Walk through the vineyards of the Vallée Noble

Discover the vineyards of the Vallée Noble, its grands crus such as Zinnkoepfle and Pfingstberg, and its wine-growing villages such as Westhalten, Soultzmatt and Orschwihr.

Details

17583142
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.90 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 246 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 252 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 354 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 234 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park behind the cemetery in Westhalten.

(S/E) Follow the wine trail that climbs up to Strangenberg and turn left to reach a crossroads. Descend to the left to join the small tarmac road that runs from Westhalten to the Col du Niehland. Turn left onto this road until you reach a second crossroads (Croix des Plaies).

(1) Follow the wine trail, which is paved at the beginning, around the small hill to a third crossroads (Croix du Steintükweg)

(2) Climb the paved path on the right until you reach a crossroads.

(3) Turn left to reach an abandoned cottage with an iron door riddled with bullet holes, located next to a spring. This is where winegrowers used to prepare their Bordeaux mixture for spraying the vines.

(4) Continue along this vineyard path, keeping to the right. This flat path passes a crossroads (Indulgence Cross) and overlooks the village of Westhalten. Leave the path that climbs to the right and you will soon reach a crossroads.

(5) Turn right and continue along the path that passes above the letters Zinnkoepfle and joins a paved path that descends to Soultzmatt.

(6) Enter Soultzmatt via Rue d'Or, cross Rue de la Vallée and go up Rue des Boulangers to reach Saint-Sébastien Church by turning left into Rue Kessler.

(7) Follow Rue du Régiment Étranger de Cavalerie, then Rue Grunling, which leads to a small wine route that runs alongside Pfinstberg before reaching Saint-Wolfgang Chapel.

(8) Take the Route de Soultzmatt into the village of Orschwihr until you reach the post office, then head to the Orschwihr wine cellar on Place Saint-Nicolas.

(9) Join the Soultzmatt road and, on the right, the church and castle. Continue right along Rue de l'Automne until you reach a cross.

(10) Climb up to the right through the vineyard until you reach the cross in front of the Witches' Chapel.

(11) Follow the horizontal path (green diamond) on the left, which crosses the dry grassland of Bollenberg before descending towards Westhalten to reach Rue d'Orschwihr.

(12) Descend Rue d'Orschwihr on the right, cross the D18B with caution andjoin Rue de la Liberté.
Turn right, join Rue de la Fontaine and turn left onto Rue de Rouffach to reach Rue de l'Église, which leads to the starting point behind Westhalten cemetery (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 257 m - Car park behind the Westhalten cemetery - Croix du Lutzelberg (Westhalten)
  2. 1 : km 0.98 - alt. 303 m - Second crossroads (Croix des Plaies)
  3. 2 : km 1.36 - alt. 300 m - Third crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.62 - alt. 332 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 1.83 - alt. 349 m - Fourche - Croix d'Indulgence (Westhalten)
  6. 5 : km 2.27 - alt. 336 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 3.22 - alt. 312 m - Cobblestone path
  8. 7 : km 3.92 - alt. 265 m - Saint-Sébastien Church
  9. 8 : km 6.62 - alt. 265 m - Saint-Wolfgang Chapel
  10. 9 : km 7.13 - alt. 272 m - Place Saint-Nicolas
  11. 10 : km 7.82 - alt. 252 m - Cross
  12. 11 : km 8.29 - alt. 294 m - Cross in front of the Witches' Chapel - Chapelle du Bollenberg (Orchwihr)
  13. 12 : km 10.81 - alt. 238 m - Rue d'Orschwihr
  14. S/E : km 11.9 - alt. 256 m - Car park behind the Westhalten cemetery

Notes

It is an easy walk, mainly on unmarked wine trails, which are paved, concrete or cobbled in places.

Worth a visit

The main attraction is the bird's-eye view of the villages of Westhalten, Soultzmatt and Orschwihr and the glimpse of the dry hills of Strangenberg, Zinnkoepfle and Bollenberg, with the Grand and Petit Ballon mountains in the background. This walk is best enjoyed on a beautiful autumn day when nature is ablaze with the sun's rays.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
les bubus
les bubus
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb walk through the vineyards. Given the season, the colours were stunning, and the views of the valley and the winding villages were very interesting. The description of the walk on paper is good, but we used our mobile phones to follow the route. It was perfect.
12.5 km, according to our GPS track, with a very well-distributed 250 m elevation gain. Most of the hike is on paved or cobbled vineyard paths. A walk to be recommended, especially when the autumn colours are out.
Note: there is little shade, so it's best to do this in good weather, but it could be challenging in a heatwave.

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cocotom
cocotom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very busy because it takes place on the same day as the popular walk, which follows part of the route.
Not recommended in hot weather as most of the route is through vineyards.
The asphalt is good if the ground is wet or if you need a "safe" surface.
Beautiful scenery.

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cocotom
cocotom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb walk through the vineyards.
The route is lovely but completely unshaded. Ideal in April.

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dbaegser
dbaegser

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route

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SYLVAIN HARTMANN
SYLVAIN HARTMANN

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, lovely views throughout the route. Not very difficult, no wet or muddy sections. Passed through the village (had an aperitif on the way, LOL). We'll do it again one day...

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expertalu
expertalu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this walk, which we would never have been able to do without your suggestion. Congratulations on the accuracy of the GPX file; it's very rare to find such a precise route on Visiorando.

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Philhame
Philhame
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This hike is recommended in autumn when the vineyards are ablaze with colour, offering beautiful panoramic views of the villages.

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cyprienrbt25
cyprienrbt25

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

As someone from Franche-Comté, I thoroughly enjoyed admiring your magnificent vineyard landscapes!
The route is reliable, moderately physically demanding, but well worth it!
I highly recommend it! 😁

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Jonathan67
Jonathan67

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route through some of the lesser-known towns along the Wine Route. Some of the signs in town are unclear, but don't worry, you'll quickly find your way.

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Bruno1953
Bruno1953

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy walk with no significant difficulties.
Beautiful views throughout the route, especially in the early evening over Soultzmatt and Westhalten

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User 10869772

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely family hike on this sunny 1st of January.
Beautiful views, stops at playgrounds to re-energise the little ones!

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bruno68z
bruno68z

You are in the vineyards and foothills of the Vosges, and the aim of the hike is to explore the vineyards south of Colmar. There are inevitably fewer trails than on the ridges. However, the percentages you give seem exaggerated to me.

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Pierre de Wihr
Pierre de Wihr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

For those who enjoy hiking on asphalt, concrete or cobblestones, 95% of the route is ideal.
@ Visorando: Perhaps there should be an item when sharing hikes to indicate the percentage of the route that is on roads. Example: for this one, tarmac or concrete road 85%, cobblestones 10%, rocky paths 5%, trails 0%

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Jean Marie KNECHT
Jean Marie KNECHT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A typical vineyard hike on easy trails that can be done by mountain bike or with a pushchair.
Nice in February, but best done in autumn to see the colours of the vines.
Shortcuts possible after Soultzmatt

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André Brunner
André Brunner

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Excellent hike, beautiful view of the valley
we will do it again in autumn to enjoy the colours of the vineyards.

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