The Vosges…. once, together with the Black Forest, a huge mountain range. Until Italy found it necessary to collide with Europe some thirty million years ago. This created the Alps and the huge plate on which the old mountains lay broke and largely collapsed. In the enormous groove that was created then, the Rhine now separates the Western Vosges from the Black Forest in the East.

The ridge that remained formed the border between France and Germany from 1871 to 1918. 1918, you read that right. The end of the First World War. Afterwards, boundaries were literally shifted, but you can already imagine that the terrain of the Vosges during WW I was a particularly turbulent area…

This is the approach route that will take you from Kortrijk in Belgium to the front door of the Motorhotel du Col de Bussang. It's a typical transit route, so you won't find many tourist stops or points of interest here. Lots of stops. Make use of it so that the route remains palatable for the delicate souls who also want to taste the delicacies of the French Vosges.

The route starts in Kortrijk at the E-17 Shell highway parking in Kortrijk. It is a good starting point, given the immense parking lot for the meet & greet, you can quickly stock up on a coffee or breakfast and if necessary do some shopping, apart from the fact that you can still neatly top up the tank to to get to Luxembourg.

The first stretch will lead you to Mons/Bergen, after which you will take the 'Nationale' until past Wellin. There you go back onto the highway until – not to mention a small side jump – past Metz. At that point you will have completed almost 370 km and the more pleasant kilometers can begin.
But before that, you have a nice French break along the banks of the Meuse near Givet and you can refuel just before the Luxembourg-French border.
After all, just before the French border, you will come across 'Aire de Berchem', the last major gas station on the motorway. We recommend driving past this and taking the next exit after the Aire de Berchem. You not only refuel cheaper there, it also takes less time to queue…

In Metz you cross the Moselle. A river that you will hear much more about in the Vosges route collection. You even visit the (very small) source of this river.

Just past Metz and before the first péage we leave the highway. Shortly after leaving the motorway, a break is required in 'Auberge De Vezon'. Nice covered terrace and excellent parking; nice in sight.

Now it's only 190 kilometers on normal roads, a nice light drive because we include two more stops, but you are of course free to add more.

You descend further south to have a (coffee) break again at Lunéville. This way it remains easily digestible and the finish is only 120 kilometers away.

At the height of the famous lake of the Vosges (Lac de Gérardmer) we stop for a while to tackle the last kilometers refreshed. From the rest stop on the banks of the Gérardmer it is only an hour to the final destination, Hotel du Col de Bussang.

This hotel, run by Dimi & Shana, a Belgian motorcycle couple, was completely renovated in the spring of 2022 and is mainly aimed at fellow motorcyclists. Sufficient storage space is provided and the atmosphere is completely motor-oriented, thanks to the owners/operators. Excellent rooms and meals and there is no shortage of like-minded souls. In other words, the atmosphere is always guaranteed…

The route is and remains an approach route in which a section is taken over the highway. As a result, a five-star rating is obviously not feasible, but the condition of the roads in France makes up for it, as do the increasingly better views and increasing twists and turns as you approach the final destination.