Cycling along the Rhine

Our journey on the Rhine began once we arrived on the overnight ferry in Rotterdam. From here, we took a direct route through the Netherlands (cutting the corner) to join the Rhine just south of Düsseldorf.

The Rhine has been a key transportation route for industry for centuries… and let’s just say that joining the river here wasn’t exactly what I had imagined when I pictured cycling alongside the water’s edge. It’s not exactly pretty, there is lots of industry, big factories and the cycle path often detours off the river through these areas.

We’d planned a rest day at a campsite just south of Düsseldorf, but once arriving we realised that we’d made a mistake. the campsite wasn’t very nice, and nothing nearby would be open as it was a Sunday - and we really needed to do a big wash of our clothes. Instead, we decided to get back on the bikes and ride a shorter day including cycling through the centre of Cologne. We saw a huge cathedral and then stopped for lunch just as a marching band went past! 

That night we stayed at another campsite along the Rhine (recommended by Zach’s parents) this one was much nicer, with a restaurant onsite, washing facilities, warm showers and toilets. We also bumped into cargo bike Dan again (who is also cycling around the world). We decided to have our rest day here - it was going to be a wet and cold day - but we knew we needed the rest.

Cologne to Mainz

My expectations had been set for the Rhine at this point… but before we knew it, it seemed like we were cycling through a fairytale.

The cycle path along the Rhine became well established- smooth, wide pavement, the water became clearer and we started seeing medieval castles popping up around every corner.

Koblenz has a stacked history. The city is at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle river - which had made it really important in historical conflicts. It was also important in the French Revolution, as many royalists moved here.

We stayed in a pretty good campsite just on the other side of the river to the iconic William I monument. The town has many fortified features, with a cable car up to the fort on the hill.

The next night took us to Mainz, and this day was equally as scenic. Most of the medieval castles were on this stretch and there are around 40/50 along this stretch of the Rhine!

Mainz to Splügen

After Mainz, we decided to spend a night in a hotel, and Mannheim was only slightly off the route. We stayed in a premier Inn (where you can always take your bike into your room) and enjoyed spending the evening wandering around the city.

It was on this stretch that we came across our first closed campsite… which wasn’t ideal as it was already 6pm by the time we rocked up, having just stopped to do our laundry (still wet) and stock up with food for the night. We had to then ride another 20km off route before we got to the next campsite!

The route took us through Strasbourg - a beautiful city before going right past Europa park, where we stopped off for a day to go to the theme park and water park.

It’s been a dream of mine since childhood to visit, and I loved every minute… though I will admit, as far as rest days go… it wasn’t the most restful! It was also great fun to stay at the onsite campsite, it didn’t cost too much more than other campsites, and the facilities are all wild-west themed.

From here, the route took us briefly into France for the night (and our cheapest campsite so far at €15) before we were back into Germany and at the stunning Rhine Falls, the most powerful waterfall in Europe!

We took a rest day at lower Lake Konstanz, where the weather and location were idyllic before we continued along the Upper Lake Konstanz.

The next day took us into Liechtenstein and Austria - the cycle paths were straight and well surfaced - there were many cyclists out with it being a Sunday, and we spent half an hour riding and chatting with a lovely Austrian man who told us all about his own cycle touring adventures all over the world.

We stayed in Chur - thought to be Switzerland‘s oldest town - where there was some excellent architecture… and also some slightly odd shop displays…

At a town called Tamins, the Rhine splits. We followed the Hinterrhine split here which took us up a stunning climb to the town of Splügen. You can read more about this day and riding over the Splügenpass here.

Travel tips/kit recommendations 

The time of year: We’ve found April a great time to cycle the Rhine as the days are getting longer, campsites have almost all opened and it’s not peak season.

It’s really quiet, which means that you can turn up at campsites without booking, giving you lots of flexibility for how far you ride each day.

The weather is pretty good. It’s certainly going to be cooler in the evenings, but the days have been getting to the early-mid 20C range, which is perfect for cycling. There can be a big range in weather from the start of April to mid April, with it getting warm quickly throughout the month.

If you’re cycling further, like we are. Lots of the passes in the Alps start to open at the end of April, start of May - so it gives you the option for riding some of these iconic roads.

The route: The Rhine is a really easy route to follow - the majority of the route is on dedicated, traffic free cycle paths.

Our advice:

• Take a warm clothing for the evenings. Warm trousers, base layers and a bulkier jacket should keep you comfortable.
• Have a sleeping bag which lets you comfortably sleep in 0C, as some nights it was getting pretty close to this.
• Don’t feel the pressure to book your campsites in advance, you can just turn up with your bikes!
• There are plenty of supermarkets (lots of Lidls) along the route.
• Almost everywhere takes card and contactless, if you have a bank account with good rates (like Monzo etc), then you don’t need to get too much cash out.
• This route is very flat, and there are lots of train stations along the route - which can give you lots of options for adapting the route.
• Make sure to check if passes in the Alps are open before you ride.