Balschwiller walks

For geologists, this part of the Sundgau facing the Porte de Bourgogne is called the Fossé de Dannemarie. The landscape is gently undulating, with only one wooded hill emerging. At its summit stands the church of Gildwiller, where gazes and prayers converge.

This route invites you to discover the village of Bernwiller and its surroundings, with a quick detour into the forest to sit for a moment in front of the small Notre-Dame de l'Unterholz Chapel and admire it.

It is in late February and early March that you should go to meet spring in the forest of Saint-Bernard. This is where the snowdrops appear, signalling the end of winter.

Along this trail of bunkers, explore fortifications dating back to the First World War, built by the German army. After the fighting in the summer and autumn of 1914, the Haute-Alsace front stabilised on along the line of Cernay-Dannemarie. The commune of Burnhaupt-le-Bas remains on the German side. In December 1914 and January 1915, the French offensive in this sector regularly broke the German lines at the cost of many lives.

The fighting of the First World War raged in the Sundgau region from August 1914 onwards. The French blew up the Dannemarie viaduct and the front stabilised and extended from the Vosges to the Swiss border. The front line ran a few kilometres from Illfurth, near Heidwiller. During this tour, you will discover several bunkers that served a variety of purposes, including ammunition depots, observation posts and artillery emplacements, as well as several casemates.

This forest route allows you to discover the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Chêne, the Steinbaechlein and hundred-year-old oak trees.

Hirtzbach is well worth a visit. The castle, English park and opulent residences of Unterdorf are neatly lined up on either side of the stream, whose banks are beautifully flowered in summer. Along the way, a rural and wooded detour leads to the site of the vanished village of Sankt-Glückern and the Landfürstenweyer, the Princes' Pond, with its still waters.

Here, you can easily travel through the centuries, from the Britzgyberg oppidum to the German military cemetery in Illfurth. However, as you cross the vast Altenberg massif and the unspoilt village of Luemschwiller, you might think for a moment that you have managed to suspend time.

A hike through the beautiful Sundgau forests dotted with ponds, with no major difficulties except for the walking time. There are many places to stop for a snack along the route.

A wooded hill separates the Ill and Thalbach valleys. As you walk along it, you will discover an old vineyard, a quarry marked by tragedy, a botanical trail and the story of an unfortunate general. When you reach the Emlingen lime kilns, the 19th century suddenly springs to life, frozen in stone and iron.

The "Au fil de l'eau" circuit, between the Doller and Leimbach rivers, crosses a magnificent oak-lined avenue before entering the Vorwald oak forest, passes by two series of blockhouses, then the Müatergottesgartla Chapel, and reaches the banks of the Doller via farmland north of Reiningue. The entire route is marked with the Anneau Vert (Green Ring) sign by the Club Vosgien de Guewenheim

A very beautiful walk around a lake with views of the Vosges mountains and a bird observation post.

A circular walk around Michelbach dam with views over the Swiss Alps and 'Le Grand Ballon d'Alsace' on a clear day. Perfect spot for wildlife spotting. Along the way there are many signs giving some information about what to see and the history.

This hike takes you mainly through forest from Sentheim to Masevaux via the Wolflenloch discovery trail. The return route follows the Doller river, passing the Hohenstein Cave and Sainte-Anne Chapel.

When you think of hiking in Alsace, the Vosges mountains spring to mind. But the Alsace plain also offers some very pleasant walks. This is the case with this short, family-friendly circular in the Bois de Lutterbach, on the outskirts of Mulhouse. This walk is completely safe and accessible to almost everyone. Most of the route is through forest. The highlight of the hike is halfway along the route: the Gros Chêne de Pfastatt (Pfastatt Great Oak).