Lake Constance and High-Rhine

Lets begin your bike tour in the holiday paradise Lake Constance and follow the young Rhine. You will bike through picturesque Swiss fishing villages and to the famous Rheinfall waterfalls near Schaffhausen. The boat trip to this amazing spectacle of nature will amaze you. The Rhine River will lead you the way to Germanys oldest iron-made railway bridge, to the longest tiled wooden bridge of Europe and to the bishops chair in Basel, whose medieval character makes you not want to stop taking pictures. The bike trails are mostly paved and assure comfortable cycling through the Markgräflerland passing small wealthy wine-growing villages and spas at the edge of the Black Forest. Taste wines from Baden and the delicious cuisine of the region before your trip ends in the beautiful Fribourg.

1. day  Arriving in Constance

Arrive a little earlier in Constance to visit its Old Town, you will not be disappointed! This is the place where the Council, fundamentally reorganized by the Catholic Church, met between 1414 and 1418 in the cathedrale and in the council building. Its most well-known victim was the Czech reformer Jan Hus, executed here in 1415. The aquariums of the Sea Life Center and the archaeological museum are also worth visiting.

2. day  Constance-Schaffhausen 50 km

Well-established bike trails guide your way out of Constance towards picturesque Swiss dishing villages. Always staying close to the lakeside of Lake Constance, you will reach Stein am Rhein. The great number of houses decorated with frescos and other, half-timbered houses will surely impress you. Until reaching Schaffhausen, you will continuously switch sides between Germany and Switzerland. In Schaffhausen, a walk around town is absolutely worthwhile. You will be impressed by the romantic, car-free narrow streets and places, the 171 bays as well as by the ornated middle-class houses.

3. day  Schaffhausen-Waldshut 65 km

A unique spectacle is the Rheinfall, the mightiest waterfall of Central Europe! A boat takes you to the Rheinfall rocks to witness the thunderous masses of water. But even more highlights are waiting for you today. Rheinau monastery, situated idyllically in a sinuosity, was for a long time the meeting point for mercenaries coming from all over Europe. You will then pass Kaiserstuhl, Switzerlands smallest town, and Bad Zurzach with its very modern brine baths. Later on, in Koblenz, you will cross the Rhine via Germanys oldest iron-made railway bridge. Finally, you will reach Waldshut, situated in the formerly Austrian territories in Southern Germany.

4. day  Waldshut-Rheinfelden 40 km

Another day with various highlights lies in front of you! Around noon, you will reach the town of Laufenburg, awarded for its exemplary public tidiness. After your break you will follow the course of the Rhine to Bad Säckingen. Marvel at the longest wooden bridge of Europe and visit the garbage museum. Just before Rheinfelden lies Beuggen castle, the former chair of the German order of knights. This biking day comes to an end in the historical Old Town of Rheinfelden, in Switzerland.

5. day  Rheinfelden-Basel 25 km

Todays trip will be rather short. Thus, you will have the time to visit the remains from Roman times in Kaiseraugst and also for an individual tour around town. Your destination will be reached already early during the day to give you all the time you desire to visit the bishops chair and to dive into the rich history of the town still present nowadays in the medieval townscape. Basel is best to be discovered by foot. This concerns in particular the Old Town where many sights lie close to one another. Starting at the market place, it is best to follow the marked route in order to discover the beauty of the town in 90 minutes.

6. day  Basel-Badenweiler 50 km

Todays route continues to the other direction. The Rhine and the bike trail following it turn northwards. Back Forest and Rhine seem come closer to each other again at the Isteiner Klotz. Level bike trails show you the way to Bad Bellingen in the Markgräfler Land, famous for its winegrowing, especially for the Gutedel. The landscape reminds of fairy tales and lies there in endless beauty in every season. The Markgräfler Land is characterized by the southern climate, idyllic vineyards, meadows, fields, orchards and forests. What a pleasure to be on a bike trip in this fantastic region! You will spend the night in Badenweiler, a town of very elegant flair. It is one of the spas with the most tradition in Europe.

7. day  Badenweiler-Freiburg 40 km

Ever since the course of the Rhine has been artificially corrected in Napoleonic times, it flows dead straight through the landscape. To make your trip nevertheless a little more interesting, you will leave the river today to ride along the edge of the Black Forest where small spa towns and wealthy winegrowing villages complete the picture. Where the Höllental opens towards the Rhine, you can already perceive the tower of the Fribourg minster. The Old Town seems to spread a kind of magic attraction almost pulling you closer. It is now time to enjoy the town, former residence of the Zähringer sovereigns, with its numerous tiny water streams and the beautiful half-timbered houses. Let your day end with local delicacies and wine.

8. day  Departing from Freiburg

Your bike trip ends after breakfast. It is possible to prolong your stay.