# Alsace Wine Route

About 170 km of road between Marlenheim and Thann, with walled villages, family cellars and 51 grands crus. Three or four nights based in Colmar.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/france/grand-est/alsace-wine-route · Revisado: 2026-11-13

## What is the route like?

A signposted road of about 170 km that follows the eastern foothills of the Vosges, from Marlenheim, near Strasbourg, to Thann, near Mulhouse. On one side you have the mountains with ruined castles on the peaks; on the other, the Rhine plain. In between, a strip of hillside vineyards and, every few kilometres, a village of coloured half-timbered houses, with its church, its fountain and its cellars open to the street.

It is not done in one go. The part with the prettiest villages and the most cellars is in the Haut-Rhin, around Colmar, between Ribeauvillé and Eguisheim: that is where Riquewihr, Hunawihr, Kaysersberg, Turckheim and Eguisheim are concentrated, a few kilometres from each other. To the north, through the Bas-Rhin, the route passes through Obernai and Barr and is quieter. With three nights you tour the central part unhurriedly; with four, you add the north or Strasbourg.

## Which villages shouldn't I miss?

Riquewihr is the best known: a walled village with a sloping main street, houses from the 16th and 17th centuries and vineyards that reach the walls. Eguisheim is built in concentric circles around its castle, and its curving lanes are among the most photographed in Alsace. Kaysersberg has a fortified bridge over the river and a ruined castle reached by a short walk. Ribeauvillé, at the foot of three castles, has more village life and fewer souvenir shops. Go to all of them first thing or at the end of the afternoon: at midday the groups arrive.

Colmar, the wine capital of Alsace, is the best base: it has a station, more hotels and restaurants, and its own old town, with the canal district of Petite Venise. The tourist office is in place Unterlinden, next to the museum of the same name.

## How do you taste?

By knocking on the door. Many family cellars have a caveau, a tasting room at street level, with shop hours, and they serve you several of the house wines without an appointment. The usual thing is to taste and buy a bottle or two. Alsace makes mainly dry, aromatic single-variety whites, named after the grape, as well as sparkling wines, the crémant d'Alsace, light pinot noir reds and late-harvest sweet wines. The region has 51 grands crus, named hillside plots indicated on the label: ask at the cellars which grand cru is nearby and there is usually a path through the vines to see it.

If you are driving, spit or share: France is strict about alcohol at the wheel. Better still, ride a stretch by bike: between the villages there are farm tracks and a vineyard cycle route.

## What else is on the route?

The Haut-Kœnigsbourg, a red-stone castle above the route, between Sélestat and Ribeauvillé, at the top of a forested hill, from where you see the whole Rhine plain. It is open all year with hours that change according to the season; in November, from 9:30 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 17:00, with last entry one hour before closing. Allow two hours to see it.

In December the villages and Colmar set up their Christmas markets, with mulled-wine stalls, decorations and lights on the façades. It is the most famous season and the busiest: book accommodation months ahead.

## Where to eat and sleep?

For Alsatian cooking every day, the Caveau d'Eguisheim, on the castle square in Eguisheim, with baeckeoffe and choucroute, or the Winstub du Chambard, in Kaysersberg, with a regional menu at €42. In Riquewihr, La Brendelstub spit-roasts ham and cooks with vegetables from its own garden.

To sleep, the Hostellerie du Château, a ten-room family hotel in the centre of Eguisheim; the Maison d'hôtes Sainte Hune, on an organic wine estate in Hunawihr, or Le Chambard, the five-star in Kaysersberg.

With children, the Montagne des Singes, more than 200 free-roaming macaques next to the Haut-Kœnigsbourg. Without a car, by e-bike from Colmar, Eguisheim or Kaysersberg. From Paris there are two day plans by TGV and bike, to Eguisheim and to Kaysersberg and Riquewihr, and a two-night getaway by bike.

## How do you get there from Spain?

By plane, to the EuroAirport of Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg, which has flights with Barcelona and Madrid, or to Strasbourg. From La Jonquera it is about 950 km by car via Lyon and Mulhouse. To tour the route the car is the most practical; without one, use Colmar as a base, with regional trains to Strasbourg and Mulhouse and buses to some villages, and hire a bike for the vineyards.

