the destination hotel and the company rep arranged for someone at the hotel to swap out my bent wheel. I was interested that the company rep didn’t ask if I had sustained any injuries.

  The route instructions were sometimes difficult to follow. We were lucky to also have a personal GPS and it helped us know whether we were on track. I think part of the problem is that the North American interpretation of some navigation terms may differ from the the European. I urge the company to consider a separate sheet/map to help people find heir way out of Strasbourg. It is actually simple but not at all obvious.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Sept. 9-13, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  10

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 2, 2018

    Chris, thank you very much for your review of the Alsace. I'm sorry to hear of your bike accident but thankful you are okay! I'll reach out to you about your accident, your Category B accommodations, and the directions so we can work with the tour operator to improve services.

  • 3/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 2/5 Tour documents
  • 3/5 Local tour company services
  • 3/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Joaney September 9, 2018

  Really sorry we took this trip

  While we knew we signed up for a self-guided trip, we had no idea just how little this tour company would provide to us. Starting with bikes that have no water bottles moving quickly onto very poorly written directions and a GPS that was outdated years ago, the trip proved a disappointment each day. Most of the hotels had no a/c (in the middle of the summer) and we had paid for the more upgraded choices. While I must admit that we were guided onto mostly non-traffic bike paths whenever possible, we felt that all we did was ride all day long, with no pointers of what we might be passing of interest. We got lost a fair amount of times, and luckily we had a 23 yr.old, engineering graduate, who helped us decipher where we were vs. the directions. The weather could not have been more beautiful, thankfully, since there was no "back-up" should it turn terrible. We had to have our luggage ready by 9am, there went those leisurely mornings we thought we would have, only to notice that they were never picked up before we finished breakfast at 10am. The bikes were of good quality and thankfully also, we had no flat tires or breakdowns. I know I am spoiled from having taken many bike trips with reputable companies like Backroads and Duvine, etc. This trip was suggested by the friends we traveled with and the woman was smart in getting an e-bike. The rest of us had to walk our bikes up to one of the hotels that was perched on the highest point of the town. Only to finally reach the destination and to be told by the desk manager that if we had intended to eat there, he was sorry they were full for the evening...and that "he constantly tells the bike trip organizers that they should warn their bikers to make arrangements in advance." Clearly we were given no such instructions. We were LUCKY the manager was able to find us a taxi to take us to town for dinner. It was rather surreal. The food in this region was boring and repetitive. How many tart flambees does one want to eat?

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 10-15, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  20+

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • 1/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 2/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 1/5 Ease of navigation
  • 1/5 Tour documents
  • 1/5 Local tour company services
  • 3/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Buffalo September 7, 2018

  Simply Fantastic

  The trip was excellent. The hotels selected were generally good (one was exceptional, one was mildly disappointing, the rest were all just good). The tour was well planned and pretty easy to follow. The first leg of the trip was in the valley. This helped to acclimate our group for the wine hills to come. The little villages and wine were exceptionally beautiful. We found the customer service of bike tours and the partner tour operator were also very good. We will definitely use bike tours sometime in the not too distant future.
  Important note: with an E-Bike the trip was pretty easy (according to my wife). However, with a standard bicycle, I found some of the hills to be quite challanging. The second to last day I burned roughly 2900 calories.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 15 - 20

  How many tours have you completed?

  1 with biketours.com

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Dennis July 17, 2018

  Alsace Canals & Vineyards

  The countryside and towns of Alsace are a great bicycling experience. The roads and trails are fairly flat and well marked. There is a bakery in every village!

  Generally, we had excellent meals and accommodations. We had one hotel with a four star rating that was not air conditioned. We also had another hotel that did not offer any choices on the half-board menu.

  We found our hybrid bicycles not quite up to climbing the few hills. We needed more low gears! Overall the turn-by-turn directions were adequate but sometimes confusing as our route did not always follow the posted bicycle travel signs.

