Lower Rhine: radial tour 8 days

All-suite comfort in a romantic location at the Rhine

The Lower Rhine offers the longest network of cycle paths in Germany and from Wesel you can start wonderful day tours in this flat and varied landscape. Visit the important remains of Roman settlements in the Xanten archaeological park, discover the idyllic Raesfeld moated castle in the Münsterland and climb a disused blaste furnace in the Duisburg Nord landscape park. Cycle with pleasure on the Rhine Cycle Path to Emmerich, on the Lower Rhine Route and the Römer-Lippe-Route to Schermbeck, roll through wide nature reserves and use the yaw ferry across the Lippe, which is only available for cyclists and hikers. You always follow well-developed bike paths, cycle on secluded forest paths and roll on former railway lines. In the afternoon, relax in the hotel's spa area, go for a swim in the outdoor pool close to your hotel or in the Auesee, or play a small game of mini golf. Wesel itself attracts with the impressive Willibrordi Cathedral, the Prussian Museum in the former grain depot of the Wesel fortress citadel and a 700 m long promenade as a pedestrian zone. If you want, you can also take a cruise on the Rhine on board of the Mississippi steamer, which docks directly in front of the Welcome Hotel. A varied radial bike tour is guaranteed!

Your hotel: the 4**** Welcome Hotel Wesel

On the outskirts of Wesel, quietly in the countryside and directly on the banks of the Rhine, you will stay the the Welcome Hotel Wesel in a generously equipped, bright suite (at least 50 square meters) with a mini kitchen, separate living room and bedroom and a small balcony. After a nice day trip relax in the hotel's spa area with two saunas, relaxation room, professional massages, cosmetic and beauty treatments (for a fee). Strengthen yourself in the morning with breakfast on the terrace with a view over the Rhine, refresh yourself at the hotel bar after the bike tour and enjoy your evening in the stylish restaurant "Deichgraf". You can also end the evening in a cozy, rustic style in the associated restaurant "Plückers Q-Stall" with a beer garden. Look forward to a hotel in a quiet location with the best oportunities to relax. You can also enjoy the small marina with restaurants, the Auesee as a local recreation area and the city center of Wesel with a variety of shopping and dining options within walking distances. All in all, a perfect home for a nice Velociped radial bike tour.
Welcome Hotel Wesel

1. day Wesel Arrival

Wesel, the old Hanseatic city at the Rhine is full of culture, tradition and young life. Particulary worth seeing is the citadel, which is considered to be the largest preserved fortress in the Rhineland and which is the base of the "Prussian Museum" as well as the Willibrordi Cathedral in the middle of the city. The redesigned pedestrian zone is also known as a promenade, a splendid boulevard or the Champs-Elysée of the lower Rhine and attracts a leisurely stroll through the city center. Enjoy this flair on the day of you arrival, then you will be immediately familiar with the many possibilities that Wesel has to offer.
Wesel can be easily reached by train and car. Parking spaces are available for you at the hotel (fee required). Your rental bike will be ready on the day of your arrival and waiting to be used.

2. day Stork and Lake Round tour 47 km

The character of your first round tour is very close to nature. On the Lower Rhine north of Wesel, the inland is criss-crossed by wet meadows, small ponds and numerous quarry ponds, which have been developed as recreational areas and the same time, as bird sanctuaries, which not only attract storks. You cycle comfortably through this varied landscape to bathing areas and observation huts, to Diersfordt Castle and small cafes along the way. In Hamminkeln, marvel at the 4x6 m large Christopherus fresco in the Protestant church and take a excursion to the friendly family-run village distillery from 1750 in Ringenberg (+3 km). In the historical distillery museum you will learn a lot of interesting facts about the production of grain brandy, in the small shop you can try it and convince yourself of the distillery quality before you roll back to the hotel in Wesel.

3. day Bike tour to the Landscape Park Duisburg Nord 56 km + train ride

Look forward to the flat Rhine Cycle Path, which you can enjoy to the fullest after the Friedrichsfeld lock. Sometimes on the dike, sometimes along small towns, you cycle through a wonderful nature reserve with fantastic views of the typical Lower Rhine landscape. Behind the mouth of the Emscher, the landscape slowly changes and imposing industrial plants become your new companions. Take a break at Alsumer Berg, from which you can enjoy fantastic views of the vast industrial landscape. You get to the Duisburg district of Meiderich on quiet paths and cycle direktly to the "Landschaftspark Duisburg Nord", a 200 hectare disused ironworks. We recommend that you take part in a highly interesting industiral history tour. In any case, you should climb the disused blast furnace, stroll through former ore bunkers and marvel at the casting hall, gasometer and blower hall. After an impressive tour, you roll 6 km on a comfortable bike path that was laid out on the former railway line to the next train station in Oberhausen-Sterkrade. With 1000 impressions of the day, you start the train ride back to Wesel (duration 23 minutes).

