À vélo pour une boucle dans le Grand-Est
Quoi de mieux un peu avant la nouvelle année que d’aller rouler à la découverte des villes du Grand Est ! Au départ de Nancy, partez à l’aventure sur les routes, canaux et pistes cyclables pour explorer le canal de la Marne au Rhin, la Voie des vignes, Entre Rhin et Loire à Vélo, le Chemin vert / la Trace du Courlis et la magnifique Voie Bleue. Un parcours de plus de 700 km, majoritairement sur voies cyclables et petites routes, idéal pour une première aventure au long cours.
- Départ : Nancy ou Strasbourg
- Distance : ~ 721 kilomètres
- Sens du parcours : horaire mais possible aussi dans l'autre sens ;-D
- Balisage : boucle vélo 100% balisée dans les 2 sens / empruntant plusieurs véloroutes
- Le canal de la Marne au Rhin - V52 : Nancy > Strasbourg
- EuroVelo 5 Moselle / Alsace - la Voie des vignes : Strasbourg > Colmar > Mulhouse
- Entre Rhin et La Loire à Vélo : Mulhouse > Montbéliard > Roulans
- Le Chemin vert / la Trace du Courlis : Roulans > Vesoul
- La Voie Bleue Moselle / Saône à vélo : Vesoul > Nancy
Sur la future véloroute Paris Strasbourg
De Nancy à Strasbourg, le canal de la Marne au Rhin s'inscrit dans l’ébauche de la très attendue véloroute 52 entre Paris et Strasbourg. Une parenthèse vélocipédique enchantée qui sinue doucement le long des vallées du Sânon et de la Zorn. De la place Stanislas à Nancy, avec des détours touristiques incontournables par Lunéville, Sarrebourg et Saverne, et une belle arrivée jusqu’à la Petite France à Strasbourg, voilà une belle entrée en matière pour cette boucle !
À l’aplomb oriental du massif des Vosges
Changement d'atmosphère avec cette nouvelle étape de notre parcours qui file plein sud à travers le piémont des Vosges sur La Route des Vins d'Alsace. C’est ici l’agréable litanie des Grands Crus d’Alsace avec une véloroute qui évolue à flanc de montagne. Une suite où défilent ruines de châteaux, villages fleuris, abbayes romanes, mer de vignes et vergers... Mulhouse marque la fin de cette enivrante section où on retrouve la célébrissime EuroVelo 6.
Encore un changement de cap, en direction de l'ouest après Mulhouse, c’est désormais la fragrance Entre Rhin et Loire à vélo qui domine le long du rectiligne Canal du Rhône au Rhin. Puis c’est un changement de décor et de géométrie à Montbéliard, où le Doubs se fait alors fil conducteur plus ondoyant. Hérissé de hautes roches karstiques, dans une nature sauvage, on s’évade de la vallée du Doubs et de l’EuroVelo 6 en montant vers Roulans.
Par les chemins de traverse
Les gaillards cyclistes qui ont déjà parcouru cet itinéraire reliant l’EuroVelo 6 à la Voie Bleue en connaissent le relief ! Depuis Roulans, il y a 11 km de routes vallonnées jusqu'à La Grange Corcelle, avant de retrouver un parcours plus paisible qui louvoie au cœur des vignes jusqu’à Vesoul. Après l'agréable étape vésulienne, il sera facile de rejoindre le cadre apaisant de la Voie Bleue par la trace du Courlis.
Entre Saône et Moselle, la vie en bleu !
Cap au nord pour remonter à vélo le long de la Saône et du canal des Vosges dans le cadre bucolique de la Voie Bleue. Un somptueux parcours sur les rives de la Saône au rythme des haltes fluviales et des écluses. Avec parfois la ligne bleue des Vosges à l'horizon et le reflet bleu des frondaisons dans l'eau du canal. Après un immanquable détour par Epinal, l'itinéraire vous mène à Méréville. Ici deux options : “grosses cuisses” par Toul et la boucle de Moselle, ou “cuisses fatiguées” par le canal de jonction de la Meurthe pour gagner Nancy au plus vite.
Tailor-made itineraries
Tailor-made itineraries
1 Nancy / Parroy
A stroll around famed Place Stanislas, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with adjoining grand squares, is a must before you head to Nancy’s Port de Plaisance (river port) to get cycling. You ride off beside the Canal de la Marne au Rhin. After a few kilometres, you’ll spot the soaring towers of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port’s Basilica, built in Flamboyant Gothic style, and recalling the legends of St Nicholas. Further on, at Varangéville, the region’s last functioning salt mine welcomes visitors, teaching them about how this ‘‘white gold’’ is extracted from 160m under ground. Close to the cycle route, the town of Lunéville is famed for its magnificent 17th-century château, nicknamed the Versailles of Lorraine, a gem to visit.
