Ribeauvillé Castles and Dusenbach Monastery from Thannenkirch

Hiking route starting from Thannenkirch to visit the castles of Haut Ribeaupierre, Girsberg and Saint-Ulrich, as well as the monastery of Notre-Dame de Dusenbach.

Details

2826996
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 435 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 430 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 646 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 397 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Tannenkirch car park at the entrance to the village when coming from Ribeauvillé.

Red rectangle markings,GR®5

(S/E) Continue along the path at the back of the car park. When the path splits in two, take the one that climbs gently to the left; the one on the right, which is steeper, is the return path.

(1) Take the first path on the right, which leads to a forest track. Continue to the right, following the markings, and stay on this path until you reach a crossroads with several paths and tracks.

(2) Continue straight ahead on the path, which begins a steeper climb, and continue to the next crossroads, where you turn right.

(3) Immediately afterwards, follow the forest track to the left, then take the first path on the left at the sign for Château Haut Ribeaupierre. Continue straight ahead towards Château Haut Ribeaupierre.

(4) Take the path on the left, which will lead you directly to Château du Haut Ribeaupierre, located on your left at the top of the hill.

(5) Visit the castle and return to the path to continue on the left. The path narrows and the descent is steeper, but you will enjoy beautiful views as you arrive at Château Saint-Ulrich.

(6) Take the path on the left to reach Château du Girsberg.

(7) From the castle, there are beautiful views of Ribeauvillé and Château Saint-Ulrich. Then retrace your steps and pass Château Saint-Ulrich again.

Yellow cross markings

(6) Continue straight ahead on the path towards Dusenbach. Ignore the two paths that climb up to the right (possible shortcuts).

(8) Take the first path down to the left towards Dusenbach. The path leads to a bend in the road that leads to the monastery.

(9) Follow it and visit the monastery. Then turn back.

Blue Triangle Markings

(9) Back at the bend, go around the barrier to climb the very steep path along the stream. A third of the way up, cross a path and continue along the path opposite, still following the stream, until you reach the end.

Red Circle Markings

(10) Take the path that climbs to the right and leads to the Carrefour du Cerisier Noir. Cross the crossroads and take the path opposite that descends (signposted "Thannenkirch direct"). Stay on the descending path that goes to the right.

(11) Continue downhill on the path on the left at the Christian stele. Stay on this path, which will take you to the car park at the entrance to the village (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 465 m - Car park at the entrance to the village.
  2. 1 : km 0.61 - alt. 486 m - Start of the trail
  3. 2 : km 2.31 - alt. 544 m - Crossroads of trails and forest paths
  4. 3 : km 2.76 - alt. 574 m - Forest path on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.45 - alt. 604 m - Château Haut Ribeaupierre Trail
  6. 5 : km 3.78 - alt. 641 m - Château Haut Ribeaupierre
  7. 6 : km 4.54 - alt. 519 m - Saint-Ulrich Castle
  8. 7 : km 4.74 - alt. 530 m - Girsberg Castle
  9. 8 : km 5.79 - alt. 533 m - Trail intersection, opposite
  10. 9 : km 6.8 - alt. 427 m - Bend, start of the path to Dusenbach Monastery
  11. 10 : km 7.93 - alt. 618 m - End of the trail and the steep climb
  12. 11 : km 8.74 - alt. 627 m - Christian stele
  13. S/E : km 10.48 - alt. 465 m - Car park at the entrance to the village.

Notes

The climb after the monastery is very steep and long; you can shorten the route after Château Saint-Ulrich by taking the second path that climbs up to the right (red-white-red markings).

Worth a visit

At Christmas time, take a detour to the Church of Sainte-Anne in Thannenkirch, where you will find a Christmas crib carved entirely from wood, which is well worth seeing.