## Dónde está
- Zonas: Christmas markets of Europe
- Cerca: Black Forest (a 54.8 km · Germany)

## Qué hacer
- **The Wine Route by E-Bike, from Colmar to Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr** (5 h · Anyone who rides a bike; children with their own bike or seat · E-bike €30 half day and €45 a day · standard €18 and €25 (Alsa Cyclo Tours)): The prettiest villages on the Wine Route are a few kilometres from one another, among vines, and on an e-bike they link up effortlessly and without anyone having to drive after tasting. It is the best way to do Alsace without a car: you arrive in Colmar by train, pick up the bike next to the centre and head out into the vineyard.
Two routes that work
Colmar – Eguisheim – Colmar. Eguisheim is south of Colmar, a short bike ride away. It is the half-day route: you set out in the morning, walk the rings of streets in the village, taste at a caveau, have lunch and come back. If you prefer, pick up the bike directly at the Eguisheim agency.
Colmar – Turckheim – Kaysersberg – Riquewihr – Colmar. The full day, of about 40 km, heading north-west: Turckheim, Kaysersberg with its fortified bridge and its castle, lunch, and in the afternoon Riquewihr among the vines before returning to Colmar. On an e-bike the vineyard hills do not count. Alsa Cyclo Tours also has an agency in Kaysersberg.
The agency gives you routes of 15 to 70 km loaded in the Loopi app, which works without coverage. Ask for the one that follows farm tracks between vines and avoids the road.
Bike hire
Alsa Cyclo Tours has agencies in Colmar (5 rue du Chasseur), Eguisheim and Kaysersberg, with the same price at all: e-bike at €30 for half a day and €45 for the day, standard at €18 and €25. There are electric and standard bikes for children, baby seats and trailers. From April to October they open from 9:15 to 12:45 and from 14:15 to 17:45; Eguisheim closes on Mondays and Kaysersberg on Wednesdays. In winter, by reservation only.
Practical details
Book the e-bike in season, especially at weekends. Bring water and a waterproof. If you taste, share or spit: alcohol limits apply on a bike too. In December, with the Christmas markets, there are guided outings to Eguisheim and Turckheim.
- **Haut-Kœnigsbourg Castle, the Red-Stone Fortress above the Rhine Plain** (2 h · Everyone; children enjoy the ramparts and the weapons · €14 adult · €10 ages 6 to 17 and reduced (2025 rates) · free under 6): The Haut-Kœnigsbourg is the castle you see from half of Alsace: a red sandstone fortress at the top of a forested hill, at 755 metres, on the road between Sélestat and Ribeauvillé. From its ramparts you see the whole Rhine plain and, on a clear day, the Black Forest on the other side.
What you see
It is a medieval castle that was in ruins and was rebuilt in its entirety in the early 20th century on the orders of the German emperor Wilhelm II, when Alsace was German. The result is an idea of what a mountain castle must have been like: drawbridge, courtyards, the great keep, furnished rooms, the armoury with armour and weapons, the garden and the bastions with the cannons pointed at the valley. It is visited on your own, with an audio guide or on themed visits and events, such as the summer medieval and fantasy weekend.
Opening hours and prices
Open all year, with hours that change according to the season and some public holidays. In mid-November 2026 it opens from 9:30 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 17:00, and last admission is one hour before closing. In summer the hours are longer and continuous: check the day's calendar on the official website before going up.
The rates approved by the Collectivité européenne d'Alsace for 2025 are €14 for adults and €10 for ages 6 to 17 and the reduced rate; under-6s go in free. Evening visits and afternoon shows cost €16. Buy the ticket at the online ticket office on its website.
Getting there
By car, go up from Orschwiller or Kintzheim along a mountain road with parking next to the castle; from the car park to the castle there is a stretch on foot. Without a car, bus line 500 goes up from Sélestat station; check its timetable beforehand, because it does not run every day with the same frequency. If you are doing the day with children, combine with the Montagne des Singes, on the slope of the same hill.
- **Riquewihr on Foot, from the Dolder Gate to the Walls and the Vines** (2 h · Everyone · Walking is free · Dolder museum €3 · joint ticket with the Tour des Voleurs and the Maison de Vigneron €7 · accompanied under-15s, free): Riquewihr is the best-known village on the Wine Route: a sloping main street, half-timbered houses from the 16th and 17th centuries with their courtyards and iron signs, and vines that reach right up to the wall. It can be seen in a couple of hours on foot, and the best thing is to arrive early or stay until the afternoon, when the coaches leave.
The walk
Enter at the bottom, next to the town hall, and climb the rue du Général de Gaulle, the main street, looking at the courtyards and side passages. At the top is the Dolder, the 25-metre gate tower of 1291 that closed the town. Go through it and continue to the second gate and the Tour des Voleurs, the old prison. Return along the parallel alleys and by the wall, and go out at one side to the vines: from the slope you see the roofs of the whole village.
The Dolder museum
Inside the tower there is a museum, classified Musée de France, which tells how Riquewihr was fortified between the 13th and 17th centuries: the lords of Württemberg, the walls, the weapons of the citizen soldiers and the trade of the gatekeepers and night watchmen who lived in the tower. From the top you see the roofs, the plain and the Black Forest. It is open from 10:30 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 17:45: every day from 11 July to 30 August, and at weekends and on public holidays from 4 March to 30 June and from 1 September to 31 October. On Christmas market weekends it opens from 11:00 to 17:00. Entry costs €3; the joint ticket with the Tour des Voleurs and the Maison de Vigneron, €7; accompanied under-15s do not pay.
