BR88 From the Wine Road to the "Ried" area

The tour begins with an incursion into the vineyards. From Kogenheim, head west. Crossing a forest, the cyclist enjoys a lovely panoramic view of the vineyards. Hillsides and wine-growing villages alternate from Itterswiller to the foot of Haut-Koenigsbourg. Further on, Sélestat marks the entrance to the Grand Ried, a region of forests and wet meadows. The route leads to the banks of the Rhine. The Véloroute Rhin - EuroVelo 15, which runs parallel to the Rhône-au-Rhin canal, takes you back to the starting point. In Epfig, the chapel of Sainte Marguerite is one of the jewels of Romanesque art in Alsace. Dambach-la-Ville is home to the 13th-century chapel of Saint-Sébastien. Châtenois and its ramparts are well worth a visit. Further afield, Sélestat, home to the prestigious Humanist Library, is also an important stop on the Route Romane d'Alsace, with the church of Sainte-Foy. To the east of Sélestat, the Grand Ried, home of the Matelote, offers a unique landscape of alternating marshes, reeds, wet meadows and groves where rare plant species have found refuge. The Maison de la Nature in Muttersholtz and its barefoot trail will delight young and old alike. At the end of the trail, the historic church of Baldenheim, the flower-filled village of Diebolsheim and the pilgrimage from Neunkirch to Friesenheim await the visitor.