From Barr to Obernai via Mont Sainte-Odile

The starting point is at Barr station, accessible by train from Strasbourg or by car.

(S) On leaving the station, turn right onto Rue de la Gare, heading due north. Continue to the crossroads (Avenue des Vosges) and turn left, following this road for about 600 metres. Pass Kohler Park with the war memorial on your right and the primary school on your left, and you will arrive at the “Le Manoir” hotel.

(1) Turn right onto Rue Saint-Marc towards the town centre. At^{the second junction} , turn slightly left onto Rue Taufflieb, which you will follow until you reach the bridge over the Ruisseau la Kirneck (visible on the left-hand side of the street). The street then becomes Rue des Boulangers. At^{the first} junction, continue straight on into Rue de l’Église. At the end of the street, behind the Town Hall and the square bordering it, climb the steps leading to the 12th-century Saint-Martin Protestant Church.

(2) Walk round the church and take the road leading up through the vineyard. The route is marked with the Red Ring, heading towards Château du Landsberg. After two bends, first to the right then to the left, you’ll reach a junction.

(3) Head up the contour lines to the right, heading north-west, then, after 200 m, turn left. The path follows the contour lines more or less for about 800 m, then turns 90° to the right to climb more steeply. The markings change to red triangles. After 200 m, the path turns left, heading west, and climbs through a chestnut forest.

(4) Following the Red Triangle markings, turn right and then, after 100 m, left. The path curves widely to head north. Cross a track, continue straight ahead and arrive at the Rocher de Herrade.

(5) Continue to follow the Red Triangle-marked path north-north-east to Landsberg Castle.

(6) Leaving the château and heading north again, walk past the forest ranger’s house, then turn left onto the GR®5 marked with the Red Rectangle, heading west. Follow this path, cross the D109 with care and continue straight on to the Kiosque Jadelot, named after the chief forest ranger, Mr Jadelot, who had it built during the Second Empire.

(7) On the other side of the kiosk, the GR®5 continues northwards uphill. You arrive within the walls of the Mur païen. First turn left then right and follow the Red Ring marked trail which leads northwards to the memorial stone commemorating the 87 people who perished in the Air Inter Airbus crash in 1992, at a place called La Bloss.

(8) From the memorial, continue northwards to the Mont Sainte-Odile Convent (Hohenbourg Abbey). At the Rocher du Panorama, you can admire the view over the Alsace plain. As you approach the convent, turn right – still heading due north – onto the Yellow Disc-marked path, which runs slightly below the summit sandstone rock. This path passes the Stations of the Cross created by the ceramist Léon Elchinger between 1933 and 1935, which are set into the sandstone cliff. At the end of the path, climb the steps leading to the convent gate.

(9) Leaving the convent, go down the steps you climbed earlier and take the concrete path that descends to the left, then to the right towards the Sainte-Odile Fountain.

(10) At the fountain, take the path marked with the Blue Cross just below the road heading north, then after 200 m, take the path marked with the Yellow Triangle on the right, which will lead you to the viewpoint. From this spot, you have a superb view of the valley floor, the ruins of Niedermunster Abbey, Saint-Nicolas Chapel and, at the top of the mountain, Hohenbourg Abbey.

(11) You can make a round trip to the ruins of Niedermunster Abbey, then on to Saint-Nicolas Chapel by crossing the pasture (accessible). However, the chapel is usually locked and the ruins are fenced off to prevent entry.

(12) Retrace your steps and continue your descent northwards to the Niedermunster car park.

(13) At the far end of the car park, take the forest path heading north and, after 200 m, you will find the Blue Cross-marked path on the right, which will take you to the village of Saint-Nabor. Please note that the first part of the descent into the village is quite steep and may be slippery in wet weather. Continue to Place du Maréchal Leclerc.

(14) In the centre of the village, the path turns right towards the south onto Rue du Général de Gaulle, still marked by the Blue Cross, heading towards Bernardswiller. At the end of the village, it veers left, towards the east, following the valley floor and running alongside a large meadow.

(15) Cross the D35 with care, head left towards the north-east, pass by a Napoleon bench, before arriving at the entrance to the village of Bernardswiller on a large grassy area. Follow Chemin Littweg to the left until you reach the roundabout by the cemetery.

(16) Continue to follow the Blue Cross signposting towards Obernai as you pass through the historic centre of Bernardswiller, first along Rue Saint-Odile, then, after the town hall, turn left onto Rue Principale. At the crossroads, turn left until you reach the roundabout on the Obernai bypass (D426). In the village, you can admire the carriage gates bearing the dates of construction and the insignia of the original owners’ trades. Several of them date back to the 16th century.

(17) Cross the roundabout with careand turn left up the embankment onto the signposted Blue Cross path, heading towards Place du Beffroi in the centre of Obernai. Follow Rue de Bernardswiller, Rue du Général Gouraud and Place du Beffroi in succession.

(18) Cross Place du Beffroi diagonally and continue along Rue du Général Gouraud towards the east. Cross over the Ehn, the stream that runs through Obernai and gave the town its name (Oberehnheim in German). At the roundabout, turn left onto Rue du Général Leclerc, then take the^first right onto Rue de la Gare. Obernai station, the end point of the walk, is at the end of this street. (E)

Good walking shoes are highly recommended, as are walking poles.

There are several dining options at the Mont Sainte-Odile monastery: the pilgrims’ hall, which offers a self-service meal, and the Saint-Léon IX restaurant, for which it is advisable to book in advance (https://www.mont-sainte-odile.com/restauration/).

Water point at the Sainte-Odile fountain, renowned for curing eye ailments.

Landsberg Castle, built in the 12th century, whose ruins are majestic.

Visit Mont Sainte-Odile, whose abbey was founded in the 7th century by the patron saint of Alsace, Sainte-Odile, daughter of Duke Etichon. Breathtaking views over the Alsace plain as far as the Black Forest from the terraces.

Circling Mont Sainte-Odile at its summit, discover the 11km-long Pagan Wall, whose stones were joined together using a system of wooden tenons and mortises. You can still see the mortises facing each other in some places.

Of course, be sure to sample the wines of Alsace in Barr, Saint-Nabor, Bernardswiller or Obernai. In Heiligenstein, you can taste the famous Klevner, made from the Savagnin Rose grape variety.