4. day Lippe Cycle Path and Roman route 53 km

Today's cycling day takes you to the Lippe and the Weser-Dattteln-Canal. It will be exciting right at the beginning of your bike tour, because you will reach the unmanned yaw ferry "Quertreiber" with shich you will cross the Lippe river. The ferry can carry up to 6 persons with bicycles but the cyclists have to operate the ferry on their own. The ferry is kept in the current by an approx. 100 m long suspension cacle. Two free-running chains, which are attached on land and on the ferry, enable the drive. So the passenger can pull the ferry to the other side of the river with the chains. After successfully crossing it, you are quickly at the Wesel-Datteln-Canal, which was built in 1915-1931 as the Lippe side canal. Today it is one of the most important and busiest shipping channels in Germany. The canal runs through the Northern Ruhr area and connects the Rhine near Wesel with the Dortmund-Ems-Kanal near Datteln. Via Schermbeck and the excursion destination Krudenburg you cycle back through the nature reserve Drevenacker Dünen to Wesel to the Welcome Hotel.

5. day Rhine Cycle Path to Emmerich 52 km + train ride

Today you shouldn't forget your bathing suit. You cycle the first few kilometers on the Rhine Cycle path to the small ferry "Keer Tröch II" with which you cross over to the left bank of the Rhine. There the two recreational lakes "South Sea" and "North Sea" invite you to take a nice bathing break. You roll through protected floodplains along the broad river to the "Wunderland Kalkar" amusement park. Enjoy your bike route over the longest suspension bridge in Germany, also known as the Golden Gate of the Lower Rhine. This is how you reach the old Hanseatic city of Emmerich with the beautiful Rhine promenade, which invites you to stroll before you start the relaxed journey back to Wesel by train (direct connection, travel time 1 hour).

6. day To the Münsterland to Raesfeld Castle 55 km

Today you will experience the most densely wooded day tour of your radial bike tour. You cycle from the Lower Rhine into the Münsterland to the beautiful Raesfeld moated castle. On the typical Pättkes you roll to the Dusk Forest and the historic Raesfeld Zoo, which was laid out in the Renaissance. Today it still provides a natural environmend for a large number of red deer and fallow deer. The cycle path leads right through it and suddenly you are standing at the imposant moat and look at the highest tower of all castles in Westphalia. Take time for a long break, because both the Raesfeld Castle with its knight's hall and the outer bailey are absolutely worth seeing, as is the "Schloss Freiheit", a small medieval panoramic views and the castle cafe with the terrace remains unforgettable. You cycle back via the excursion destination Marienthal, whose monastery church and historic village square invite you to take a break.

7. day Roman City of Xanten 42 km

Enjoy the Rhine Cycle Route again today. It leads you to the Bislicher Island, a major nature conservation project in a loop of the Old Rhine, and then soon afterwards to Xanten. Look forward to the historic city center, the lavishly decorated St. Viktor's Cathedral and the archeological park with the Roman museum. Take a worthwhile break in this special open-air museum. Be amazed at the historical excavation remains, which today have been reconstructed as a vivid Roman townscape. Stroll through the former Roman city with its amphitheater and harbor temple and let yourself be inspired by the handicraft demonstrations. After a worthwhile visit, enjoy your time on the Xanten market square in the shadow of the cathedral. Enjoy the vastness of the square and relax in one of the nice cafes. The return trip even has a longer incline ready at the end of your radial tour, because the ice age glaciars made this far and left hilly terminal moraines behind. You will be rewarded with the most beautiful panoramic views. It quickly becomes flat again. With pleasure you follow the cycle path along the historic windmill in Menzelen to the Rhine and back to Wesel.

8. day Wesel Departure

You have now got to know and fell in love with the Lower Rhine and drive back home with many unexpected impressions - we are firmly convinced of that and are already pleased that you enjoyed it so much!

Die einzelnen Tagestouren

On this star bike tour we offer you 6 different day tours to choose from and you can decide freely every day which of these tours you would like to take. Only the tour to the Landscape Park Duisburg North is bound to two weekdays (Sat / Sun), in order to be able to experience an exciting industrial history tour there (12:00 or 14:00). All routes lead in the flat landscape of the Lower Rhine on separate bike paths, wide forest paths or small roads without disturbing traffic. Even the Rhine route to Duisburg leads over disused railroad lines to the former ironworks.

Worth knowing about the Lower Rhine Radial tour

Below you will find specific information about the radial bike tour at the Lower Rhine. If you have further questions about this trip, you simply call us: Phone: 06421 – 886890.

Arrival by train

Wesel is easily accessible from all major cities in Germany by train. Current schedule information and price information can be found at: www.bahn.de.
Train schedule information

Parking facilities at the hotel

You will find parking spaces at the hotel (costs 6 euros per day).