2 Parroy / Sarrebourg
Far from bustling cities, this stage leads you through countryside that encourages you to take your time. Several kilometres after Parroy, you might stop at the village of Lagarde, known for its pretty port de plaisance, or marina, on the canal. Beside Moussey, the company town of Bataville was built in 1931 by order of Czech entrepreneur Thomas Bata and is a timepiece worth seeing. The cycle route continues on, passing a vast lake, the Étang du Stock, that might be described as a reservoir of biodiversity and is listed as a world biosphere reserve. At Réchicourt-le-Château, you pass by the deepest Freycinet-gauge lock in France. This stage ends at Sarrebourg, a town famed for its Chapelle des Cordeliers, decorated with magnificent stained-glass windows designed by Marc Chagall.
3 Sarrebourg / Saverne
Wending its way beside the Canal de la Marne au Rhin for most of the way, this stage offers a truly bucolic getaway, going via typical villages, wooded parts and historic heritage spots. Having crossed a string of villages leading up to Arzviller, the rest of the stage is entirely on greenway along the picturesque Vallée des Éclusiers. This so-called ‘‘Lock-keepers’ Valley’’ closed to navigation in 1969, the year a truly remarkable piece of canal engineering opened to lift barges up the steep incline here – the Plan Incliné de Saint-Louis Arzviller. At Lutzelbourg, the last stop in Lorraine before entering the region of Alsace, you pass close to the Château de Lutzelbourg, perched 322m up on its rocky promontory. This stage finishes at Saverne, a town nestling at the foot of the Parc Naturel Régional des Vosges du Nord, and renowned for its majestic Château des Rohan, the castle located close to the marina.
3 Saverne / Strasbourg
Leaving Saverne, a town known as the ‘Cité des Roses’ and boasting the magnificent Château des Rohan, EuroVelo 5 joins the Véloroute du Canal de la Marne au Rhin, taking you peacefully along the Zorn Valley to the outskirts of Strasbourg. Along the way, enjoy the open landscapes of the Alsace Plain and stop at the Villa Météor at Hochfelden for a beer-themed halt. Strasbourg claims to be France’s leading cycling city and makes for an unmissable stop. Take time to wander around the historic centre, especially the quarter known as Petite France and the stunningly decorated cathedral. You can’t leave without (re-)tasting Alsace’s famous culinary specialities.
4 Strasbourg / Soultz-les-Bains
After an unmissable stop in Strasbourg, one of the capitals of the European Union, with its enchanting streets and stunning cathedral, leave the city via the banks of the Ill River and the Canal de la Bruche. Designed by Louis XIV’s engineering genius, Vauban, to transport sandstone blocks from the Vosges Range to Strasbourg, this old canal acts as a guiding thread, taking you through a bucolic natural setting. The way links Strasbourg to Alsace’s Route des Vins (Wine Route) and is a favourite weekend outing for Strasbourg’s inhabitants.
5 Soultz-les-Bains / Châtenois
La Route des Vins d'Alsace (or Alsace Wine Route) wends its way along the eastern slopes of the Vosges Mountains. Running parallel to it, the Véloroute du Vignoble d'Alsace (or Alsace Vineyards Cycle Route), crosses picture-postcard landscapes, with ruined castles, flowery villages, Romanesque abbeys, orchards, and a sea of vines. The northern part of the cycle route starts at Marlenheim and goes up to Châtenois, passing via Molsheim, Rosheim, Obernai, Barr and Dambach-la-Ville, under the protective gaze of the Mont Sainte-Odile and the Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg.
6 Châtenois / Turckheim
After Châtenois, the Véloroute du Vignoble d'Alsace follows the historic Roman way that ran along the bottom of the Vosges’s foothills, providing panoramic views over the sea of vines beyond. Typical wine-producing villages follow in quick succession, a short spin on your bike allowing you to reach prestigious viticultural stops such as Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr or Kaysersberg, while the great town of Colmar, with its utterly picturesque Petite Venise Quarter, lies not far off.
