Description
THIS PACKAGE FOR 6 INCLUDES:
- 6 nights lodging in select hotels
- Private tour guide
- Touring bike rental
- 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches and 5 dinners
- Local wine tastings
- All museums and castle entry fees
- Local transfer from train station to hotel
- Hotel-to-hotel baggage transfer
This one-of-a-kind bicycle trip in the Colmar region of Alsace France is designed for a group that can comfortably ride 30 to 40 miles a day on back roads with the occasional hill climb. Electric assist bikes are available at an additional cost for those who find these distances a little too chalennging. Wind through the heart of the Alsace wine country and Medieval villages and experience how local French families live. Spend the night in quaint boutique hotels, feast on delicious French food and visit cultural and historical sites unique to the area.
PRIVATE BICYCLE TRIP ITINERARY
Day 1: Trois Epis Catch the high-speed train from Paris Charles De Gaulle airport (CDG) or from Gare de l?est in center of Paris to Colmar through Strasbourg where you will be picked up and transferred to the Hotel Alexain. That evening enjoy a welcome dinner hosted by the tour operator?s French family at their family home (your guide happens to be a professional gourmet French Chef when he isn?t guiding bike tours).
Day 2: Trois Epis to Trois Epis After breakfast, ride a 25-mile loop and travel through the picturesque landscapes surrounding Trois Epis. This 2000 foot vertical gain offers views of rich pasture land, forests and you will tour the Le Linge World War I battlefield at the top of the first climb. Lunch at a popular restaurant Ferme Auberges restaurant before returning to the Trois Epis. Spend the rest of the afternoon on your own or take a short hike to the monument above Trois Epis called ?Le Galtz?. Experience a wine tasting at Boxler Cellar in the small Alsatian village, Niedermorschwirh. Boxler Cellar has been in the region for seven generations and in 2007 was awarded ?The Best Reisling in the World.? Afterward, we will dine at the authentic ?Caveau? across the street from the cellar called Les Chevaliers de Malt for authentic Alsacian cuisine.
Day 3: Trois Epis to Ribeauville Ride through vineyards and the medieval villages of Riquewirh and Bergheim and experience a quaint lunch in Bergheim. Afterward, choose between a 2000-foot climb to the spectacular Haut Koenigsbourg castle or take a tour by car up to the castle. Enjoy 2 nights at Hotel de La Tour and dine at one of the lovely restaurants in town.
Day 4: Ribeauville to Ribeauville Ride through the lovely plains of Alsace (stopping at the Maginot Line Memorial), across the Rhine river and into the Kaiserstuhl region of Germany. Wind through German vineyards and then enjoy lunch in the lovely town of Burkheim. This day has almost no vertical gain but it is a long 40-mile day. Dinner that evening will be on your own.
Day 5: Ribeauville to Eguisheim Ride approximately 20 miles on the old Roman route, which has been made into a lovely bike path to the town of Kintzheim. Visit a museum about the region?s history of wine making. Traverse by bike through the vinyards to the ancient walled city of Turkheim for lunch and spend two nights at the Hostellerie du Chateau in the town of Eguisheim. For those looking for a bigger ride that day, the Route de Cinq Chateaux is a quiet forested road with a 2000 foot vertical climb with views of Eguisheim, one of Alsace?s most beautiful villages. Enjoy dinner at one of the quaint restaurants.
Day 6: Eguisheim to Eguisheim On Day 6, the group can choose from two rides. The first option is to bike to the top of Grand Ballon (4200 feet) - a challenging, 3000 plus foot climb - and visit the famous Routes des Cretes along the crest of the Vosges Mountains. This 70-mile loop is not for the faint at heart! For the group looking for something a little less strenuous, tour La Valle du Munster and take a 40-mile ride to the gorgeous pastoral valley to the foot of the Vosges Mountains. Enjoy a picnic lunch with goodies picked up that morning from the Turkheim Farmers Market. That evening, tour the streets and canals of Colmar and then dine at a local favorite restaurant.
Day 7: Departure After breakfast you will be driven to the train station in Colmar.
Item Special Note
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Only available dates for 2018: May 27-June 2; June 3-9; July 1-7; July 8-14 Only available dates for 2019: May 26-June 1; June 2-8; June 30-July 6; July 7-13 All trip reservations are based upon space availability. Changes or Cancellations made 90 days or more prior to arrival are allowable. Change Fees may apply as determined by the property. Changes or Cancellations made within 90 days of arrival will forfeit the reservation and all monies paid. Travel must be completed within one year from date of event.
Once package has been paid for by Non Profit, winner will receive a Bid Winner Booking Form from the Non Profit via e-mail with instructions on how to redeem your travel. Please allow up to (3) weeks to receive your certificate. All packages are non-returnable, non-refundable and non-exchangeable.
Bidder is reponsible for shipping and handling fees, which will be added to the winning bid amount. Items will be shipped via USPS and billed at standard industry rates.