Ruin to visit Girsberg Castle

Located on the Wine Route, between the vineyards and mountains, half-way between Strasbourg and Mulhouse, Ribeauvillé is an attractive town with 5000 inhabitants, which has combined its historical heritage with modernity. The town and neighbouring hills are dominated by the majestic ruins of the Three Castles of the Lords of Ribeaupierre. The Grand-Rue (main street) and its picturesque neighbouring streets, lined with 15th- to 18th-century buildings (flowered in season), are scattered with Renaissance fountain-decorated squares. Many buildings are worth a visit, including the Town Hall with its prestigious collection of silver drinking-cups, the Butchers' Tower (13th century), the former Corn Exchange, the House of the Fiddlers, etc. In addition to the tourist train, free guided tours of the old town and Town Hall are organised daily (except on Mondays and Saturdays) from May to October. A local metropolis The vineyards, which have been in existence since the Middle Ages, enable many winegrowers as well as the wine cooperative to offer visits to their cellars and tastings, in particular of the three Grands Crus, Geisberg, Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé and Osterberg. The range of services available and variety of shops make Ribeauvillé an outstanding point of attraction. Its dynamic cultural life is internationally renowned, with the Spring Market, the Kougelhopf Festival (in early May), the Wine Fair (end of July), the Fiddlers' Fair (first Sunday in September), the Festival of Ancient Music (October), the Mediaeval Christmas Market, etc. A wonderful climate With its 'Green Holiday Resort' and 'Climatic Resort' labels, awarded in recognition of the qualitry of its environment, Ribeauvillé has a high-quality infrastructure of hotels and offers a varied range of bed-and-breakfast rooms and furnished accommodation, two campsites, including one four-star site (new standards), many excellent restaurants, an open-air swimming-pool and a sports complex (gymnasium, indoor pool, stadium). A spa-cum-casino will shortly be added to these already considerable resources. Ribeauvillé combines the advantages of a town with the charm of a winegrowing village.

Between the Route des Vins (the Wine Road) and the Pays Welche, the itinerary takes the cyclist along a quiet hillside road, then turns toward the West to enter into a valley marked by Celtic, Roman, and Medieval history as well as boasting architectural wonders from the Rhineland Renaissance. Even if the Alsace dialect is usually spoken in the vineyard, the Roman dialect is still heard in the Pays Welche.