Fort de Mutzig vineyards and forests, starting from the Molsheim campsite

Starting from the Molsheim municipal campsite, discover the site of Fort Mutzig.
This hike is also offered by the Molsheim-Mutzig Tourist Office, but starting from Mutzig. This section is marked with a green ring.
A very varied route between town, vineyards and forests, not to mention the banks of the Bruche.
There are beautiful views of the towns of Molsheim and Mutzig and the Bruche valley.

Details

210231
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.36 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 210 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 211 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 346 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 175 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Bas-Rhin (67)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 48.541404° / E 7.499559°
  • Accessible from the train station Gare de Molsheim.
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3716ET, 3716ETR
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Molsheim campsite car park.

(S/E) With your back to the campsite, turn right towards the north-west and, at the roundabout, take Rue Charles Mistler opposite. Cross Place de la Monnaie.

(1) Continue along Rue du Maréchal Kellermann, then Rue Notre-Dame and turn right into Rue de l'Église.
You will arrive at Place de l'Hôtel de Ville with its remarkable monuments: the Metzig, the fountain, Molsheim Town Hall and the Tourist Office.

(2) Leaving the square, turn right onto Rue Jenner, which runs alongside the Crédit Mutuel bank, until you reach the hospital square. You are now in front of the Chartreuse Museum (a visit is recommended).

(3) Continue left along the narrow pedestrian passageway that runs alongside the hospital buildings. A traffic light and pedestrian crossing allow you to cross Avenue du Général de Gaulle.

On the pavement opposite, veer slightly to the right then turn left to go up Rue Ettore Bugatti, where you will turn right until you reach the tiny roundabout. Continue left along Rue des Vignes, which turns into a path after 100 metres. Go straight up for 500 metres until you reach the second intersection. Take the path marked with a red disc on your left to the reservoir and its viewpoint. You will then join the path marked with a blue easel that passes by the reservoir.

(4) Continue straight ahead on this blue-marked path, staying on this contour line.

(5) After about 500 metres, at the crossroads, turn right, then quickly left and continue to follow the blue sign and the green ring, which marks the fort trail.
Follow these markings, which are for the Chemin des Vignes. At the first fork (calvary), turn right, then left at the next fork. After a 90° left turn, the path reaches an intersection where you leave the blue signpost markings, which will continue to your right.

(6) Continue straight ahead and follow the green ring markings to the Amis de la Marine refuge and its beautiful view of the valley.

(7) From here, take the path opposite to join the blue signposts, which you will follow to the right to reach the crossroads where you left them.

(6) Turn left and follow the blue and green ring markings for about 1,000 metres, descending very slightly to the edge of the woods.

(8) Turn right for about 200 metres, then left onto the green ring and continue along this path to the Fort de Mutzig car park.

(9) Turn back.

(8) Continue straight ahead along the edge for 50 metres, following the blue cross, blue ring or green ring markings. The path branches off to the left into the forest, descending steadily to the village of Dinsheim-sur-Bruche, on the edge of the municipality of Mutzig, until you reach the RD392.

(10) Continue left and stay on the RD until you reach the centre of Mutzig.

(11) Continue straight ahead and pass under the fortified gate.

(12) Take the second left, Rue des Jardiniers, and join the cycle path.

(13) Stay on this path towards Molsheim without leaving the banks of the Bruche, then a canal, until you reach the shopping centre car park.

(14) Cross the car park and follow the path along the small canal.

(15) Go under the road and take the wooden footbridge.

(16) Go to the roundabout and turn right to reach the swimming pool car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 176 m - Molsheim campsite
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 176 m - Place de la Monnaie
  3. 2 : km 0.7 - alt. 177 m - Town Hall Square, Tourist Office
  4. 3 : km 0.97 - alt. 179 m - Musée de la Chartreuse de Molsheim
  5. 4 : km 2.23 - alt. 248 m - Reservoir, viewpoint
  6. 5 : km 2.66 - alt. 239 m - Blue easel crossroads, right then left
  7. 6 : km 5.14 - alt. 329 m - Straight ahead to the Amis de la Marine refuge
  8. 7 : km 5.64 - alt. 319 m - Amis de la Marine refuge
  9. 8 : km 7.37 - alt. 310 m - Edge of the woods, crossroads, on the right
  10. 9 : km 8.44 - alt. 344 m - Car park - Fort de Mutzig
  11. 10 : km 11.39 - alt. 201 m - RD 392 Mutzig entrance
  12. 11 : km 12.72 - alt. 190 m - Mutzig town centre
  13. 12 : km 12.87 - alt. 189 m - Fortified gate
  14. 13 : km 13.27 - alt. 186 m - Cycle path to Molsheim along the - Bruche (rivière)
  15. 14 : km 15.53 - alt. 179 m - Shopping centre
  16. 15 : km 15.94 - alt. 178 m - Passage under the road
  17. 16 : km 16.08 - alt. 175 m - Wooden footbridge
  18. S/E : km 16.36 - alt. 176 m - Molsheim campsite

Notes

(9) Picnic tables

Worth a visit

(9) Here you have the opportunity to visit this fortress. See Fort de Mutzig for visiting hours or to book a private group tour. Perhaps I will be your guide... The tour takes 2½ hours and there is an admission charge.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Barth Patrick
Barth Patrick

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route without visiting the fort, but that will be for next time.
Thanks to the author of the route, Domdesoultz.

