Cycling holidays along the Rhine

The Rhine Cycle Route runs for about 1,200 kilometers along the Rhine from its source in the Swiss Alps to its mouth in the Dutch North Sea. It doesn't matter whether you are traveling as a family or already an experienced cyclist: there is something here for every level of ability. On one of our cycling holidays along the Rhine, discover the varied beauty of the river landscape, medieval towns nestling on the banks of the river, imposing castles perched on the steep vineyards, and the numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The romance of the Rhine is world-famous.

The quote from the French writer Victor Hugo sums it up perfectly: "The Rhine is fast like the Rhône, wide like the Loire, bedded in rocks like the Meuse, winding like the Seine, clear and green like the Somme, rich in history like the Tiber, regal like the Danube, mysterious like the Nile, shimmering with gold like a stream of America, accompanied by fables and fantomas like a river of Asia". Cycling holidays along the Rhine are more multi-faceted than almost any other.

The classic of all cycling tours along the Rhine is the cycle tour through the Middle Rhine Valley, as it offers a varied combination of the most beautiful places in Rhineland-Palatinate, imposing medieval castles, and gentle vineyards. Between the cathedral cities of Mainz and Cologne, the river flows through an impressive cultural landscape. Time flies, there is so much to discover on both sides of the Rhine. The Loreley, the Nibelungen treasure, the castles of Katz and Maus, or Germany's oldest city, Koblenz. Traditional wine taverns where you can taste regional wine and hearty winegrowers' fare cater to your physical well-being. This is what makes cycling tours on the Rhine fun!

Cycling holidays on the Rhine can also be wonderfully combined with a boat trip. Sleep on the water and get to the bottom of the famous Rhine romance from your bike. This is easy to do on our tour Bike and boat on the Rhine. The route is an absolute classic of all cycle tours on the Rhine. The Middle Rhine region has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2002. Numerous highlights await you, such as the Loreley or the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz, an artificial headland at the mouth of the Moselle into the Rhine. Boppard was one of the most important Roman settlements on the Middle Rhine and impresses with its late Roman fort located directly on the banks of the Rhine. The neo-Gothic Stolzenfels Castle is also worth a visit, as is the Rhine metropolis of Cologne. Everyone is probably familiar with Cologne Cathedral, but the city also enchants with a multitude of monuments, quaint alleyways, traditional houses and countless breweries.

Our Alpine Rhine cycle tour in Switzerland connects the beautiful Bündnerland with the no-less-pretty Lake Constance. You cycle through the Rhine delta, marvel at the 400-metre-deep Ruinaulta Gorge, stop in traditional wine taverns, and visit the baroque church in St. Gallen, whose abbey library is one of the oldest and most beautiful libraries in the world. The Council City of Constance, the largest city on Lake Constance, rounds off this impressive cycle tour. From here, many day trips by bike are possible, for example to the flower island of Mainau or Meersburg with its medieval castle. Mind you, the oldest inhabited German castle.

Our cycle tour along the High Rhine takes you from Lake Constance via Basel to the southern Baden metropolis of Freiburg. The region was spared from wars and presents itself in its original splendor. An absolute highlight, besides the beautiful town of Stein am Rhein, is the gigantic Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen. In summer, about 600,000 liters of water per second tumble over the rocks at Europe's largest waterfall. You will cross the sun-drenched Markgräflerland, you can stroll through the medieval old town with its proud 180 fountains in Basel, and stick your feet in one of the numerous Bächle in Freiburg to cool off. Don't forget Europe's longest wooden bridge, which spans the Rhine in Bad Säckingen. Our tip: Our cycle tour The Southern Black Forest Cycle Route lets you dive even deeper into the rich facets of this beautiful region.

The bike tour along the Rhine from Strasbourg to Mainz takes you to the Upper Rhine and thus to Alsace, the Palatinate, and the Rhine Heissen. You will soon realize that cycling tours along the Rhine are synonymous with pure variety. The tour starts in Strasbourg, whose landmark, the famous Strasbourg Cathedral, celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 2015. UNESCO declared the entire city center a World Heritage Site due to its diverse architecture. Heading north, the Rhine now leads to the charming towns of Rastatt or Germersheim. The university town of Heidelberg on the Neckar is dominated by the red sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle and is one of Germany's tourist magnets. Through the unique beauty of the Rhine meadows, you cycle to Speyer, Worms, and Mainz, whose imperial cathedrals will surely amaze you. Alsace is only a brief host on this cycling tour along the Rhine. If you would like to enjoy the charming flair of the region for longer, we recommend our cycling tour in Alsace. Here you cycle along the Alsace Wine Route between the Upper Rhine and the Vosges. It doesn't get much more romantic and culinary than this when you visit the small towns of Colmar, Riquewihr, and Obernai.

One of our most leisurely cycling holidays on the Rhine is the Cycle Tour on the Lower Rhine, between Cologne and Arnhem. There are hardly any gradients worth mentioning here. This section is therefore also very suitable for inexperienced cyclists and families. The route starts in the cathedral city of Cologne and continues to Düsseldorf, which is not far away. Take a stroll along the Königsallee or the Rhine promenade before continuing on to Duisburg. Make a stop at the 200-hectare Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park, one of the most popular natural and cultural landscapes in North Rhine-Westphalia. Since 1994, the disused and converted ironworks has combined industrial culture and nature in a park landscape that is unique in the world. In stark contrast to this are the beautiful Rhine floodplains through which you will cycle. Xanten, the Roman, cathedral and Siegfried city, which is home to Germany's largest open-air archaeological museum, awaits you. The destination of the cycle tour on the Lower Rhine is beautiful Arnhem, the capital of the Dutch province of Gelderland.