Leaving old Strasbourg over the 17th-century Vauban casemate bridge, you follow the towpath along the Canal du Rhône au Rhin, surrounded by majestic plane trees. From Erstein, follow the Ill River past the castle village of Osthouse, the charming market town of Benfeld, and the lavishly baroque monastery church of Ebermünster. Through the floodplains, you reach Sélestat with its beautiful Renaissance houses and the churches of Sainte-Foy and St.-Georges, masterpieces of Romanesque and Gothic architecture.