The best traffic-free bike rides around Bellemagny

The Col du Hunsrück (748 m) is a quiet and wooded pass above Willer-sur-Thur. The steady climb and beautiful nature make this a pleasant classic in the southern Vosges, with connections to both the Thur and Dollervallei valleys.

Altkirch Altkirch is the historic capital of the Sundgau and lies on a striking rocky spur above the valley of the Ill. The town's origins date back to the Middle Ages. The Counts of Ferrette built Altkirch into a fortified town; from 1215 onwards, it was protected by town walls and towers. The characteristic layout, narrow streets, and remnants of the fortifications have been preserved from this medieval town plan to this day. Particularly worth seeing is the Vieille Porte, a former town gate from around 1245. For centuries, Altkirch was an important administrative and commercial center of the Sundgau. After the destructions of the Thirty Years' War, numerous buildings were newly erected. The representative town hall dates from the 18th century, built in 1778 according to plans by the Swabian architect Jean Nissler. In the 19th century, the town continued to develop: alongside its traditional importance as a market and trading place, industrial enterprises emerged, including the well-known Gilardoni brickworks. The 20th century also left its mark. After the First World War, Altkirch became part of the re-Frenchified Alsace. The memory of this period is evident, among other things, at the Vieille Porte, where a Borne Vauthier commemorates the former front line of 1918. The original Altkirch war memorial from 1927 was destroyed during the German occupation in the Second World War; preserved parts were later integrated into a new memorial. Today, Altkirch, with around 6,000 inhabitants, is an important center of the Sundgau. The historic upper town with its old houses, remnants of fortifications, the town hall, and the Sundgau Museum continues to shape the townscape. Source: Ville d’Altkirch – History of the town

In the small village of Bourbach le Haut, with the former German name Oberburbach, located on the departmental road D14 to IV, there is a drinking water fountain in the village square, directly opposite the town hall and school building. There is also a place to stop for refreshments in the square.

The former railway line between Dannemarie and Pfetterhouse has been redesigned according to the well-known French principle as a perfect "piste cyclable" or "voie vert." Good asphalt, gentle gradients, and, above all, a lack of motorized traffic entice you to glide along at a brisk pace. Often through beautiful forests or through fields, only occasionally do you have to cross a road where there used to be a tunnel or bridge, which has unfortunately been dismantled.

The Port fluvial de Dannemarie is no ordinary marina – it’s an unexpected oasis along the canal, where boats bob gently and herons keep watch. For cyclists, it feels like a little refuge: a place to take a break from the rhythm of your pedals and take on the rhythm of the water. Here you can refill your water bottle, stretch your legs on a bench in the shade or a little further away at the restaurant, or just watch the sun play on the surface of the canal.

This house, including courtyard and garden, is decorated all over with watering cans. It contains a small boutique and is located on a pretty cycle route in Rougemont-le-Chateau

Nice asphalted cycleway with mostly smooth surface, once in a while a few bumps created by the roots of trees below the surface. The only place where one must slow down and look where one is riding, is 1 km before Altkirch which looks to have been damaged from floods creating potholes and broken asphalt but this is the only real obstacle on this nicely well kept cycleway.

This cycling route for the most part is in very good condition, in some places a bit in need of repair from the roots of trees pushing up the asphalt, at times creating an uneven bumpy surface. The only place where one needs to pay attention is near the last 1 km before Altkrich where it seems the proximity of the cycleway to the stream has been damaged by floods, which has made the surface rough and a lot of potholes, other than that, one can really ride well on this cycleway.