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What does the Alsace Wine Route map look like, and what are the distances?
In brief
The Alsace Wine Route runs 170 kilometres, from Marlenheim in the north to Thann in the south, through 120 wine-growing communes. Nobody drives it in one go: the most visited villages sit 5 to 15 kilometres apart, ten to twenty minutes of driving, and it is the time spent in the villages, not on the road, that fills the day. Three sections structure it, each fitting into half a day.
Looking for the Wine Route map is almost never about looking at a line on paper: it is about knowing what fits into a day. The map does not answer that, because the kilometres mislead: between two villages the drive takes ten minutes, the visit takes two hours. Here is the route, the three sections, the real distances between the known stops, and how to turn them into a plan.
The route as a mental map
The Wine Route follows the Vosges foothills from north to south, on a strip a few kilometres wide between the plain and the mountains. It starts at Marlenheim, twenty kilometres west of Strasbourg, and ends at Thann, on the edge of Mulhouse: 170 kilometres, 120 wine-growing communes, created in 1953, the oldest wine route in France. On the ground it is signposted throughout by brown signs carrying a stylised bunch of grapes, which makes the paper map incidental once you are there. The article on where the Wine Route starts covers both ends.
Three sections, three half-days
The map becomes readable as soon as you cut it in three. Each section fits into half a day of visiting, never exceeding forty minutes of cumulative driving:
- The north, from Marlenheim to Barr, through Molsheim, Rosheim, Obernai and Mittelbergheim. It is the section closest to Strasbourg, the least busy, and the home ground of Mittelbergheim Sylvaner.
- The centre, from Dambach-la-Ville to Colmar, through Ribeauvillé, Hunawihr, Riquewihr, Kientzheim and Kaysersberg. This is the tourist core: the highest density of listed villages, and the summer traffic that comes with it.
- The south, from Colmar to Thann, through Eguisheim, Rouffach, Guebwiller and Soultz. The slopes widen, and the Rangen grand cru of Thann closes the route on the steepest hillside in Alsace.
The real distances between stops
These are the figures a map never gives quickly enough. Times assume normal driving off season, and should be increased by ten to fifteen minutes on summer Saturdays and in December:
- Strasbourg to Marlenheim: about 20 km, 25 minutes.
- Obernai to Barr: about 10 km, a quarter of an hour.
- Sélestat to Ribeauvillé: about 18 km, 20 minutes.
- Ribeauvillé to Riquewihr: about 5 km, 8 minutes. The two villages can see each other across the vines.
- Riquewihr to Kaysersberg: about 10 km, a quarter of an hour.
- Kaysersberg to Colmar: about 12 km, 20 minutes.
- Colmar to Eguisheim: about 7 km, 12 minutes.
- Eguisheim to Rouffach: about 12 km, a quarter of an hour.
- Strasbourg to Colmar by motorway: about 70 km, 50 minutes, with not a single village on the way.
What the map does not show
The trap of the route fits in one sentence: driving time is not visiting time. A village like Riquewihr or Eguisheim needs an hour and a half on foot, a cellar tasting takes three quarters of an hour, a winstub lunch an hour and a half. Add it up: beyond four villages in a day you are only passing through. The useful unit is not the kilometre, it is the stop. Three stops and a meal fill a day without rushing. That is the arithmetic set out in how many days for the Wine Route.
Where to find the official map
The tourist offices of Strasbourg, Obernai, Ribeauvillé, Colmar and Guebwiller hand out the folding map of the itinerary free of charge, with the communes and the grands crus. The Alsace wine trade board publishes the same outline online. On the road, the signage is enough not to get lost. For navigation, aim for the next village rather than the route itself: apps tend to send you onto the RN83, the parallel dual carriageway that is quick and shows nothing.
Turning the map into a plan
Half a day covers two neighbouring villages and one cellar, usually on the central section. A day covers three or four with lunch, which means a thirty-kilometre stretch, no more. Two days allow two sections in a row, and the detailed plan is in the Wine Route in 2 days. One constraint the map ignores remains: tasting and driving do not go together. The tours with a driver settle that by removing the wheel from the equation, and the planner builds the route from the villages you pick.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Alsace Wine Route?
170 kilometres, from Marlenheim in the Bas-Rhin to Thann in the Haut-Rhin, through 120 wine-growing communes. It is the oldest wine route in France, created in 1953.
Can you drive the whole Wine Route in one day?
By car without stopping, yes, in three hours. With visits, no: beyond four villages the day turns into a string of car parks. One day comfortably covers a thirty-kilometre stretch.
What are the distances between the best-known villages?
Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr are 5 kilometres apart, Riquewihr and Kaysersberg 10, Kaysersberg and Colmar 12, Colmar and Eguisheim 7. The whole tourist core fits within a fifteen-kilometre radius.
In which direction should you drive the Wine Route?
It makes no difference, the itinerary is signposted both ways. The choice follows the starting point: from Strasbourg you head south, from Colmar or Mulhouse you head north.
Where do you get the Wine Route map?
Free of charge at the tourist offices of Strasbourg, Obernai, Ribeauvillé, Colmar and Guebwiller, and online from the Alsace wine trade board. On site, the brown grape signs are enough.
Is the Wine Route well signposted?
Yes, from end to end, by brown signs with a stylised bunch of grapes. The thing to watch is the GPS, which readily suggests the RN83, faster but with no villages at all.
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