Practical details
Riquewihr is about 15 km from Colmar. The paid car parks are outside the walls: the centre is pedestrianised. With a dog, on a lead in the streets. In December the Christmas market fills the village, especially on Saturdays.
- **Eguisheim, the Village of Streets in a Circle around Its Castle** (1 h 30 · Everyone; flat streets · Free): Eguisheim was built in rings around its castle, and that is why its streets do not go straight anywhere: they go round. It is the easiest village on the Wine Route to walk, flat and small, about 7 km from Colmar, and one of the most photographed in Alsace. In 2013 a French television contest chose it as the French people's favourite village.
The walk
Start in the centre, on the place du Château Saint-Léon: the counts' castle, from the 13th century, the chapel dedicated to Pope Saint Leo IX, whom tradition has born here, and the fountain with its statue. From the square, head outwards and go all the way round the rue du Rempart, the outer ring, which follows the old wall: it is the street of leaning half-timbered houses, flower-covered balconies and curves that close in on themselves. The ring has a north stretch and a south one; do both. Then cut through the alleys towards the inside and look for the winery courtyards and their tasting caveaux.
In an hour and a half you have seen it unhurriedly, with time for a tasting and a coffee. From the outskirts, the path between vines that climbs the slope gives the view of the whole village, with the three towers of the ruined castles high in the Vosges.
When to go
Early or at the end of the afternoon: at midday the groups arrive. In December the Christmas market fills the castle square, and Saturdays are the busiest day. If you sleep in the village, you have it almost to yourself at night.
Getting there
By car from Colmar in a quarter of an hour; public parking costs about €5 a day, according to the village hotels. Without a car, by bike: Alsa Cyclo Tours has an agency in Colmar and in Eguisheim itself, and the way between the two is short.
- **Montagne des Singes, More than 200 Free-Roaming Macaques in the Kintzheim Forest** (2 h · Families with children of any age · Adult €12.50 at the ticket office or €12 online · ages 5 to 14 €8.50 or €8 online · under 5 free (2027)): La Montagne des Singes is the Alsace outing children do not forget: a forest on the slope of the Haut-Kœnigsbourg hill, in Kintzheim, where more than 200 Barbary macaques live free. You walk along a path among the trees and the monkeys move around you, on the ground and in the branches.
What the visit is like
You walk a circuit through the forest where the monkeys live free, beside the path. There are feedings with commentary by the keepers about every 45 minutes, in which they explain how they live and how the group is organised. The average visit lasts about two hours. It is a walk through the forest: bring comfortable shoes and, if you have a baby, ask beforehand about the pushchair.
Season, opening hours and prices
The park opens in spring and closes in November. For 2027 it publishes: from 20 March to 31 August, from 9:30 to 17:30; from 1 September to 14 November, from 10:00 to 17:00, closed from 8 to 10 November. It may close some days because of strong wind, as on 25 October 2026.
In 2027 adults pay €12.50 at the ticket office or €12 online, and ages 5 to 14, €8.50 or €8. Under-5s go in free. There is a reduced rate of €10.50 for students with proof and €6 for people with disabilities. Dogs and other animals are not admitted.
Getting there
It is at 1 chemin de la Montagne, in the place called Wick, in Kintzheim, near Sélestat and below the Haut-Kœnigsbourg. You get there by car in a few minutes from the wine route. Combine it with the castle on the same day: monkeys in the morning and ramparts in the afternoon.
- **Christmas Markets in Riquewihr and Eguisheim** (4 h · All ages · Free entry): The Alsace wine route has a winter of half-timbered villages and lights. Strasbourg and Colmar, which have no listing on Geocalia, host the most famous markets; Riquewihr and Eguisheim are the alternative with vineyards and fewer people.
Riquewihr
The Riquewihr market is in the historic centre, on Place Fernand Zeyer, from Friday 27 November to Sunday 20 December 2026. It opens Monday to Thursday 10:00 to 18:30, Friday 10:00 to 20:00 and at weekends 10:00 to 19:00. Entry is free; the evening guided tour "Wihnacht !" is paid, at €16.50 for adults and €10 for children aged 7 and over. Combine it with the walk around Riquewihr.
Eguisheim
The Eguisheim one runs from 27 November to 30 December, closed on 24, 25 and 26, and reopens on 27 December. It opens every day 10:00 to 19:00, and Monday to Thursday until 10 December, from 12:00. Entry is free. The rings of Eguisheim are the best walk, and the market blends into the concentric streets.
Getting there
From Colmar station, a Christmas shuttle (line 3) takes you to Eguisheim in about 20 minutes from 27 November to 20 December: €8 Monday to Thursday and €17 Friday to Sunday, with tickets online only from 12 November. The regular 830 bus does not run on Sundays. By car, the Mairie and Marronniers car parks cost €5 a day, and the Millénaire one is free according to the tourist office.
What you see and what you taste
Both are villages of narrow streets and half-timbered houses with Christmas decorations on the façades, and the stalls offer crafts, Christmas sweets, mulled wine and Alsace wines, which you can buy directly at the cellars along the streets. Riquewihr, surrounded by vines, is the more intimate; Eguisheim, with its concentric streets, is walked in circles and lets you see both markets in a single day if you organise yourself well.

