Alsace and the Vosges Cycling Vacation

From the gothic script on street signs and hotel and restaurant names, to the half-timbered medieval houses, there is a Germanic flavour mixed in with many old French traditions — a unique cocktail. Exploring Alsace on our cycling tour provides an experience of the region like no other.

The tastes of the region are as distinct as the architecture. Strasbourg is famous for its sausages and also for choucroute, the alsatian take on Sauerkraut, made with cabbage cooked in local wine loaded with chops, sausages and other meaty delights. Coq-au vin is made here with local Riesling wine. Pride of place in Alsace goes to foie gras, here served in a pastry crust, and some notable cheeses like Munster made with milk from the Vosges pastures. For a quick snack, try flammeküeche the Alsace pizza.

For liquid refreshment, there is no shortage of choice. The distinctive slender bottles of the region contain wines of some equally distinctive cepages or grape varieties. Gewurztraminer with its golden colour and heady aroma of lychees and passion fruit; complex Pinot Gris with smoky undertones and apricot fruit; delicate Riesling with citrus notes and floral hints; and Sylvaner with notes of fresh cut grass and elderflower. Less well known are the light and cherry tinged pinot noir reds, and the sparkling Cremant d’Alsace. Beer lovers are also catered for — Strasbourg is home to Kronenbourg and Fischer, and a host of artisan breweries are found throughout the region.

The geography of Alsace is effectively in two halves; the Alsace plain is a strip of land running alongside the Rhine from Strasbourg to the swiss border; flat, with fields of vines, wheat and sunflowers, intersperced with orchards growing apples, pears and quince. Rising like a natural border to the west are the Vosges mountains, the round topped peaks here known as ballons. Heavily wooded with chestnut and oak, then pines and mountain ash at higher altitude. The forests provide welcome shade in high summer.

Our Alsace and the Vosges cycling tour takes in the best of the sights, sounds and tastes that this fascinating region has to offer. Riding is mixed, with days of flat riding moderately hilly days interspersed with with days of flat riding and will be enjoyed by anyone with a little cycling experience.

Highlights

• Cycling tour along the majestic Rhine
• Spectacular panoramas in the Vosges mountains
• Quiet lanes through vines and orchards
• Charming half timbered and cobbled villages
• Wine tasting along the Route de Vin
• Medieval masterpieces in Colmar