German-French cycling pleasure tour: Orchard fruit tour

Our tips for 3-day routes:

Southern Palatinate stage: The starting point of the route is the fortress town of Landau in the Palatinate. From here, it goes via the Queichtal cycle path to Siebeldingen and along the edge of the Haardt into the Palatinate Forest to Annweiler am Trifels. Through the Palatinate Forest, the route leads back to the Southern Wine Route near Klingenmünster. Between vineyards, it goes from here via Erlenbach near Kandel to the Rhine plain. Along the Rhine, you cycle on to Germersheim. Returning via the Rhine plain towards the edge of the Haardt, the route leads back to Landau.

Alsace circular tour: Wissembourg is the starting point of this stage tour. Through the French part of the biosphere reserve Palatinate Forest-North Vosges, the route passes through the villages of Betschdorf and Soufflenheim to the Rhine. At Drusenheim (France), you take the ferry across the Rhine and thus reach Greffern (Germany). From here, it continues north to Plittersdorf (Germany), where you again cross the Rhine by ferry, this time to Seltz on the French side of the Rhine. Now the tour follows the Lauter back to Wissembourg.

Black Forest-Kraichgau stage: Ettlingen is the starting point of this stage tour. Via Waldbronn, the tour leads to the Melanchthon city of Bretten. From Bretten, it runs via Flehingen to Ubstadt-Weiher. Past Bad Schönborn and Philippsburg, it continues on to the Rhine. Now you cycle south along the Rhine and via Rheinstetten back to Ettlingen.

Route description of the entire tour from Lauterbourg (France):

From the Old Customs House in Lauterbourg, go to Mothern (Busch distillery) and continue following the EuroVelo15 cycle path (signposting EV15) to Seltz (organic farm Fitterer and orchard). Take the Rhine ferry in Seltz to Plittersdorf (Germany).

> An annual fruit-growers market and jam-making workshop take place in Seltz.

On the German side, continue on the Rhine cycle path EuroVelo15 in a southerly direction past Iffezheim to the Greffern (Germany) - Drusenheim (France) ferry.

You have 2 options here:

Option 1: You take the ferry from Greffern (Germany) to Drusenheim (France) and continue along the orchard meadow tour.

Option 2 / > Excursion: Instead of crossing to France by ferry, take a small circular route (approx. 45 km) in the Lichtenau region between Bühl and Achern. Here there are many farm shops inviting you to visit and shop, giving this circular tour its name: farm shop tour/Dwarf tour. Enjoy charming cultural landscapes and tasty regional products. The "farm shop tour/Dwarf tour" passes through seven small towns and villages, past many farm shops. The path is especially suitable for families due to the mostly flat, primarily asphalted and low-traffic route. Starting from Lichtenau (farm shop Querfeldein), cycle towards Moos (Margot's Paradise), Zell (Zeller Mühle Huber GmbH), and through Ottersweier (Seifermann's farm) to Haft (Mühlenhof, Höß orchard farm, Laufbachhof, Engelmeier orchard farm). Then through Sasbach and Sasbachried. From here the loop continues via Großweier, Gamshurst, Memprechtshofen, Muckenschopf, and Scherzheim back to Lichtenau and again to the Greffern (Germany) - Drusenheim (France) ferry on the Rhine.

Further route description from the Greffern (Germany)-Drusenheim (France) ferry:

Now cross the Rhine with the ferry. From Drusenheim, drive on RD429. At the roundabout, turn towards Haguenau (sign IC 23). Take the cycle path between Rohrwiller and Oberhoffen/Moder, then between Oberhoffen and Kaltenhouse. In Kaltenhouse, go straight towards Haguenau. Follow the sign "IC 23" to Haguenau.

In Haguenau, cycle along the "Boulevard Hanauer" towards the station. From there, continue on the street "Porte de Wissembourg" along the small river Moder. At the roundabout, continue straight along the Moder. Pass through the "Parc à Gauche" and reach the road to Schirrhein.

Follow the signposts "Panneaux itinéraire Parc Rhénan – Circuit Sud". Turn right onto the main street, then left onto "Rue de Sachsenhausen". Finally, turn left into Route de Soufflenheim and right into "Rue de l'Ours."

Follow the direction "Gros Chêne 2" (Route forestière du Krummstein). Arriving at the Gros Chêne (a large oak tree in a forest clearing), continue towards Betschdorf following the sign "IC 24/25". Take the "Route forestière de Heuscheur." At Carrefour-Parade (a junction with remains of the Maginot line), continue towards Betschdorf following the sign "IC 24."

In Betschdorf, turn left onto the cycle path to Woerth (IC 52). Turn right onto "Rue du Moulin" towards Schwabwiller.

In Schwabwiller, go straight on RD199 towards Reimerswiller, then Hohwiller. In Hohwiller, head to Soultz-sous-Forêt on RD28 (cycle path).

In Soultz-sous-Forêt, head towards "centre-ville" on RD264 along the cycle path. Go straight and then turn left into "rue des frères Muntz." Continue towards Ritschwiller, Memmelshoffen, and then Keffenach on RD170. In Keffenach, turn left onto RD65, then right onto RD152 towards Birlenbach. In Birlenbach, turn left onto RD152 towards Drachenbronn.