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Barth Patrick
Barth Patrick

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. Done on a Monday, apart from four people in a car at the Fort.
Well done to the author of the route.

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ZADIG
ZADIG
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, no difficulty, just one downside: the return on the cycle path wasn't great; another route would have been more pleasant.

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gizmo
gizmo

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We were lucky to enjoy a beautiful sunny day. A lovely route with few people except at the fort; visiting the fort would have been interesting but at this time of year the days are still a bit short. The paths in the forest were very muddy but that's not unusual at this time of year. Lovely views of Molsheim and Mutzig. A small correction to the description: at the second point 6, you need to follow a blue disc and not a blue ring.

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grosmollets
grosmollets

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very easy route to follow, marked with green rings and regular information boards.
It is varied, passing through vineyards, beautiful autumn forests, villages and ending along the Bruche river.
We shortened the route to 13 km for our group, starting from the multi-association centre in Molsheim, then taking the Chemin des Rochers, climbing the stairs, Rue des Rochers, to reach point 5.
The playful garden is a nice place to explore.
There are numerous picnic tables around the fort.
Thank you for this route.

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Nathouillette
Nathouillette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Some of the Vosges Club signs have been moved or torn down, especially when you get close to the fort. It's quite annoying: you're riding alongside a military base! I also had a bit of trouble finding the cycle path (many thanks to the people who let me cross their horse paddock). In both cases, it's the signs that are at fault, not the person who suggested the route.
It's true that the cycle path runs alongside the road... But you can easily see that by looking at the map before you set off, so it's not really a surprise.
The route is nice and not too complicated, ideal for those who want to get out of Strasbourg without any big climbs or for those who want to visit the Mutzig fort!

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LouisLapp
LouisLapp
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Description of the route in the app is perfectly accurate, perfect!
A very beautiful hike that allows you to discover stunning views of Molsheim and Mutzig and the surrounding plain. You must visit the Jesuit church in Molsheim, it is truly wonderful.

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Girardin  Jean  François
Girardin Jean François

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route to take in October/November to enjoy the vineyards in their autumn colours.
The description of the route through Molsheim and the return route is perfect. The wooded section near Fort Mutzig is a little more problematic.
It should be noted that the Club Vosgien signage is more unreliable in this area than in many other areas of the Vosges.

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magali.m
magali.m

For example, at Calvaire, turn right (ok), but do not turn left at the next junction, otherwise you will end up in Dinsheim.
After the Refuge des Amis de la Marine, the blue horse trail makes a circular loop, so we gave up looking for the blue/green ring markings towards the fort and met other hikers who were just as lost as we were and advised us to head back down towards Mutzig.

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello Magali, and thank you for your comments.

We are not responsible for the signage on site. Otherwise, what specific suggestions would you have for improving the quality of the description? Thank you in advance.

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magali.m
magali.m

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a shame that the description is so poor because the hike is really nice. Between 6 and 8, it's impossible to find the signs. The end of the route on the cycle path is not very pleasant as it runs below the main road.

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declau67
declau67

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

However, there is one indication in the first part of the itinerary that is difficult to interpret, namely: "Continue left along the narrow pedestrian walkway that runs alongside the hospital buildings
of the hospital. A traffic light and pedestrian crossing allow you to cross
Avenue du Général de Gaulle.
So far, so good, but:
__On the pavement opposite, veer slightly to the right and then turn left
left to go up Rue Ettore Bugatti, where you will turn
right until you reach the small roundabout. Continue left__ along Rue des
Vignes, which turns into a path after 100 metres.
Not very clear when you're there, as there is a contradiction in the directions.
It would be better to simply write to turn right at the end of the narrow passage and turn left at the next roundabout, then after 100 m turn right onto Rue des Vignes?
Other than that, the route is very pleasant and there are beautiful views all along the way.

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Papa67
Papa67

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

This hike offers a variety of very different landscapes and scenery. Be sure to follow the "official" route between 8 and 9, or you may find yourself on a dangerous road.
Once you arrive in Mutzig, there is a curiosity worth noting: the Jardin Folâtre. This enchanting garden, planted in the middle of nowhere, is quite strange.

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Pierre GROEBER
Pierre GROEBER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

With fairly clear skies and sunshine, this is a lovely walk that can be enjoyed all year round.

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Balaman2328
Balaman2328

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very well signposted route. A visit to Mutzig Fort is highly interesting and not to be missed.

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