7 Turckheim / Cernay
The southern half of the Véloroute du Vignoble d'Alsace is wilder, providing beautiful views of vine-covered slopes and up to the Ballons d'Alsace, the highest summits of the Haut-Vosges Mountains. There are several unmissable stops, such as Eguisheim, Alsace’s famed circular village and a member of the association of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, or Guebwiller, winning awards for its floral displays and declared a Territoire Vélo by the French Cycling Federation. Cernay and Thann are the final places to visit along the Route des Vins d'Alsace, below the protective gaze of Le Vieil Armand, with its national First World War monument atop a spectacular rocky outcrop.
8 Cernay / Mulhouse
The EuroVelo 5 route leaves behind the Véloroute du Vignoble d'Alsace and the vine-covered slopes to cross the Alsace Plain and its potassium basin for the town of Mulhouse. Close to the well-flowered town of Ensisheim, Ungersheim boasts two unmissable sites: the Ecomusée d'Alsace and the Parc du Petit Prince, a delight for young and old. As to Mulhouse, combining tradition and modernity, it has major museums linked to its industries, hence its nickname of ‘European capital of technological museums’! The town has also been designated a Territoire Vélo, given provisions for cyclists.
2 Mulhouse / Montbéliard
The town of Mulhouse lies in an area marked by the proud industrial legacies of two dynamic French regions, Alsace and Franche-Comté. Recently, Mulhouse has been turning into a contemporary green city while recalling its technical glories in a dozen museums. Leaving town, the scenery becomes more rural and typical of Alsace, with villages of timber-frame houses. Riding beside the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, the cycle route takes you past a mix of typical villages, medieval castles and transformed former industrial sites, offering a range of landscapes and experiences. You’re making for Sochaux-Montbéliard, historic home of iconic French car maker, Peugeot. Reach town via the gentle Parc Scientifique du Près-la-Rose and a footbridge (passerelle) open to cyclists, a model of its kind, passing under the walls of the Château des Ducs de Wurtemberg.
3 Montbéliard / Baume-les-Dames
At Sochaux-Montbéliard, the Allan River and the Canal du Rhin au Rhône join forces, directing you gently towards Vaujecourt and the Doubs Valley. As the Doubs Valley narrows, the forts of Mont Bart and Mont Bavans recall how manmade defences were added to this natural frontier. You’ll need strength to climb to the Fort du Mont Bart to benefit from the stunning views along the whole valley. EuroVelo 6 then leads you on through undulating, green parts, beside rivers and through forests. After L'Isle-sur-le-Doubs, the natural meanders in the Doubs provide wonderful views over the countryside as well as historic towns dotted around the old Franche-Comté Region. Nestling below the Jura hills lies the town of Baume-les-Dames, with its interesting architecture, a welcoming place for passing cyclists.
4 Baume-les-Dames / Besançon
This is one of the most beautiful stages along EuroVelo 6, the way between Baume-les-Dames and Deluz bristling with wooded hills. The Doubs River meanders along, with family homes and huts lining its banks, very popular with locals on sunny days. The natural peace is only broken by the whistle of trains approaching tunnels along their route. Drawing closer to Besançon, the cycle route is dotted with vestiges of once-flourishing industries that brought noisy life to the valley until the first half of the 20th century. One final bend, then the city of Besançon comes into view, beautifully located in a great meander in the river. The town is crowned by a citadel designed by Louis XIV’s great military engineer Vauban, and part of a UNESCO Vauban World Heritage Site.
2 Loulans-Verchamp / Roulans
You have to crank it up after leaving Le Chemin Vert, but rewards include views of the imposing Château de la Roche standing out in the distance. Along this stage, you need to stay in full control of your bike. The route takes you through woods and hills, with sudden ascents followed by vertiginous descents. Enjoy a bit of respite arriving in the Ognon Valley before getting back to more tortuous parts. Once you’ve got over the Mont Devin, you pass into the Doubs Valley and your thighs will appreciate reaching the EuroVelo 6 route to be able to relax after such a strenuous stage.
1 Chemilly / Loulans-Verchamp
At the level of Chemilly, south of Port-sur-Saône, following La Moselle-Saône à Vélo, the Trace du Courlis takes you along the Durgeon Valley to Vesoul. The route is particularly lovely, along a greenway much appreciated by locals. The surroundings are bucolic, while the rather winding track means you never get bored. After Vesoul, a very smooth greenway called Le Chemin Vert leads you between hills through a very relaxing wooded setting. You may feel more than a twinge of regret having to leave this very beautiful stretch at the level of Loulans-Verchamp.
