Route des Vins d'Alsace Cycling Stage: Riquewihr to Kaysersberg
The 14-kilometre stretch of the Route des Vins between Riquewihr and Kaysersberg is widely considered the most scenically concentrated section of the entire 170-kilometre Alsatian wine route. On a bicycle you move at exactly the right speed to absorb the rhythm of the vineyards, the stork nests on church towers, and the succession of picture-perfect villages.
The Route and What You'll Pass
Head north from Riquewihr on the D3 vineyard road through Zellenberg — a hilltop village whose single street loops around a church like a crown — then descend through Beblenheim and Mittelwihr before climbing gently into Ribeauvillé, where three ruined castle towers crown the Vosges ridge above the town. From Ribeauvillé a quiet lane runs west through Hunawihr, whose fortified churchyard is one of the strangest and most beautiful sights in Alsace, and then on to Zellenberg before the final descent into Kaysersberg.
The full ride involves around 250 metres of cumulative climbing — manageable on a standard bike, effortless on an e-bike — and takes two to three hours at a leisurely pace with stops.
Renting Bikes and Planning Stops
E-bikes and standard bikes are available for hire from Riquewihr's tourist office on Rue du Général de Gaulle (from around €20/day for a standard bike, €35/day for an e-bike) and from several operators in Colmar, 13 km south, if you prefer to start there. The tourist office also provides a free laminated map of the vineyard cycling paths.
Plan a mid-route stop at the Cigognes et Loutres nature reserve in Hunawihr, where you can watch white storks nesting at eye level and otters playing in a stream enclosure — an unexpected wildlife highlight in the middle of wine country.
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