## Dónde comer
- **Caveau d'Eguisheim** (Restaurant, Eguisheim · place du Château Saint-Léon, €€). Qué pedir: the three-meat baeckeoffe (€25) or the five-meat choucroute garnie (€22.50)
- **La Winstub du Chambard** (Restaurant, Kaysersberg · rue du Général de Gaulle, €€€). Qué pedir: the €42 Menu du Terroir with tarte à l'oignon and Le Chambard's choucroute royale
- **La Brendelstub** (Restaurant, Riquewihr · rue du Général de Gaulle, €€€). Qué pedir: the spit-roast ham with honey (€29) or the green knepfles with lemon

## Consejos

### Sleep in Colmar or a central village
From Colmar you have Eguisheim, Turckheim and Kaysersberg within twenty minutes. That way you do two or three villages a day without changing hotel.

### Villages in the morning, cellars in the afternoon
The villages are best seen early, before the groups; tastings, after lunch.

### Ask about the village's grand cru
Almost every village has one beside it. Tasting the wine and then climbing that hillside helps you understand the difference.

### Check the winter hours
From January to March some cellars, restaurants and shops have reduced hours or are closed.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How many days do I need for the Alsace Wine Route?
Three for the central part around Colmar, four if you add the north or Strasbourg.

### Do I need to book tastings?
At family cellars with a caveau, no: you walk in during opening hours. For cellar visits or groups, yes.

### What is the best base?
Colmar, for its station, its hotels and how close Eguisheim, Kaysersberg and Riquewihr are.

### Can it be done without a car?
In part. Colmar has a train and some villages have a bus, but between the cellars the most practical thing is a bike.

### When are the Christmas markets?
From late November until Christmas or a few days after, depending on the village. Check each one's dates when you book.

### What wines are made in Alsace?
Mainly dry single-variety whites, sparkling crémant, light pinot noir reds and sweet wines, with 51 grands crus.