Travel report: The Neckar Valley cycle path

Day 1: Arrival in Tübingen

Arrival on Sunday by train to Tübingen - without any special incidents. The Hotel Krone is located directly on the Neckar in the immediate vicinity of the old town. Tübingen is a beautiful city, especially on a sunny September day. We went to the ice cream parlor on the banks of the Neckar, admired the punting barges, visited the old town, and ended the day in the beer garden in the evening.

Day 2: Tübingen - Esslingen

After a hearty breakfast, we picked up our bikes, beautiful red bikes (my favourite color), and set off on our tour. Today we cycle from Tübingen to Esslingen in bright sunshine through beautiful countryside with quaint villages and picturesque towns. Esslingen, an old town with alleyways and squares, churches and wonderful beer gardens. Vacations can be so beautiful.

Day 3: Esslingen - Marbach

The next morning we had a little problem finding our way and couldn't find the Neckar cycle path, too many roadworks. But Esslingen also has very friendly and helpful inhabitants. An elderly gentleman saw us in a helpless position, fiddling with maps and cell phones, and offered to be our guide. Without further ado, he got his bike out of the cellar and took us back to the Neckar. Many thanks for that! The ride along the Neckar through floodplain landscapes, vineyards and meadows past Stuttgart to Marbach went well. When we arrived in Marbach, we unfortunately had to wait in front of the closed doors of the Hotel Schillerhof. The old town is bustling and not for the faint-hearted, but well worth a visit. Unfortunately, the hotel didn't have an elevator or a restaurant and I won't say a word about the breakfast. There are many old houses in Marbach, but few opportunities to have dinner. With a lot of luck and searching, we finally found an Italian restaurant that was open and also had a place for us.

Day 4: Marbach - Neckarsulm

It's raining! It's no use, we set off. On the way, we find a cute pavement café in a small town and a Borussia fan! In Lauffen, we come across Hölderlin and actually miss the Neckar riverside cycle path. It doesn't matter, we find another, somewhat more difficult route and eventually reach the Neckar again. At our destination for the day, Neckarsulm, we arrived at the Hotel Nestor wet and dirty and couldn't believe that we had to push our bikes through the lobby into a separate room. But that's how it was. A lovely hotel, great rooms, nice ambiance and very friendly staff. We rounded off the evening in the brewery right next to the hotel.

Day 5: Neckarsulm - Eberbach

It rains again at breakfast, but later it clears up. We cycle along the Neckar towards Eberbach, past Guttenberg Castle and other castles and ruins. By now the sun is shining and a beautiful hotel awaits us in Eberbach, a Neckar promenade with a cruise ship and the Eber everywhere. We are impressed by the old town, churches and beer gardens. The Neckar is quite wide here.

Day 6: Eberbach - Heidelberg

We leave Eberbach and cycle along the Neckar towards Heidelberg, pass through a forest, see castles from afar and are somehow on the other side of the river. But that wasn't a disadvantage at all, because our Hotel Bayrischer Hof is on this side of the Neckar. Heidelberg is beautiful. Pure life...

Additional night in Heidelberg

Heidelberg on foot, by sightseeing bus and by boat - just tourists on the move. It was a very good decision to book an extra night! The only negative point: the hotel is located directly at a traffic junction.

Departure from Heidelberg

The return journey by Deutsche Bahn was a bit of an adventure, but of course, the tour operator couldn't help that.
The organization of our trip, including e-bikes and luggage transport, was excellent. I would book with Radweg-Reisen again at any time.

Mönchengladbach, 30.10.2021