Tour d’Horizon in the Kaysersberg valley

DAY 1

Welcome to KAYSERSBERG, a medieval town dominated by the imposing imperial castle. Its cobbled streets lined with half-timbered houses and historical monuments are full of charm. It is the birthplace of Doctor Albert SCHWEITZER, Nobel Peace Prize in 1952

DAY 2

We leave the vineyard by way of the Toggenbach, a pretty wooded valley, to cross a magnificent forest. We stop at the chapel of Saint Alexis: a legend tells that the young girls who pull the bell and go round it 3 times get married in the year. We’re going to green canton. It takes its name from the landscapes that make it up: rolling high plateaus, meadows, forests and hills. We arrive in LAPOUTROIE, a green commune surrounded by meadows and forest and known for its delicious brandies and its famous Munster cheese. (6h/20km/+750m/-540m)

DAY 3

On the third day, our hiking circuit takes us to the Brézouard massif, summit of the Vosges massif and northern limit of the Hautes Vosges (1229 m of altitude) from where we have several magnificent panoramas on the whole massif and the plain of Alsace. We continue our way by the Bagenelles, to finish our day of hiking in BONHOMME, a charming mountain village. (6h/14km/+810m/-550m)

DAY 4

The tour leads us to the pond of Devin, a marsh that abounds in floral varieties and rare species. It is a wild and protected place whose atmosphere immediately seduces. We continue our itinerary in the direction of the Tête Des Faux, a summit that takes its name from the beech forest (Fau in old French) that covered it. We can see ancient remains dating back to the 1914 war because this place was a front line during the First World War. We continue on our way to the impressive site of Lac Blanc, a high altitude lake embedded in a glacial cirque at about 1050 meters above sea level and dominated by the strange “Hans” rock. We arrive in ORBEY, the land of a thousand streams, at the foot of the blue line of the Vosges. (6h/16km/+530m/-690m)

DAY 5

Direction the trembling stone, a monument related to the cult of the druids. We then climb to the ruins of the castle of the Little Hohnack dating from the 11th century. Formerly one of the most beautiful fortresses in Alsace, this medieval castle is the highest in the Vosges mountains and culminates at 940 m altitude. We then arrive in LABAROCHE, a small and very picturesque mountain village. (4h/12km/+450m/-200m)

DAY 6

The tour starts at TROIS EPIS, a famous pilgrimage since the 15th century with a grandiose panorama over the Alsace plain; then we return to the vineyards via TURCKHEIM, a typical village renowned for its rich historical center. We end our hike in NIEDERMORSCHWIHR, a charming little wine village, nestled in the middle of the vineyards, known as “Morswilre” since 1148. It has a rare architectural curiosity: the bell tower with a twisted roof of its church, dating from the 12th century. (4h/12km/+210m/-680m)

DAY 7

End of the stay after breakfast.