Biker-Friendly Places to Stay in Vosges & Alsace

Les Bagenelles is an auberge with a restaurant at La Petite Liepvre, near Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, about 3 km from the Col des Bagenelles. From the col, the road runs south to the Col du Bonhomme, about 7 km away in a straight line, where the Route des Cretes begins. Haut-Koenigsbourg is about 15 km away and Colmar about 22 km. Bikes are garaged, you can ask for route descriptions, and the restaurant means no ride out for dinner.

Gite Les Tronces is in Barbey-Seroux, a small village in the Vosges hills between Gerardmer and Corcieux. Gerardmer and its lake are a short ride away, and from there the Col de la Schlucht leads up to the Route des Cretes, covered in our Vosges guide. The owner is a biker and will happily point you to good roads. Garage space is not on record; ask before arriving. A gite is self-catering, which suits riders who like to cook for themselves or travel in a small group.

Pension Auto-Motoranch is a guesthouse in Prey, a village near Bruyeres in the Vosges, west of Gerardmer. The forest roads here are quiet, and the high Vosges, with the Col de la Schlucht and the Route des Cretes covered in our Vosges guide, are within an hour. There is a garage for the bikes. The name suggests a house for people who like engines, and it sits in a part of the Vosges that sees fewer visitors than the lakes and ridge roads further east. Check meal arrangements when you book.

Au Bois le Sire is a hotel-motel on the rue Charles-de-Gaulle in Orbey, in the Weiss valley on the Alsace side of the Vosges. The Col du Bonhomme is about 6 km away in a straight line and the Col des Bagenelles about 9 km, so the Route des Cretes begins almost at the door. Colmar and the wine villages are about 16 km away. The motel set-up suits riders, and bikes have a garage.

Le Touring is a hotel and restaurant on the Haut-Koenigsbourg road in Thannenkirch, a forest village about 4 km from the castle. The wine villages of Ribeauville and Riquewihr are just below, and the Col des Bagenelles and the Col du Bonhomme, about 14 to 16 km away in a straight line, lead to the Route des Cretes. Le Touring's owner rides and runs guided outings, there are written routes, and a garage for the bikes.

Chez Morel is a guest house on the edge of Plombieres-les-Bains, a small spa town in the southern Vosges. The roads south-east to the Ballon d'Alsace and the Col de Bussang, and north-east to Remiremont and Gerardmer, are a good way into the high Vosges. Bikes sleep in a garage, and the hosts suggest routes. As a chambre d'hote, breakfast is the main meal; Plombieres has restaurants for the evening.

La Tulipe offers guest rooms with a shared evening meal on the Le Tholy road in Champdray, a village in the western Vosges about 9 km in a straight line from Gerardmer. The roads here climb through pine forest and over small cols, and the Col de la Schlucht, about 19 km away, is the gateway to the Route des Cretes and the Grand Ballon. Parking for bikes is not on record, so agree it with the hosts.

Hotel Restaurant Kleiber is on the Grand Rue in Saint-Jean-Saverne, a village under the northern Vosges, about 3 km from Saverne. The owner rides, leads guided rides and offers route descriptions, and bikes go in a garage. The forest roads of the Northern Vosges regional park and the climb over the Col de Saverne are close, and the Route des Vins and the high Vosges crests lie to the south, about 60 to 80 km away in a straight line. The restaurant takes care of dinner.

Moto-Hotel Col de Bussang is right on the Col de Bussang, the pass on the N66 between the Moselle valley in Lorraine and the Thur valley in Alsace, close to the source of the Moselle. The Ballon d'Alsace is a short ride west, and the southern end of the Route des Cretes, covered in our Vosges guide, is close. Run by a rider, it has garage space for bikes and route advice for the ridge. A natural base for the southern Vosges, with fast pass roads and wooded valleys on both sides.

Motorhotel La Mouche is near Le Clerjus, in the Voge area of the western Vosges, between Xertigny and Plombieres-les-Bains. This side of the Vosges is lower and quieter than the high ridge, with long forest roads and little traffic, and the high Vosges and the Route des Cretes are about an hour east. A garage keeps the bikes safe, and the owner rides as well. The name makes clear riders are the target guest. A good first night if you are crossing France from the west or north towards Alsace or Switzerland.

Hotel de la Grande Cascade is on the Col de Bonnefontaine road at Le Tholy, in the western Vosges, close to the Tendon waterfalls. Gerardmer and its lake are about 14 km away in a straight line, and the Schlucht pass, on the crest road, about 24 km. The roads around Le Tholy run through forest and over small cols, with little traffic. There is a garage, and route descriptions are available.

Bellevue is in Ban-sur-Meurthe-Clefcy, in the upper Meurthe valley near Fraize and Plainfaing, in the heart of the Vosges. The Col du Bonhomme, where our Route des Cretes guide begins, is about 10 km away, and the Col de la Schlucht and Gerardmer are close. That puts the high ridge road within minutes. Bike parking is not listed, so check with the hosts. The valley is quiet and green, with Alsace and its wine villages just over the pass to the east.

Hotel Restaurant Majestik is on the rue Thierry Schoere in Trois-Epis, a village high on the hillside above Turckheim and Colmar, which is about 10 km away in a straight line. The Route des Vins runs through the villages below, and the road west through Munster climbs to the Col de la Schlucht, about 16 km away, on the Route des Cretes. The Col du Bonhomme is about 12 km. The restaurant feeds you in the evening. Ask about bike parking before arrival.