Castles, abbeys and villages from Barr

A lovely route through the foothills of the Vosges, passing through small Alsatian villages (Barr, Heiligenstein, Saint-Nabor) and returning via abbeys and castles in the forest.

Details

8363567
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.52 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 546 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 544 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 615 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 205 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville in Barr.

(S/E) Leave the square via the north exit and take the steps leading to the right towards Saint-Martin Church. At the top of the steps, turn left and pass under the church to reach Chemin du Kirchberg (marked with a yellow ring). Continue along the path, passing in front of the cemetery, then through the vineyards after a sharp bend. At the top of Kirchberg hill, you will come to a crossroads

(1). Continue straight ahead (path marked with a green disc), cut across the bend just after the shelter, then just after reaching the road, take Chemin du Moenkalb on the right (marked with a red-white-red rectangle).

(2) Continue on Chemin du Moenkalb to the village of Heiligenstein and go straight ahead at the first crossroads in the village to the end of Chemin de Moenkalb.

(3) Turn left onto Rue des Châteaux (marked with a red ring). Continue uphill to the ruins of Truttenhausen Abbey, then the farm next to it.

(4) At the crossroads just after, turn right (still following the path marked with a red ring) and continue to the Urlosenholz forest house.

(5) Immediately afterwards, turn left at the crossroads (path marked with a light blue triangle). Continue straight on to the village of Saint-Nabor, passing over the Dachsbach stream and taking Rue du Général De Gaulle. At the end of the street, turn left into Rue du Mont-Sainte-Odile, which ends with a steep climb.

(6) After the steep climb, turn left onto a forest path (marked with a blue cross). Continue following the markings on the path that winds through the forest to Carrefour du Chasseur.

(7) At the crossroads, turn left (path marked with a yellow triangle). The path continues along the edge of the forest, above a small valley where you can see the Saint-Nicolas Chapel, then the ruined Abbey of Nierdermunster. Continue along the path after a bend until you reach the next crossroads.

(8) At this crossroads, take the path on the left (marked with a yellow disc), pass another ruined chapel, then the holiday village of Saint-Jacques.

(9) Walk briefly along the D109 road before turning right onto a path marked with a light blue triangle. Continue along this path, which runs slightly below the D109.

(10) While another path leads back up above the D109, stay on the path that continues below, now marked with a red-white-red rectangle, and moves away from the D109. The path leads to the beautiful Landsberg Castle, which you will walk around from below.

(11). After passing the castle, continue along the path marked with a blue disc and head for the Muller-Apfel crossroads.

(12) At the crossroads, turn left onto the path marked with a red cross towards Barr. Continue until you reach a road and enter the vineyard.

(13) Continue through the vineyards on Chemin Holzgasse until you reach Rue de l'École at the bottom of the vineyards. Continue downhill towards the centre of Barr, passing a church, then along Rue Neuve, passing an old Alsatian house dating from the 16th century at No. 20. At the end of Rue Neuve, continue straight on along Rue des Bouchers, then turn left to reach Place de la Mairie (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 210 m - Barr Town Hall. Near the stream of the - Kirneeck (cours d'eau) - Affluent de l'Andlau
  2. 1 : km 1.16 - alt. 303 m - Kirchberg
  3. 2 : km 1.4 - alt. 332 m - Chemin du Moenkalb
  4. 3 : km 2.69 - alt. 286 m - Heiligenstein village centre
  5. 4 : km 3.96 - alt. 375 m - Abbaye de Truttenhausen
  6. 5 : km 4.53 - alt. 336 m - Urlosenholz Forest House
  7. 6 : km 6.47 - alt. 375 m - Top of Saint-Nabor
  8. 7 : km 7.66 - alt. 541 m - Carrefour du Chasseur
  9. 8 : km 8.73 - alt. 539 m - Fork in the road
  10. 9 : km 9.35 - alt. 566 m - Saint-Jacques holiday village
  11. 10 : km 10.05 - alt. 613 m - Intersection
  12. 11 : km 11.08 - alt. 573 m - Château du Landsberg
  13. 12 : km 12.48 - alt. 437 m - Muller-Apfel crossroads
  14. 13 : km 13.89 - alt. 328 m - Road junction
  15. S/E : km 15.52 - alt. 210 m - Barr Town Hall

Notes

All shops in the villages of Barr, Heiligenstein and Saint-Nabor.
You can take the train to Barr station (about 1 km from the starting point).

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Nature57
Nature57

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that allows you to discover some charming villages around Barr as well as the local vineyards.
Beautiful views of the Alsace Plain at the start of the route, followed by a visit to Landsberg Castle in the forest, are the main highlights of this beautiful, little-used route.

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as2trefle69
as2trefle69

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route with a few climbs that are not too difficult. A bit too much tarmac road for my liking, but otherwise a beautiful route to do in mid-season.

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Laurence M
Laurence M

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is nice, but there's far too much tarmac for my liking.

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cricri68
cricri68

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part to St Nabor is average in terms of views and interest, but the rest is very good.

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CLMATH5681*
CLMATH5681*

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It is no longer possible to park at the town hall square, which is no longer accessible to cars. Head towards Heiligenstein and then, after about 300 metres, follow the sign for the car park on the left. The car park is located near the cemetery. You can also reach point no. 1 by taking the path that runs alongside the cemetery on the right.

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gogoff
gogoff

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route, variety of trails. Very pleasant forest. Discovery of the abbey.

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didier schmitt
didier schmitt

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful route and perfect forest passages

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