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Alsace Wine Tours › One Day on the Alsace Wine Route, Hour by HourUpdated 2026-09-20

One Day on the Alsace Wine Route, Hour by Hour

Hours, prices and access verified by the Alsace Wine Tours team — last checked 2026-09-20.

A stone fountain in a village square below painted house fronts and a wrought-iron shop sign

A day on the Alsace Wine Route is a string of villages, one or three cellars, a lunch you buy and, if you choose it, a castle. This guide follows the tours' own schedules hour by hour, from Strasbourg and from Colmar, so you know where the time goes before you book your Alsace Wine tour.

What does a day on the route contain?

Four things, in different amounts: the drive, the villages, the cellar and lunch. The route itself runs more than 170 km from Marlenheim to Thann, so no day covers all of it. Every tour picks a stretch, and most pick the southern one, between Ribeauvillé and Eguisheim, where the best-known villages sit close together.

From Strasbourg the drive takes a bigger share, because the city lies 57 km in a straight line from Riquewihr. From Colmar it is 12 km. That single fact shapes every schedule below.

A day out of Strasbourg, hour by hour

The Tour.Alsace villages day is the clearest example, because its listing gives the time at each stop. It leaves the coach station at 9:00am in a black minibus.

StopTime on the groundWhat happens
Strasbourg, Place de l'ÉtoileArrive 15 minutes early9:00am departure
BergheimDrive pastThe ramparts from the minibus
Ribeauvillé1 hourFree time in the old town
A winemakerPart of the dayThe tasting, in the fare
Riquewihr90 minutesLunch, bought in the village
Kaysersberg1 hourFree time below its fortress
Ammerschwihr, Niedermorschwihr, TurckheimDrive pastVillages and ramparts from the road
Eguisheim1 hourFree time in the rings of lanes
StrasbourgTen and a half hours after you leftBack at the coach station

The RHINE VALLEY day trip follows almost the same road from the same coach station, with an hour at the winemaker, 105 minutes in Riquewihr and 45 in Eguisheim. The Ophorus full day is different: it gives most of its eight hours to three tastings of about 70 minutes, with 90 minutes free for lunch. Compare them on the Alsace wine tours from Strasbourg page.

A day out of Colmar, hour by hour

The castle day from Colmar packs the most into one day, and its listing times every stop. It leaves 2 Avenue de la Marne.

StopTime on the groundWhat happens
Colmar, 2 Avenue de la MarneDepartureAudio headsets handed out
Eguisheim45 minutesThe lanes and the half-timbered houses
Kaysersberg45 minutesThe fortified bridge and the old town
Sigolsheim necropolis10 minutesA war memorial above the vineyard
Riquewihr105 minutesLunch, bought in the village
Haut-Kœnigsbourg90 minutesThe castle, ticket in the fare
A winery1 hourThe tasting, in the fare
ColmarNine and a half hours after you leftBack at the start

The 4 Wonders day runs a gentler eight hours: Eguisheim first, then Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr, a wine cave where you buy your tasting, and Kaysersberg last. It collects you at a point you choose in town. Both are on the Alsace wine tours from Colmar page.

How long do you get in each village?

About an hour, on most days. That is enough to walk the main street, see a church and buy a kougelhopf, and not enough to sit down for long. Riquewihr gets the most time on nearly every day, because lunch happens there: 90 minutes on the Tour.Alsace day, 105 on the two RHINE VALLEY days, and three hours on the castle day from Strasbourg.

The private Tesla day moves faster: 40 minutes at the castle, 40 in Riquewihr, an hour in Eguisheim and 45 minutes in Colmar's Little Venice. You can ask the driver to change that. Our page on the villages, one by one tells you what to see in each.

When does lunch happen, and who feeds you?

At midday, in a village, at your own cost. The Tour.Alsace day stops at noon in Riquewihr. The Ophorus full day gives you 90 minutes free in a village. The 4 Wonders day includes no lunch, and its listing suggests you bring snacks.

Only one fare feeds you: the estate day at Gertwiller, where a traditional Alsatian meal with a wine beside each course is in the price. Both Ophorus listings add that snacks are not served with the tastings, so eat a good breakfast. Our post on wine days with lunch covers the options.

How many tastings fit in a day?

Three, at most, on a shared day. The Ophorus full day pours three. The long village days pour at one winemaker, and the castle day from Colmar at one winery.