The pilgrimage to Notre-Dame de Dusenbach dates back to the 13th century. The buildings used for worship were often vandalised and destroyed during the various wars of the Middle Ages and the Revolution, before being rebuilt in the 19th century in an identical neo-Gothic style. It is currently one of the most popular pilgrimages in Alsace.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Hélène25
Hélène25

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb course in clear weather with magnificent views of the Alps from the castles.

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User 4357531

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very pleasant route with beautiful views. The hike took 3½ hours and presented two challenges: the descent between Haut Ribeaupierre Castle and Saint Ulrich Castle, which was slippery due to loose stones, and the long climb from the monastery to the black cherry tree crossroads. The route was very quiet at the end of summer.

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Sabrina BONNARD
Sabrina BONNARD

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with lovely trails and no major difficulties. The only challenge is the fairly steep climb from the monastery to the black cherry tree. The castles are magnificent.

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humbert nicolas daniel andré
humbert nicolas daniel andré

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful autumn hike with no difficulty, well marked (Club Vosgien), so top notch.

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youl
youl
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The only difficulty is the climb after the monastery. It may surprise walkers more than hikers.
The castles are magnificent, as is the view over the Alsace plain.
I encountered very few people, which is probably due to the uncertain weather in early January.
Follow the red triangle from Kahlfels to reach the monastery, not the yellow cross. This is the only downside to the description.

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Chantal&Olivier
Chantal&Olivier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike.

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eloison
eloison

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Coming from Thannenkirch, Ribeaupierre Castle is definitely the most interesting. Unfortunately, Saint Ulrich was closed. So we continued on to the Peace Rock of Udine and followed the ridge to the Giants' Rock.

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virgule
virgule

My comment was actually about the map.

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Asclepios67
Asclepios67

I mentioned a red triangle... Have a lovely day!

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virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Hello,

I also think that 10 km and 500 m of elevation gain is not difficult.

But we are in a very touristy area, where we have many visitors who want to go for a walk rather than a hike. So what may seem easy to an experienced hiker may seem difficult to people who are not very fit.

Please note that the red circle does not exist. It is either a ring or a disc.

https://montagnetrekking.fr/balisage-clu...

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Asclepios67
Asclepios67
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Two small points to note about this otherwise very pleasant and, above all, magnificent hike!
1 - It is classified as "difficult" apparently because of the climb between Dusenbach Monastery and the Black Cherry Crossroads. While this climb is indeed quite long and, admittedly, a little steep, it seemed to us to be much less difficult and, above all, much less technical than the descent that took us to Dusenbach from Kahlfels!
2 - More critically, at Kahlfels, it is indicated that the direction to Dusenbach follows the "yellow cross" markings (point 8 of the hike). Not so. If you want to follow the VisoRando route, you have to take the path slightly to the left below, marked with a red triangle. If you follow the yellow cross, you will arrive directly in the middle of the climb to Cerisier Noir, quite far beyond Dusenbach, at least according to the map we had in front of us...

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lozach.pierrick
lozach.pierrick

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike through the forest, passing three feudal castles of improbable construction, with magnificent views of Ribeauvillé, the valley and the vineyards. The path is often difficult on steep, rocky slopes that are very busy, especially as you approach Ribeauvillé. We decided (very tempting...) to reach Ribeauvillé from point 7, then visit the long main street in the town centre, there and back, adding an extra 2.5-3 km. With steep slopes that become increasingly busy as you approach Ribeauvillé. And, given the late hour, we chose to return to Thannenkirch via the "outward" route, bypassing the "Dusembarch" section. This made for a total distance of around 15 km.
Note that there is a lovely drinking fountain at the start of Thannenkirch.

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Plaimpiedois
Plaimpiedois

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with stunning views.

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sylviadaniel
sylviadaniel

Hello, thank you for your comment. I will follow your advice and set the route to "difficult".
All the best

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Roussette72
Roussette72

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant, with interesting tourist attractions along the way. Tables near the trail allow for a break. However, the climb between points 10 and 11, at the end of the trail, may surprise those expecting a moderately difficult hike with its steepness and length.

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