Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting There & Around
Breisach's train station, 500m southeast of Marktplatz, serves Freiburg (€4.80, 25
minutes, at least hourly) and towns in the Kaiserstuhl. Buses go to Colmar, 22km west.
Breisach is a terrific base for free-wheeling over borders. Great rides include crossing
the Rhine to the delightful French town of Colmar, or pedalling through terraced vine-
yards to Freiburg. Hire wheels from
Funbike
( 7733; Metzgergasse 1; 1/3 days €10/
25; 9am-noon or on request)
opposite the tourist office.
Kaiserstuhl
Squeezed between the Black Forest and French Vosges, these low-lying volcanic hills in
the Upper Rhine Valley yield highly quaffable wines, including fruity
Spätburgunder
(Pinot noir) and
Grauburgunder
(Pinot gris) varieties.
The grapes owe their quality to a unique microclimate, hailed as Germany's sunniest,
and fertile loess (clay and silt) soil that retains heat during the night. Nature enthusiasts
should look out for rarities like sand lizards, praying mantis and European bee-eaters.
The Breisach tourist office can advise on cellar tours, wine tastings, bike paths like the
55km
Kaiserstuhl-Tour
circuit, and trails such as the
Winzerweg
(Wine Growers' Trail),
an intoxicating 15km hike from Achkarren to Riegel.
The Kaiserstuhlbahn does a loop around the Kaiserstuhl. Stops (where you may have to
change trains) include Sasbach, Endingen, Riegel and Gottenheim.
Sights & Activities
Vitra Design Museum
(
www.design-museum.de
;
Charles-Eames-Strasse 1, Weil am Rhein; adult/concession €8/
6.50, architectural tour €10.50; 10am-6pm, to 8pm Wed)
Sharp angles contrast with
graceful swirls on Frank Gehry's strikingly postmodern Vitra Design Museum. The blind-
ingly white edifice hosts thought-provoking contemporary design exhibitions. Buildings
on the nearby Vitra campus, designed by prominent architects like Nicholas Grimshaw,
Zaha Hadid and Alvaro Siza, can be visited on a two-hour architectural tour, held in Eng-
lish at noon and 2pm daily.
MUSEUM
THEME PARK
Europa-Park