10 Port-sur-Saône / Ray-sur-Saône
From Port-sur-Saône, La Voie Bleue cycle route heads off along unspoilt meanders in the Saône, in the direction of Ray-sur-Saône, a pretty village designated a Cité de Caractère Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Scey-sur-Saône, along with its islands, makes for a restful stop, close to the St-Albin Tunnel, 681m in length, dug in the mid-19th century under Napoleon III’s reign. Rupt-sur-Saône’s keep and the château at Ray-sur-Saône are unmissable sights marking your route. The river port at Ray-sur-Saône can offer all the comforts for a well-deserved rest beneath the elegant castle dominating the Saône Valley from its rocky promontory.
9 Corre / Port-sur-Saône
Along this stage, La Voie Bleue runs beside the Saône, gradually rising above the river. This part of the route may prove quite demanding, but it has grandeur. At Jussey, the many washhouses and fountains contribute to the charm of this village, designated a Cité de Caractère Bourgogne - Franche-Comté. Leaving Jussey, there’s an impressive descent, while the view of the surrounding hills is panoramic. Enjoy a stop at the river port of Fouchécourt to admire the Saône and recharge your batteries before heading on to Port-sur-Saône and its marina. This place has a rich history, long serving as a tourist crossroads along the Saône.
8 Bains-les-Bains / Corre
Leaving the Vosges thermal spa resort of Bains-les-Bains, continue on your picturesque adventure, riding along the Canal des Vosges and the Coney Valley. This stage of La Voie Bleue crosses the Vosges Forest, characterized by spruce, beech and maple. Once in the département (or French county) of Haute-Saône, cycling along the verdant ribbon of the canal, you come across the unusual manual swing bridge at Selles that makes it easy to let boats through.
7 Épinal / Bains-les-Bains
From Épinal, La Voie Bleue changes in nature; now, you ride along an unspoilt part of the route, following the greenway beside the Canal des Vosges. After cycling beside Bouzey Lake (a reservoir built to supply the Canal des Vosges), then savour the bucolic setting that follows, with very lovely vistas created by the way the centuries-old ash trees were planted here. Before arriving at Bains-les-Bains, stop to admire the Manufacture Royale (where tinware was once made), visible from the greenway.
6 Charmes / Épinal
After Charmes, La Voie Bleue meanders along a magnificent greenway beside the Canal des Vosges. Vestiges of the area’s industrial textile heritage are clearly visible along this stage, notably with the former Nomexy textile mill, built in red brick, and the impressive Rotonde de Thaon-les-Vosges, built for workers to relax in. A peaceful path leads to the port at Épinal, known in France as the ‘Cité de l'Image’, because of its tradition of producing popular images of French life, its museum containing the largest collection of such illustrations in the country.
5 Nancy / Charmes
La Voie Bleue’s route leads you out of Nancy along a lovely green corridor close to the Meurthe River and its parallel canal. You rejoin the Moselle via a connecting canal, going past the magnificent Château de Montaigu and its grounds. Back by the Moselle, the route continues to Charmes via an unspoilt, bucolic stretch. Riding merrily along the towpath beside the Canal des Vosges, a highlight along this portion is the canal bridge at Flavigny-sur-Moselle.
Côté pratique :
Accès en train :
- Sur le canal de la Marne au Rhin : au départ de la Gare de l’Est à Paris :
- 12 liaisons par jour en moyenne en TGV Inoui, TER et TGV Paris > Nancy (2h03 en moyenne)
- TER Fluo Paris > Nancy (3h15 en moyenne)
- TGV Paris > Strasbourg (2h22 en moyenne)
- TER Fluo Paris > Strasbourg (4h45 en moyenne) Sur l'EuroVelo 5 Moselle / Alsace :
- Strasbourg : Lignes TGV à Strasbourg ( Paris, Mulhouse, Dijon, ...)
- Sélestat : Ligne TER Strasbourg - Molsheim - Sélestat
- Colmar : Ligne TER Strasbourg - Sélestat - Colmar - Mulhouse - Saint-Louis (Bâle)
- Mulhouse : Ligne TER vers Strasbourg et MontbéliardSur Entre Rhin et Loire à Vélo :
- Mulhouse : Ligne TER vers Strasbourg et Montbéliard
- TGV Metz > Strasbourg > Mulhouse > Besançon > Dijon (emplacement vélo payant)- Sur La Voie bleue :
- Ligne TER entre Epinal et Nancy
Services :
- Voir les offres de services Accueil Vélo sur les pages détaillées des étapes