The Route du Vin in Alsace is the class of wine routes in France. It was laid out in the 1950s, though that would imply that it is an obvious road, which it is not. It is quite easy to become lost along the Wine Route, but that, as it turns out, is part of the fun (well it was for me!).

Most travelers have a specific schedule, and so will stay for a few days in one place. While Strasbourg is one of the great cities of Europe, and merits a couple of days exploration, it doesn't provide great access to the rest of Alsace. There are many points along the Route du Vin that would be excellent for their combination of excellent accommodations and central locations with easy access to the rest of Alsace (and Lorraine, for that matter). They are, from north to south:

• Andlau
• Dambach-la-Ville
• Kintzheim
• St.-Hippolyte
• Bergheim
• Ribeauvillé
• Riquewihr
• Kientzheim
• Kaysersberg
• Colmar
• Turckheim
• Eguisheim

Other notable places to stay include:

• Obernai
• Niedermorschwihr
• Gueberschwihr
• Rouffach
• Thann

The Route du Vin offers one of the finest bicycle tours in Europe, and can be easily done on your own, or with a tour group of about twenty riders (with all overnight stops planned for you). Of course, with the time-warp villages filled with wine every few kilometers, it can quickly become more difficult to keep your head from swimming than to keep up with the peloton, so bring lots of water!  It is also easier on a bicycle, if only because access is easier for bicycles than cars:  driving is prohibited in many of the villages.  You just park your car on the outskirts (and the villages are small so outskirts is strong) and walk in.

The wine route overview is divided into the two départements:

• The Bas-Rhin
• The Haut-Rhin

Please share your Route du Vin experiences on our forum.

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