  We had a wonderful time enjoying the scenery and people along our tour and we will definitely come back to France for more.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 25 - June 30, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  5

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ WalkersAdventure July 3, 2018

  Beautiful villages - beware of hills and train strikes

  The tour operator is unusually cooperative about modifying the standard itinerary. I requested many changes to suit our interests and abilities and they fulfilled them all. We requested and received GPX tracks to load onto our own Garmin devices. The GPX and the map and the tour materials had been revised to reflect the changes I'd requested, which I appreciated very much.

  Colmar is an exceptionally good place to center the trip. I recommend staying there several days and taking day trips by bicycle, or train plus bicycle, to nearby villages.

  All of the hotels booked for us were high quality, and thoughtfully positioned for convenient access.

  Segments of the trip are quite hilly: two chevrons on the map. We evaded the hills by planning alternate routes in the flat part of the valley. These routes presented a different view, still valuable and entertaining.

  We had trouble with the SNCF train strike. Of course, that situation was beyond the tour operator's control, but it detracted from the experience.

  One of the e-bikes was delivered with a bad battery. They replaced it the next day. That was okay for us, as I had an extra day planned for local sightseeing, so our overall schedule was not affected.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June, 2018

  How many tours have you completed?

  22

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat harder

  Do you recommend this tour?

  No

  • 3/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Allen December 18, 2017

  Fabulous

  The villages are incredibly beautiful; the biking is either on lovely canal paths or quiet roads in the wine country; and the inns and restaurants are terrific. It is a well organized and well supported trip.

  What was the date of your tour?

  Sept.2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  12

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany December 19, 2017

    Allen, thanks for your kind review. We're so glad to hear you had a great time on tour! We look forward to helping you in the future.

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 3/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Croissant Lovers October 9, 2017

  Early Fall Wine Country Tour

  Beautiful countryside, quaint towns, idyllic bike paths along canals, vineyards forever. Lodging was excellent even on the lower priced end. Included breakfasts were excellent. Found that opportunities for lunch were nonexistent or limited so we learned to buy lunch food & wine first thing in the morning. Route finding was challenging at times as we were self guided. Local tour operator provided good orientation. 21 speed bikes were very heavy and awkward with handlebar pack.

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 26-October 1

  How many tours have you completed?

  First one

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 10, 2017

    We're glad you had a great time on tour and great advice for future clients regarding lunch along the way! I love the handlebar bag but I understand it isn's for everyone as they can be bulky. We hope to help you plan a future tour.

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 5/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ mamacababy October 6, 2017

  One of our best bike tours ever

  This bike tour was way more than we expected. Espace Randonnee gave us wonderful maps, directions, and bikes. I had an ebike for the first time and it was awesome. We rode down beautiful canal paths, and into picture book villages, laced with window boxes of geraniums. The accommodations were good to excellent, and we opted for the meal plan which we love because dinner was always arranged for you, and local specialties were served. The weather was perfect - all things considered, this was one of our top 2 bike tours ever!

  What was the date of your tour?

  September 25, 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  9

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • BikeTours.com staff reply from Brittany October 7, 2017

    We're delighted to hear you had a great time in the Alsace region! We think slow travel is the best way to enjoy the local experiences. Thank you very much for your review and please let us know when you're ready to take another bike tour.

  • 5/5 Value
  • 5/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 5/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 4/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Allen September 20, 2017

  Fabulously beautiful towns and good routes

  Bike Tours was excellent. Very helpful.
  E bikes helped. Good bikes
  Routes were varied and interesting with few busy roads.
  Route maps were frustrating at times because some roads poorly marked.
  Escape Rondonne's Thomas was poor for the introduction meeting- rushed and confusing; but the company did handle our bags well.

  What was the date of your tour?

  9/16-20/17

  How many tours have you completed?

