After parking your car in the Haut-Barr castle car park (S), enjoy a free visit of the 12th century castle ruins (1) and its chapel, not to be missed. With is imposing 470 m height, it was nicknamed "the Eye of Alsace" for the spectacular views overlooking the plains of Alsace and the Vosges.
Leaving the castle, we take a right as far as the small path at the end of the car park to the left which will take you to the practical semaphore telegraph tower, designed by Claude Chappe (1794) (2).
We continue on the path for 400 m passing close to the D171 and then take the path that climbs to the right (Red cross markings) (3) to Grand Géroldseck (13th century) the name of the German noble family that ruled the area. The ruins of this castle are currently (at time of writing) undergoing restoration work.
We then resume on the path down and cross another path on the left (4) which we will take on the way back. 100 m further on, at a crossroads we take the middle of three paths (5) (we will come back via the one on the right) that heads up veering left to reach the ruins of Petit Geroldseck (13th century), where there is not much left to see.
The path continues down to the forest road where we come to the witches’ table (6) (signposted as Hexentisch). We continue, after crossing the forest road, on the road opposite that rises slightly (red rectangle markings) and 350 m further on, we head to the left (the return route comes back by the road opposite).
We go up the road keeping right as far as the Brotsch tower (7) that you can scale using its small spiral staircase. From the top there is a beautiful view of Saverne. There are also views of the Haut-Barr castle and Grand Geroldseck.
Return to the road and head right (with the tower behind you), which leads to the Brotsch Rock from which there is a beautiful view and the cave of the same name just below. To do so, we must take the winding path down to the cave (8).
For the return journey: retrace your steps from the cave to the tower of Brotsch. Arrive at the tower, and instead of taking the path to the right (the outbound route), continue straight to Huck Rock, from which there is a view of the massif. Leave the Rock by turning right and going around it to reach the forest road on the right of the green railing that leads to the path leading right up to the witches’ table. From there, we cross the road and take the path left to bypass Petit Geroldseck. Take the outbound route back at (6) then at (5), then take a right to bypass Grand Geroldseck. Then take the road to get to the car park.
Saverne. From Haut-Barr castle to Brotsch cave
Forest hike with some stunning view points over the foothills of the Vosges. Visit the ruins of three castles: Haut-Barr, the large and small Geroldseck and the Brotsch tower (built in 1897 honouring the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Vosges Club in Saverne), and the cave.
Technical sheet
-
Activity: Walking -
Distance: 8.28 km -
Average duration: 3h 05 -
Difficulty: Easy -
-
Return to departure point: Yes -
Vertical gain: + 256 m -
Vertical drop: - 263 m -
-
Highest point: 541 m -
Lowest point: 422 m
-
Country:
France
-
Area: Vosges mountains -
District:
Haegen (67700) -
Start/End: N 48.723977° / E 7.337914° -
IGN map(s): Ref. 3715OT -
Hour-by-hour weather
Photos
Description of the walk
Waypoints
- S/E : km 0 - alt. 432 m - Château du Haut-Barr car park
- 1 : km 0.02 - alt. 432 m - Château du Haut-Barr
- 2 : km 0.74 - alt. 434 m - Visual telegraph, Claude Chappe - Tour Chappe (Saverne)
- 3 : km 1.11 - alt. 436 m - Path leading up to the right
- 4 : km 1.68 - alt. 436 m - Take the path on the left for the return journey.
- 5 : km 1.76 - alt. 431 m - Taking the middle road
- 6 : km 2.43 - alt. 423 m - Witches' table (Hexentisch)
- 7 : km 3.35 - alt. 541 m - Le Brotschberg
- 8 : km 4.26 - alt. 491 m - Grotte du Brotsch
- S/E : km 8.28 - alt. 432 m - Château du Haut-Barr car park
Practical information
No drinking water refill point.
At the Haut-Barr castle, you can enjoy lunch at the restaurant but picnics are prohibited.
There is a toilet at the Haut-Barr castle.
In the nearby area
Many route options are available with trails that are perfectly marked by the Vosges Club.
Reviews and comments
4.8 / 5
4.6 / 5
4.7 / 5
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Jun 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes
A beautiful hike despite the crowds and the heat.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : Jun 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Beautiful views. Not very crowded and ideal in hot weather thanks to the many shaded areas.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Nice walk with information panels on the Grand Geroldseck castle and shelters (bench and table) at the Brotsch tower for a snack or in case of bad weather.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Apr 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
Nice trip with beautiful views👍
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : Dec 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes
It's a lovely walk that's relatively easy even for families, with the Grand Geroldseck and some very fine views.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of walk : Aug 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes
A little crowded because of the holiday period, but a very pleasant route. Apart from a short climb, the route is easy. Often in the shade of trees, it is suitable for hot weather. Lovely views.
Automatically translated
Very nice walk. Some nice climbs to get the muscles working. Beautiful views over the plain from the Brotsch tower and the Brotsch rock. I recommend it even with children or dogs.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Sep 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes
Superb views, particularly over the Alsace plain.
Interesting information and events, particularly at the Château du Grand Geroldseck on Heritage Days.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Jun 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes
Nice walk but a little less easy than expected; admittedly I'm just a Sunday rambler...
Small, uninteresting Geroldseck. Very nice views though!
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Mar 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes
We did this route without going to the Brotsch cave.
It's interesting to see the ruins of the castle and the view from the Brotsch tower, and the route is very pleasant.
The route is not particularly difficult, although I would recommend wearing hiking boots.
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Jan 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No
Very nice tour, well described. With the visits we did 10 km 😁🙂🥰
Next time I will add a stage the stone tank 😉
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of walk : Jul 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No
This is a really great walk. There's so much to see and the scenery is truly magnificent and varied. There are lots of viewpoints and the route is mostly shaded, making it ideal for hot days.
Good footwear recommended though. The return route is less physically demanding, which is perfect because the outward journey is a bit of a drain on the strength of the less trained.
Once again, a wonderful hike!
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of walk : Jul 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes
hike carried out as expected following the visorando documents, the difficulty and altitude difference announced seem to us to be underestimated but we are not very experienced...
Automatically translated
Overall rating : 4 / 5
Date of walk : Apr 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes
Hello, a very nice walk, except for a few small defects, on the map indicated red crosses, in fact red trestles, and in some places difficult to find the markings.
Automatically translated
Other walks in the area
Grand soldat: Col du Brechpunkt - Rocher du Hohwalsch circular
Walker 7.46 km
+199 m
-194 m
2h 40
Easy
Departure from Walscheid (Moselle)
For more walks, use our search engine .
The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.
