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To reach Sélestat station, either by train (see practical information) or by car. If travelling by train, exit the station on the west side. If travelling by car, park in the car park located west of the station on Rue des Vosges.
(S) Take Rue des Vosges, then Rue de Saint-Dié on the right. At the traffic lights, turn left onto Avenue Louis Pasteur and continue straight ahead until the end.
(1) Turn right onto Rue Ludwig van Beethoven. At the end, turn left towards the mountains (cycle path, watch out for bikes). Go over the motorway, then under the N424, and continue straight ahead towards Châtenois.
(2) In front of a farm building and before a high-voltage power line, turn left onto a field path. At the end, follow a small road on the right, pass under the high-voltage power line, enter the village and continue straight ahead until you reach a roundabout.
(3) Go around the roundabout and continue straight ahead on Rue du Baillage. At the end (stop sign), cross the D35 (Route des Vins) and follow it to the right.
(4) Take the first left, Rue Saint-Georges, towards the church of the same name. At the fork that appears immediately, turn left and stay below the church, going around it on the left, following the Anneau Bleu signs. Shortly afterwards, ignore the turnings on the left and turn right (north).
(5) After about 200 m, at an intersection, turn left and uphill onto the path marked Croix Rouge. Leave the Fontaine Saint-George (Jeriabrunneenin Alsatian dialect) on your left and continue uphill. The path makes a sharp left turn at Place du 1er Mai, then a right turn to continue north. After a left turn, you will arrive at a gazebo.
(6) Take a path that climbs to the left, still following the Red Cross signs, towards Hahnenberg. You will come to a wide forest path. Follow it to the right for about 50 metres until you reach a fork.
(7) Keep right on a path marked with a blue ring (ignore the Red Cross markings on the left). Walk west, then south-southwest.
(8) You will come to a wide path. Follow it to the left (signposted Anneau Bleu + Rectangle Rouge du GR®5). This will take you to the Col du Rothenberg.
(9) Take the first path on the left towards Haut-Koenigsbourg. At the fork that appears immediately, continue straight ahead, heading south (Red Rectangle + Red Ring + Blue Ring markings).
(10) After about 150 m, turn right onto a path with the same markings. Walk south, then south-southwest.
(11) At a T-junction, turn left. Continue south-west, following the same markings. You will come to a forest road. Follow it downhill to the right for about 100 metres.
(12) Then turn left onto a path marked with a red rectangle and yellow ring.
(13) Just before the D159, turn right. Continue for a long time, staying parallel to the road and ignoring the turnings on the right, following the same signs plus a yellow-white-yellow rectangle.
(14) At a fork, turn left following the same signs. Stay parallel to the D159 until you reach Kreuzweg.
(15) Follow the same signs, taking the middle path of the three that appear in front of you. After a sharp right turn, then a left turn, you will come to a crossroads.
(16) Take the second path on the left, facing the slope (red rectangle sign). Cross the D159 and continue on the path opposite. Immediately turn right, climb and cross the road again. On the other side, turn left and continue climbing (red rectangle). Cross a wide path and continue straight ahead (west).
(17) At the crossroads, turn right, take the hairpin bend and climb up the hillside to the foot of Haut-Koenigsbourg Castle. Further on, take the hairpin bend to the left to join a road at the entrance to the castle.
(18) Cross the road and follow the castle on your right, still following the red rectangle signs, towards Ribeauvillé.
(19) At a fork at the end of the castle, take the left-hand path towards Schaentzel, following the red rectangle and yellow diamond signs. Cross the access road to the castle twice in succession (take care) and continue downhill.
(20) You will come to a forest path. Follow it to the left until you reach Schaentzel (red rectangle + red disc sign).
(21) Cross the D42 and continue diagonally to the right on the path marked with a red rectangle towards Thannenkirch. After about 100 metres, turn left and head south, parallel to a small road.
(22) At a crossroads, turn left, cross a small road and continue on the path opposite towards Bergheim/Rorschwihr/Rodern (red-white-red rectangle + blue disc signposting). After about 100 metres, turn right onto a forest path with the same signposting.
(23) Pass a shelter and continue straight ahead (south) on the marked path. At a three-way junction, turn right (red-white-red sign). Take the path on the right.
(24) At the Carrefour de la Lach, continue straight ahead, heading south towards Kuhlager. After about 400 m, turn right onto the path marked with a red ring and a red-white-red rectangle.
(25) At a crossroads, turn right onto the path that descends towards Reichenberg Castle, marked with a red-white-red rectangle. The path passes through a pleasant forest of oak and pine trees.
(26) When you reach a forest path, ignore the "Retour" sign opposite you and take the path immediately opposite, behind and below the oak tree. Descend the winding path to Witzigfels and its viewpoint: to the right, towards the north-west, is the mountain village of Thannenkirch, and to the left, towards the south-east, is Reichenberg Castle.
(27) Continue eastwards, following the red-white-red rectangular signs. Join a forest road and follow it to the right towards Reichenberg Castle. Go around the castle on the right, join a small road and follow it to the left towards Ribeauvillé.
(28) Shortly after a bridge, turn right onto an uphill path along vineyards towards Ribeauvillé. Join a small road and follow it straight ahead.
(29) At a crossroads, continue straight ahead on a vineyard path. At the next intersection (elevation 313), go straight ahead, still following the red-white-red rectangle signs. The path continues straight ahead.
(30) At a crossroads, continue south-southwest, following the red-white-red rectangular signs. At the end, turn left and then right to continue downhill towards the village.
(31) You will come out onto Rue Klée (chapel opposite on the right), and turn left and right to take Route de Bergheim. At a wayside cross, turn left, go around the roundabout on the left, and cross the D106. Then turn right (toilets) to reach the bus station, Place du Général de Gaulle (E).
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