Karlsruhe to Strasbourg

85 km road cycling route53 m climbing6 h 04 minGPX

Karlsruhe, Germany · Road

A flat 85 km road cycling route from Karlsruhe to Strasbourg through Innenstadt-West, Daxlanden and Neuburgweier, with 53 m of climbing.

Retraced from the map Ridden by Marcus on Sunday 6th September 2015; the recording was lost, so the line is the road between the day's towns, drawn from OpenStreetMap (the rider logged 91 km that day).

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At a glance

Best for: Flat, steady riding
Distance: 85 km; Point to point
Elevation gain: 53 m; 1 m per km
Riding time: 6 h 04 min; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Moderate
Bike: Road bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Mostly paved; 93% paved · 6% unpaved · 1% no data
Traffic: Some main roads; 17.3 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 1 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 34.1 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water: Regular; 720 cafés and restaurants · 118 shops · 20 water points · 17 petrol stations · 32 public toilets · 50 bike shops
Best months: Jun to Sep; Karlsruhe climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start → finish: Karlsruhe → Strasbourg

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 53 m
Distance: 85 km

What it was like to ride

Marcus’s notes

Distance today: 91km . Total distance: 850km .

Not the earliest start to the day as we tried to recover from the trauma of Day 7. A comprehensive Radisson breakfast helped prepare us for getting back on the saddle. It was slow going for the first 30km as a cold wind blew in our faces and the 147km in the legs from the day before made it all a bit of an effort. Not even 15 km down and a short rest was required to take on fluid.

The next short stop was a ferry across the Rhine at Neuberg. Silly hat. Maybe. Ears warm. Yes.

It was then a short hop over the border into France. Lunchtime was fast approaching but being Sunday afternoon in France, most of the small places we rode through were little more than ghost towns. I was first to flag, with a headache and complete lack of energy. We stopped at little more than 35km for a sleep in a small clearing between 2 corn fields.

Post sleep we made some progress until Donny started to flag. We shared a pepparami and an oat bar [that’s how we roll on tour] and tried to push on for Strasbourg. The lack of energy hit again with 20km to go so we pulled over when the smell of an open pizza shop called.

That was all that was needed to get us to Strasbourg. We entered via a canal that took us directly to the European Parliament building. From there we navigated to the city centre, booked an out of town hotel, and made it by 9.30pm. Still far later than would be ideal, but a great improvement on the day before. Day 9 objective is Freiburg from where we plan a much needed rest day.

Route description

Karlsruhe
Innenstadt-Westkm 1
Daxlandenkm 5
Neuburgweierkm 13
Lauterbourgkm 23
Rœschwoogkm 46
Sessenheimkm 51
Kilstettkm 68
Quartier Guirbadenkm 79
Strasbourgkm 85

This 85 km point-to-point route starts in Karlsruhe and ends in Strasbourg, crossing the German-French border twice. The elevation gain is low at 53 m, with a mostly flat profile (99% flat), and the highest point of 147 m reached near the end around km 82. The route begins in urban areas including Karlsruhe districts Innenstadt-Ost, Südstadt, and Mühlburg, then continues south-west.

The surface is primarily paved (93%), with about 6% gravel or unpaved sections and 1% unmapped. The ride uses a mix of cycle paths (21%), main roads (21%), roads with cycle lanes (20%), quiet streets (14%), tracks (11%), paths (10%), and minor roads (3%). Main roads without a cycle lane extend for 17.3 km, and there is 1 km on roads with speed limits of 80 km/h or more. Named roads include the D 468 (16.6 km) and M 468 (8.4 km).

Facilities along the route include cafés and bakeries near Karlsruhe (within 2 km at km 1.8 and 6), and several bakeries, shops, and water points spread mostly up to km 80. The longest stretch without café, shop, or water is 8.2 km from km 22.7 to 30.9. Bailout points are available at multiple stations, halts, and ferries along the way such as Karlsruhe West (3.5 km), Lauterbourg (23.8 km), and Herrlisheim (61.1 km). Toilets and bike shops are found intermittently along the route.

Why ride this route?

Crosses a border: Germany and France.

