With mountain bikes and full panniers, stopping only for lunch each day, it took 6 full days.  (We were 3 women (36-42yrs) riding about 20km/hr comfortably, with an average speed of 16km/hr due to slow terrain and some hills.)

Day 1:  130km-Heidelberg area to the Marne Canal north of Strasbourg:  Very easy, paved bike routes along/near the Rhein River.  Flat and a good warm up to the rest of the trip.   I don't recommend 3 Weissbier the night before, however. (Hey, we were leaving Germany for a couple weeks...what else was there to do?)

Day 2:  145km- to Nancy, our longest day with 12 hours of travel time.  The Canal de la Marne is very enjoyable in and through Saverne, until you get to the ship lift at St Louis and then up you go, but not on the lift.  More later...but just know that on the completely unserviced parth on part ot the canal, my friend ran over a snake.

Day 3:  110km-to Bar le Duc.  Getting out of Nancy to the Moselle River was one heck of a way to warm up...and up and up and up.  The Moselle didn't last long for us and Toul was quite unpleasant.  Very industrial and we couldn't wait to get through it and back onto the Canal de la Marne.  We coined a new "F" word went we had to leave the canal near Foug (due to a tunnel) and had to ride up a "Fouging" hill (2 of us eventually walking it was so steep and long).  After hours on long rolling hills (wasn't that bad...not steep), we thankfully found a new path starting around Naix-aux-Forges where the bike signs going to north to Bar le Duc were still covered in plastic. Good thing we didn't take heed and stay off the path...it led us straight into our destination with little difficulty.

Day 4:  100km-to Arcis-sur-Aube.  More later on the rest....