  18

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 5/5 Value
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 3/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ ozfamily September 20, 2017

  Beautiful Trip Needs Logistics Tweaks

  The positive: The route after the first day is spectacular - beautiful canals, villages, vineyards. Accommodations mostly fine, but see the needs improvement section. We especially liked the hotel in Sermersheim - tiny town but lovely place to stay. Bikes were great.
  Needs Improvement: The first day out of Strasbourg is mostly a wasted day. Even the person who gave us our orientation the first day said there is really nothing to see this first day. Coupled with the fact that it is a hellacious route to get out of Strasbourg - very complicated and not well explained by the guide or by the instructions given to us, I would have started the tour on day two (save for the accommodations that first night). Also, the instructions are not always accurate. Sometimes they said we could eat lunch in certain towns, but there were not places available, based on day of the week closures. It would be helpful to note towns where train stations are available in case someone is sick or injured.... I would not have people stay in Barr - there was absolutely nothing to do and most places to eat were closed.

  What was the date of your tour?

  9/15/17

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 3/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 4/5 Scenery
  • 2/5 Ease of navigation
  • 2/5 Tour documents
  • 2/5 Local tour company services
  • 3/5 Route selection
  • 2/5 Guides (if applicable)
• ★★★★★ Seawise September 6, 2017

  Post card scenery

  Self guided 5 day tour- very happy with "c" class accommodation. Views and overall ambience great. We were frustrated at times with directions and missing green indicators especially for detours into towns - ended up following what we thought was logical route but lack of green arrows caused us to get lost- sometimes came across a green arrow but it was wrong one and ended up on another route- had to back track. Selestat and Ingersheim particularly bad and finding Riquewihr also hard. When travelling on bike paths- magic. Overall we had great time.

  What was the date of your tour?

  1 sept 2017 to 6 sept.

  How many tours have you completed?

  None

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ YQT1 August 11, 2017

  Made me love cycling again.

  Great trip. Hotel choices were quaint but only one had Air conditioning which was unfortunate after long sweaty ride in 35C heat. Would definitely revisit the accommodation choices next time especially in hot summer.

  What was the date of your tour?

  July 4 2017

  How many tours have you completed?

  0

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  Somewhat easier

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  First-time bike tourists

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 3/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 5/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 3/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ T and T October 6, 2016

  alsace

  As advertised. This was a picture book trip if there ever was one. Towns, hotels and luggage delivery were perfectly arranged. Days1 & 2 & 5 were flat. Days 3 & 4 were a little more than level 2 hills, however, the gears on the bikes were good enough to get through the climbs. This is our 3rd trip through Biketours and their service is perfect. I would do this trip again. I would upgrade from B to A hotels next time but the B hotels were good enough for our short time in each.

  What was the date of your tour?

  sept 15

  How many tours have you completed?

  3

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 3/5 Included meals
  • 3/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 5/5 Ease of navigation
  • 4/5 Tour documents
  • 5/5 Local tour company services
  • 5/5 Route selection
• ★★★★★ Heather July 5, 2016

  Alsace Cycling Vacation

  Bike Tours Direct is a very organized company that has good connections in the area. They provide a consultation on the first day of the trip to go over maps, routes, lodgings, and recommendations (for self-guided tours). They also spend some time making sure the bike is in good condition and is adjusted to fit you comfortably. We upgraded to road bikes, I would strongly recommend this as there are some steep hills on days 3-5.
  We chose B hotels. The accommodations were comfortable.
  The first 2 days of cycling are peaceful and flat, riding along a canal. Starting in Colmar, the ride is along the Alsatian wine route. It becomes hilly, and this is where the picture book starts. We cycled up and down hills, though vineyards, and medieval towns. Each town has beautifully preserved architecture, historic monuments, cobble stone streets, not to mention delicious local food and wine. The Alsace region is a perfect mix of French countryside, and small medieval towns with rich history and culture.

  What was the date of your tour?

  June 2016

  How many tours have you completed?

  2

  Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?

  As expected

  Who is this tour suitable for?

  Solo travelers

  Do you recommend this tour?

  Yes

  • 4/5 Value
  • 4/5 Included meals
  • 4/5 Bikes + equipment
  • 4/5 Hotels or boat
  • 5/5 Scenery
  • 3/5 Ease of navigation
  • 3/5 Tour documents
  • 4/5 Local tour company services
  • 4/5 Route selection