In Rhinau, a range of travel interests meet practical planning considerations: the Réserve Naturelle Nationale de l'île de Rhinau represents a variety of floodplain habitats, while cycling options come with different distances and time estimates. There are also buildings with histories spanning from the 16th century to reconstruction after the destruction of 1944.
Natural habitats and guided visits
The Réserve Naturelle Nationale de l'île de Rhinau encompasses floodplain forests, wet meadows, reed beds, ponds and waterways. These different habitats are home to exceptional biological diversity. Nature enthusiasts will therefore find not just a single type of landscape here, but a mosaic of wooded, open and water-dominated areas.
On a guided visit, visitors can discover a Rhine floodplain forest that can still be inundated by the Rhine's floodwaters. This dynamic is part of the forest's character: the Rhine can flood its surroundings. Check the dates and availability of the visit before your trip. Another way to explore the reserve is the digital treasure hunt “Les trésors du Rhin – A pied dans l'île du Rhinau”. It takes visitors to 25 points of interest in the nature reserve and uses geolocation to guide them through the Rhine floodplain forest. Check in advance whether it is available at the time of your planned visit.
Cycling routes with different key details
Two options with clearly distinct details are listed for planning a cycling trip. The 35-kilometre “Circuit vélo Au fil de l'eau et des villages” starts in Rhinau and follows the banks of the Brunnwasser to Daubensand. The digital cycling tour “Les trésors du Rhin – à vélo dans l'île de Rhinau”, by contrast, covers the Petit Foxy loop: it is 20 kilometres long, with a stated duration of two hours.
This makes it possible to choose based on the route and time estimate, without treating the two routes as the same. For the Circuit vélo, the key details are its length, starting point and route to Daubensand; for Petit Foxy, the loop route and duration are also specified. If the time available for a cycling trip matters, Petit Foxy offers a concrete guide. Check the details of the digital tour for your visit before making plans based on it.
Buildings from different eras
The Colonne de la Vierge is a tall sandstone column on a pedestal. Two reliefs and two inscriptions form part of its design, topped by a gilded cast-iron statue of the Virgin Mary. The Rhinau parish had the column erected in 1862, after the Rhine flooded extensively in 1861. Since 1971, it has stood at its current location near the ferry.
The Eglise St Michel also tells the story of different building phases. The choir of the former pink sandstone church, consecrated in 1540, is to the right of the current church building. The Eglise St Michel itself was rebuilt between 1955 and 1959 after being badly damaged in the 1944 bombings. The present building and its surroundings thus bring together different historical periods: the preserved choir from the 16th century and the reconstruction following the destruction of the Second World War.
Saturday morning market
The weekly Rhinau Terroir Market takes place on Saturday mornings. Around fifteen traders and producers sell wine, honey and garlic there. There is also a butcher, a mobile bookshop and a soap maker, as well as activities for children. The market thus combines food products with other stalls and activities. As the product selection and accompanying activities may change, check the latest information if you have specific expectations.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Belmont, Reinhardsmunster, Niederschaeffolsheim, Matzenheim, Ostwald, Breitenbach, Wildersbach, Valff.
Return to the main travel overview: Bas-Rhin.