Continue in Drachenbronn towards Cleebourg, then Rott, and Wissembourg on RD77. When arriving in Wissembourg, turn left and cycle along the Lauter on Boulevard Clemenceau to the swimming pool parking lot. Turn right and cycle along the Lauter on "Faubourg de Bitche," then "Quai du 22 Novembre." Turn left into "Rue du Marché aux poissons" and continue on "Rue Bahnacker," then leave Wissembourg heading towards "Windhof."

Here the route changes from Alsace to the Palatinate. On the "Kraut und Rübenradweg" it goes via Schweigen (winemakers and distilleries) and Steinfeld (cactus land) along the Viehstrich to Minfeld (village market Schossberghof), Kandel (farm market Zapf), and Erlenbach (market stall Familie Schöning).

> An annual Open Farm Day takes place in the Kandel collective municipality.

In Erlenbach, the route changes from "Kraut und Rübenradweg" to the cycle path "From Riesling to Zander" to Steinweiler (village shop) and then passes Rosenhof (winemaker and distillery) to Billigheim on the Klingbach cycle path. Along the Klingbach, it then goes via Klingenmünster (Stiftsgut Keysermühle), Silz, and Gossersweiler-Stein to Völkersweiler (Josefshof, farm shop with Galloway products and orchard juice).

> An annual farm festival takes place at Josefshof in Völkersweiler.

Then it continues to Annweiler am Trifels and on the Queichtal cycle path to Landau (a small detour to Frankweiler, Southern Palatinate juice). At the market square (market twice a week), the market route to Ramberg and Dernbach begins. In earlier times, villagers brought their orchard fruit on this route for sale to the Landau market.

On the "Queichtal cycle path" to Bellheim (potato farm Böhm), then further on the "Kraut und Rüben Radweg" to Zeiskam (stylish shop, vegetable cultivation Braun), Westheim (estate Holzmühle) and Schwegenheim (Merkelhof, farm Sonnenfeld, farm Manger, farm shop Hellmann).

Via the Rheinhausen bicycle ferry, the tour changes from the Palatinate to the Baden side.

On the "Schönborn route," you pass through the Hardtwald. With a brief detour past Philippsee, the route leads to the "Kraich cycle path," which leads into the Kraich valley. Through the villages Unteröwisheim (Zumbach juices, winery Härdle, distillery de Bortoli), Münzesheim (winery Klenert), and Gochsheim (bakery museum with chocolate tour), you cycle to Flehingen (Luisenhof). From there, follow the "Panorama tour" to Bretten (Melanchthon café, Café Hesselbacher). Further on the "Panorama tour," the route leads into the Bretten districts of Rinklingen and Dürrenbüchig. Here continue on the "ÖkoRegio Tour" via Wössingen (farm shop Unterweger) to Walzbachtal. Then head south via Pfinztal to Grünwettersbach to the Waldbronn orchard meadows.

Shortly after the outskirts of Grünwettersbach, the route immediately goes steeply uphill onto the fields. At the signpost "Am Zehntpfad" first turn left, then at the next opportunity turn right and enter Busenbach onto Friedhofstraße. Over Ettlinger Straße to Reichenbacher Straße. Pass through this entirely and at the end turn right onto Ostendstraße. At the roundabout take the first exit onto Talstraße. At the next roundabout take the second exit and follow Bergstraße until it becomes Gisela-und-Hans-Ruland-Straße. Turn left to ride along the forest edge in the direction of Reichenbach.

Continue on Busenbacher Straße, and at the end of the street turn right and ride a short distance along K3561.

Then turn onto Pforzheimer Straße. After the spa house, turn right into Etzenroter Straße. With a short detour over field paths to the barbecue area on Etzenroter Straße, then continue on the Baden-Württemberg cycle path network, past the S-Bahn stop "Reichenbach Kurpark" to Herrenalber Straße.

After the "Busenbach Bahnhof" bus stop, cross the tracks to cycle along Pforzheimer Straße and on the left along the industrial area "Spinnerei," then turn left and go through the factory buildings to reach the other side of the valley.

On the Graf-Rhena path, go along the railway line to Waldstraße.

Continue on Schöllbronner Straße, past the Albgau outdoor pool. Turn right into Luisenstraße. Then left along the Alb river and Pforzheimer Straße to Albstraße. Follow Albstraße through to the intersection Albstraße/Kronenstraße/Marktstraße. Left over the Rathausbrücke, through the gate arch. From Ettlingen market square, follow briefly the Rhine Valley cycle path/Ortenau path to Badener Tor Straße.

Cross the street here and continue past Erbprinz Ettlingen along Rastatter Straße. Before the large intersection, turn right and continue along Goethestraße, which becomes Einsteinstraße. Turn right and cycle along the Malscher Landgraben to L607. Turn right here.

Cross Rudolf-Plank-Straße at the traffic light intersection and continue on the Baden-Württemberg cycle path network towards Rheinstetten.

At Rheinstetten, follow the Rhine southwards and take the Rhine ferry at Lauterbourg back to the French side to the starting point of the orchard fruit tour.