Easy bike ride (3 hrs, mostly flat) around vineyards and villages, with attractions for kids along the way. Designed especially for a ride with smaller kids that can still go in the bike trailer or a back seat. Alsace (France), 2 hours from Zurich.
Final verdict: Highly recommended*
The "it" factor
What makes it special:
Biking around Alsace is a fun-tastic adventure but can also be challenging with smaller kids. They can get bored easily and its difficult to enjoy it with complaining passengers. This tour is designed especially to keep kids excited as it goes through beautiful towns and vineyards and stops in places with kids attractions.
What needs to be considered:
To enjoy all the attractions, plan it as a full day trip.
Alsace cycling route: Impressions video
The fun factor
First key to making biking exciting is getting the right bike and deciding between a bike trailer or a bike seat for your kid. Unless you are looking for a workout, go for an electric one. If you want to push yourself, you can always go for manual power, but this will give you more comfort and control. If you go for a bike seat, kids will be able to see more, but it will be more tiring and less comfortable for them to sleep. That is why we normally opt for a trailer. They can still see the views but can rest in-between stops. This route is designed to start in Kaysersberg and I recommend Alsace Cyclo Tour in Kaysersberg for bike rental. Book the bikes in advance and they can set them up for you nicely.
The first fun stop of this route is after c. 40 minutes of cycling near Hunawihr. Kids have 2 options: NaturOparC, a small park with otters, storks, raccoons, seals and more small animals or a Butterfly Garden with bees, ants and, of course, butterflies (reviews coming soon!). Why not letting kids choose what to do? Allow for 1-2 hours in NaturOparC and 30 min to 1 hr in the butterfly garden. Combined with a drink or a snack, Its a nice rest from biking.
The next stop is only 10 minutes later in Ribeauvillé - a nice playground with a section for older and younger kids and a beach volleyball field. During the weekend they sometimes have events just next to it, so you can grab a drink whilst watching kids play. If not - there are plenty of restaurants nearby. If your kids are tired after the previous adventure, you can skip it. If they are still full of energy - you can also combine it with a nice walk around the town.
The next stop is after about an hour of cycling - restaurant Pont de la Fecht, with donkeys, nice playground and fun cars and animals to ride on. And, of course, well deserved drink or a snack! The food and ambience is amazing but the service can be a bit slow and "cold".
From there, it's just a 30-40 minute ride to get back to the bike rental place. There is a lovely Alsace au Coeur toy shop with a giant bear by the entrance, if you want to spoil your kids even more. There are also many wine tasting locations if you feel more like treating yourself after a very sporty day. :)
The views factor
The tour takes you through beautiful villages - almost like from a fairy tale. They are all worth a stop and a visit but you can also get a good feel of them just cycling through. If you would like to add additional stops in the village, we found Kayserberg to be the most beautiful (where the route starts), Riquewihr (first village) and Ribeauvillé (optional 3rd village) the most impressive.
The route in-between the fun stops and villages goes through the vineyards. We found cycling through the nature to be very calming and relaxing. And with kids chilling, tired out from the activities, you can't ask for more!
The fitness factor
All Alsace cycle routes, including this one, are quite easy, mostly flat with c. 220m elevation gain) and goes through paved and gravel roads. If you get a good electric bike and you use full power, you don't need a lot of stamina. If you want to push yourself - you can always go manual.
The food factor
There are many restaurants in each of the towns and honestly, most of them are great, it's hard to go wrong! The most famous food from the region are the Flammekuches. The other specialty is the Choucroute (assortment of meats with cabbage), if you want to splurge. I personally recommend the goat cheese salads - they are delicious!
All of these pair really well with the plethora of amazing white wines this region has to offer.
Beyond the tour
Other towns I would recommend to visit in the area are Colmar, Eguisheim an Turckheim. They don't have a lot of kids activities but are absolutely beautiful.
If you stay in the area, you can consider a full day trip to park Cigogne or half a day trip to monkey mountain.
Biking around in Alsace with kids - practical info
Cycling route map: Designed by Family Fun Factor & Alsace Cyclo Tour
A: Bike rental in Kaysersberg (book in advance)
B: Optional stop in a beautiful town (sightseeing - no kids attractions)
C: Kids attractions: NaturOParc or Butterfly Garden
D: Kids attraction: Big playground
E: Kids attraction: Restaurant with donkeys, playground and mechanical cars
F: Finish and Alsace au Cœur toy store for the kids, wine tasting for the parents :)
* How does the rating work?
Rating on a scale 1 (avoid) - 5 (higly recommended). As it is unfair to compare different types of activities, each one is evaluated against similar in its category (e.g. bike rides are compared against bike rides). The scoring is completely subjective. Activities scored 4 (recommended) or 5 (highly recommended) are considered as best in class and worth a visit.