Three is plenty. Each tasting pours several wines, from a dry Riesling to a sweeter Gewurztraminer, and a grower expects you to taste rather than drink. Spit if you want to last.

Where does the castle fit?

In the afternoon, usually. The castle day from Colmar reaches Haut-Kœnigsbourg after lunch and gives it 90 minutes. The castle day from Strasbourg gives it three hours at the end of the day. The castle closes at 6:00pm in September and October, and last entry is one hour before closing, so a late arrival is the one risk.

On a Monday the castle opens at 10:30am rather than 9:30am. That matters only on a private day that wants it first. The castle's own figures put it 26 km from Colmar and 55 km from Strasbourg by road.

What does a ten-and-a-half-hour day feel like?

Long, but not tiring, because most of it is spent on foot in villages or seated in a vehicle. You will walk cobbled lanes for three to five hours in all. The fatigue comes at the end, on the road home.

If you are travelling with children, or you flew in yesterday, an eight-hour day is the kinder choice. Nobody needs to see every village.

What does an afternoon-only tour leave you?

A free morning. The Colmar half day leaves at 1:45pm and is back about 5:30pm, so you can spend the morning at the Musée Unterlinden, which opens at 9:00am every day except Tuesday. Then you ride out to Hunawihr and Riquewihr, and finish in a grower's cellar.

The Ophorus half day from Strasbourg runs in the afternoon too. Either way, you get the route without giving it the whole day.

Can you do this by train?

Part of it. Alsace has 14 railway lines and 161 stations on the regional TER network, and Obernai's station is 500 metres from its centre, on the Strasbourg to Sélestat line. From Sélestat station, the line 500 shuttle runs to the castle for €3.

The hill villages are harder. In season, the open-top bus leaves Colmar station and links Ribeauvillé, Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, Turckheim and Eguisheim. Out of season you need a car or a tour. Our guide to the route without a tour goes further.

What should you bring on the day?

  • Comfortable shoes. Every village is cobbled, and the Ophorus and RHINE VALLEY listings both ask for them.
  • A passport or ID card. The Ophorus days ask for one, and a grower may ask your age before pouring.
  • Snacks. The 4 Wonders day suggests them, because no lunch is provided, and no tasting serves food.
  • A hat and water in summer. The RHINE VALLEY day trip lists a hat, and there is no shade in the vines.
  • Room in your bag. Most cellars sell by the bottle, and you will want one.

Leave large luggage at the hotel. The Colmar half day does not allow it on board.

What would you cut?

  • Short on time: cut to a half day, and give the rest of the day to Colmar or Strasbourg.
  • Not a castle person: skip it, and you gain an hour and a half in the villages.
  • Tired of villages: take the full day that pours three times, not the day that stops in five villages.
  • Wine is the point: cut the villages to one and book a walk in an estate's own vines.

Frequently asked questions

What time do day tours on the wine route start?
The Ophorus days and the Tour.Alsace minibus leave Strasbourg at 9:00am. The Colmar half day leaves at 1:45pm, and the open-top bus runs from 8:30am.
How late will I get back?
An eight-hour day leaving at 9:00am is back around 5:00pm. The ten-and-a-half-hour village days come back at the end of the afternoon or early in the evening.
Can I see Colmar, the villages and the castle in one day?
Yes, on the castle day from Strasbourg: two hours in Colmar, three in Riquewihr and three at the castle, ticket included. It pours no wine, so add a tasting another day.
Is lunch included?
On one tour only — the estate day at Gertwiller, where an Alsatian meal with a wine beside each course is in the fare. Everywhere else you buy your own, and both Ophorus listings warn that snacks are not served with the tastings.
What time does Haut-Kœnigsbourg close?
6:00pm in September and October; 5:00pm in November and December, with a midday closure from 12:00 to 1:00. Last entry is always one hour before closing, and on Mondays the castle opens an hour later, at 10:30am.
How far is Colmar from Strasbourg?
About 58 km apart in a straight line down the plain, with a frequent train service between the two. The wine villages sit between them and to the west, along the foot of the Vosges.
Which Alsace villages will I see?
It depends on the tour: Eguisheim, Riquewihr, Ribeauvillé, Kaysersberg, Hunawihr, Turckheim, Obernai, Mittelbergheim and Dambach-la-Ville. The four-village days cover Eguisheim, Kaysersberg, Ribeauvillé and Riquewihr.

Tours that fit this day

Next: pick the day that matches your hours, from Strasbourg or Colmar, on Alsace Wine Tours.