Route des Vins d'Alsace from Colmar: Kaysersberg to Riquewihr
Colmar sits at the heart of the 170-kilometre Alsace Wine Route, and the 15-kilometre stretch north through Kaysersberg and Riquewihr is the most concentrated hit of beauty on the entire road: Grand Cru vineyards roll up to the Vosges foothills, fortified medieval villages appear around every bend, and the air smells of ripe Gewurztraminer in September. This is best done by bicycle — the flat vall
Kaysersberg: Albert Schweitzer's birthplace
Kaysersberg, 11 kilometres north of Colmar, is one of the most complete medieval villages in France: a fortified bridge over the Weiss river, a ruined castle on the hill above, and a main street of 15th and 16th-century houses that have barely changed since Albert Schweitzer was born here in 1875. The Schweitzer museum in his birth house is small but moving, and the village church has a remarkable carved altarpiece by Jean Bongartz.
The village has excellent winstubs and a Saturday morning market that draws producers from across the Haut-Rhin. Domaine Weinbach, one of Alsace's most acclaimed biodynamic estates, is a short walk from the village centre and offers cellar visits by appointment.
Riquewihr: the fairytale village
Riquewihr, five kilometres further north, is enclosed by 16th-century ramparts so intact that the village looks like a film set — because it effectively is: the outer walls were never breached in any war, preserving the interior almost perfectly. The main street, Rue du Général de Gaulle, is lined with wine merchants, and the Dolder tower at the north gate houses a small museum of medieval torture instruments that children find disturbingly compelling.
The vineyards immediately surrounding Riquewihr include the Grand Cru Schoenenbourg, one of the best terroirs in Alsace for Riesling. Several domaines offer tastings directly from the cellar door — Hugel & Fils and Dopff au Moulin are the most accessible for walk-in visits.
Getting there by bike
Colmar's train station has several bike rental outfits including Vélo Colmar; a standard hybrid bike costs around €15 per day. The dedicated EuroVelo 5 cycle path connects Colmar to Kaysersberg and Riquewihr almost entirely off-road through the vines — it is flat, well-signed and manageable for any reasonably fit cyclist.
Return by the same route in the late afternoon when the light turns the vineyards amber and the Vosges silhouette deepens behind the villages — it's the landscape that inspired Hansi's illustrations and it looks exactly like his paintings.
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