Highlights

Long ride from Karlsruhe to Strasbourg
Crosses German-French border twice
Mostly flat with highest point at 147 m near km 82
Cycle path and road mix including named roads D 468 and M 468

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed· crosses into France

Mühlburg 2.6 km
Grünwinkel 4.2 km
Daxlanden 5.3 km
Forchheim 8.6 km
Rheinstetten 9.4 km
Mörsch 11.6 km
Neuburgweier 13.4 km
Neuburg am Rhein 16.3 km
Berg (Pfalz) 20.2 km
Neulauterburg 22 km
Lauterbourg 22.7 km
Munchhausen 31.3 km
Beinheim 40.2 km
Roppenheim 43.5 km
Rœschwoog 45.8 km
Rountzenheim 47.7 km
Auenheim 48.6 km
Stattmatten 50.3 km
Sessenheim 50.6 km
Drusenheim 55.8 km
Herrlisheim 61.2 km
Gambsheim 65.3 km
Kilstett 68.2 km
La Wantzenau 71.7 km
Hœnheim 78.6 km
Quartier Canal de Bischheim 78.9 km
Quartier Guirbaden 78.9 km
Bischheim 79.4 km
Schiltigheim 80.6 km

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Expect stretches on main roads without a cycle lane (17.3 km in all) between quieter sections.

Roads: 21% cycle path · 21% main road · 20% road with cycle lane · 14% quiet street · 24% other roads and tracks
Main roads: 17.3 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 1 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 34.1 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: D 468 (17 km), M 468 (8 km)
Surface: Predominantly paved: 93% is mapped as paved, 6% as unpaved or gravel.
Gradient: 1% climbing · 1% descending · 99% flat

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 720 cafés and restaurants, 118 shops, 20 water points, 17 petrol stations, 32 public toilets and 50 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

0 kmGroßherzog-Karl-Denkmal · drinking water · on the route
0.8 kmEDEKA Lukasiewicz · supermarket · 90 m off route
1.8 kmSon Cycles · bike shop · on the route
6 kmNahkauf · supermarket · 50 m off route
11.9 kmAldi Süd · supermarket · 80 m off route
13.2 kmADAC Radservice-Station · repair stand · 80 m off route
20.4 kmDrinking water · on the route
22.6 kmPharmacie de Lauterbourg · pharmacy · 30 m off route
35.3 kmToilets · 50 m off route
43.6 kmBoulangerie Pâtisserie Rieger · bakery · on the route
48.4 kmBoulangerie Pâtisserie Mikaël Gramfort · bakery · on the route
56.3 kmEts Klingler · bike shop · on the route
61.2 kmDrinking water · 200 m off route
65.9 kmL'Amie du Pain · bakery · 90 m off route
71.7 kmWater tap · 80 m off route
78.6 kmDrinking water · on the route
79.9 kmLa Bicicleta Strasbourgeoise · bike shop · 40 m off route
80.1 kmMeff Market · supermarket · on the route

Need to bail out?

3.5 km — Karlsruhe West (station), 50 m off route
14.6 km — Rheinfähre Neuburg (ferry), on the route
23.8 km — Lauterbourg (station), 80 m off route
35.5 km — Bac de Seltz (ferry), 190 m off route
42.3 km — Beinheim-Roppenheim (halt), 40 m off route
61.1 km — Herrlisheim (station), 330 m off route
68.4 km — Kilstett (halt), on the route
77.7 km — Hœnheim Tram (halt), 150 m off route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

0.5 km — Amalienschlösschen (ruins)
16.3 km — Schiffermast (attraction)
22.3 km — Puits du 17e Siècle (monument)
31.3 km — Centre d'Initiation à la Nature (attraction)
82.9 km — Statue de Kellermann (monument)

Stay after this ride

Cercle Mess de Strasbourg · hotel · 130 m from the finish
Léonor · hotel · 290 m from the finish
Hotel-D · hotel · 450 m from the finish
Ciarus · hostel · 580 m from the finish
Hôtel Couvent du Franciscain · hotel · 500 m from the finish

Start and access

Starts at Karlsruhe. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Water: Großherzog-Karl-Denkmal (10 m)
Bikes and repair: Südstern (80 m)
Food and coffee: Badische Backstub (40 m), Armbruster (90 m), Segafredo (70 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee: Caouette (120 m), Barthelmy (90 m), Café de l'Opéra (160 m)

Know before you go

17.3 km on main roads without cycle lanes
1 km on roads with 80 km/h or more speed limit
8.2 km longest stretch without café, shop or water after km 22.7
6% of route on gravel or unpaved surface

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

7 photographs from the road

Photo: Mkkagain · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Zéphyrios · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo: Didivo67 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stage of

Rotterdam to Budapest

About this route

Ridden by: Marcus
Date ridden: Sunday 6th September 2015
Route line: Retraced from OpenStreetMap between the day’s towns - the GPS recording was lost.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Karlsruhe (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Sunday 30th August 2026
Page last updated: Sunday 13th September 2026

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