Condition of the bike paths

On the Lower Rhine you will find Germany's longest cycle path network with over 2000 km of signposted routes. We have selected the most beautiful paths for you and combined them into varied day tours. You cycle on comfortable bike paths, on riverside paths and forest paths, on disused railway lines and elevated dam paths or on quiet country roads. Driving directly in traffic is rare.

Available rental bikes

If you choose to rent a Velociped rental bike for the tour, we will provide it at your hotel.
You can choose between woman’s and men's bicycles either with 7-speed gear shift and coaster brake or 21-speed gear shift and freewheel or electric bikes. All ladies' bikes have a low opening that makes mounting and dismounting much easier. The bikes are suitable for all ladies from 150 cm in height and for all gentlemen from 165 cm in height. Should you require an e-bike we provide an Unisex-E-Bike from Velo de Ville.
You simply specify your wishes at time of booking.

Velociped rental bikes

Extra costs which are not included in the tour price

The DB tickets required for two stages are not included in the tour price and must be purchased on site, as well as the ferry ticket across the Rhine. These extras cost total approx. € 35.00.

Guided tour of the industrial steelworks in the Duisburg-Nord Landscape Park (Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: 12.00 noon and 2.00 p.m., additionally May - September also Wednesdays at 10.00 a.m.): €12.00.

7 day hotline service

In case of chain breakdown, flooding or other bad surprises that makes a continuation of your tour impossible: no problem, we also work during weekends and you can reach us 7 days a week in case of emergency.

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

Information on current decisions of the German Federal Government can be found here:
https://www.bundesregierung.de/corona-these-rules-and-restrictions-apply

Current information on entry requirements to Germany can be found here:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Willibrordi Cathedral

During a walk through the cathedral special attention should be paid to the big, colorful window on the western side. The new organ was completed in 2000. In the chapel which is separated from the church trough a wrought-iron fence, a reconstructed ripped vault can be seen. Another vault is located in the chapel next to the northern portal. About 50 gravestones placed at the walls remind the visitors of the fact that the church was also a burial place back in the ancient times.

Willibrordi Cathedral

The donkeys of Wesel

The Wesel-Esel-rhyme is very popular throughout Germany. As a result of this famous interaction of the city Wesel and the donkey, there is an art campaign in the city zone with 111 individually designed donkeys along a "Donkey Path". The live-sized plastic animals were designed by artists, school classes, kindergartens and homes for senior citizens from Wesel and surroundings. Various images like townscapes, mayors of Wesel, Napoleon or Aphrodite as well as abstract pieces of art can be seen on the donkeys.

You can visit the living "Donkey of Wesel" on the camping site Grav-Insel. The donkey was born in 2006 and enjoys the friendliness of numerous visitors.

Wesel Black Water

North of the town of Wesel, the Diersfordter Wald invites you to walks and bike rides. In the middle of this recreational area lies the Heideweiher "black water". This name he rightly wears, the water in the drainless dune is actually more than dark, almost black. There is also an impressive flora and fauna on the circular route around the water.

Wesel Black Water

Wesel Black Water

Xanten/ Archeological open-air museum

Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museum in the world, its medieval picturesque city centre with Xanten Cathedral and many museums, its large man-made lake for various watersport activities as well as high standard of living. It is visited by approximately one million tourists a year. Big events include the Xantener Sommerfestspiele (a prestigious classical music festival lasting 2 weeks every summer), the annual Xantener Montmartre where artists from all over the world show their latest works as well as the annual German sandcastle-building championship.

The archaeological open-air museum is a non-profit permanent institution with outdoor true-to-scale architectural reconstructions primarily based on archaeological sources. It holds collections of intangible hertige resources and provides an interpretation of how people lived and acted in the past; this is accomplished according to sound scientific methods for the purposes of education, study and enjoyment of its visitors.

Xanten archaeological open-air museum

Duisburg

Duisburg – the city by the water One of the cities in Germany richest in water. With numerous lakes and canals. Directly next to the Rhine and Ruhr rivers. With a proud total of 650 bridges in the city – more bridges than in Venice or St. Petersburg. And with Europe's largest inland port.

Duisburg

Harbour district Duisburg

The transformation of the inner harbour site into a new "harbour district" providing residential, working, cultural and leisure facilities is one of Duisburg´s most innovative projects featuring both functional and artistic aspects. The Garten der Erinnerung (Garden of Remembrance) in the Altstadtpark (Old Town Park) near the Jewish Community Centre is the work of the Israeli artist Dani Karavan. In his work he has deliberately left the outer walls of demolished houses and stairways untouched in order to recall the architectural past of the harbour area.

Harbour district Duisburg

Landscape Park Duisburg Nord

In the Landscape Park Duisburg Nord extending over an area of about 180 hectares, nature, industrial heritage and a fascinating light installation combine to create a park landscape unlike any other in the world. At the centre stands a disused ironworks whose old industrial facilities have today been put to a wide variety of uses. The huge buildings of the former ironworks have been equipped to cater for cultural and corporate functions; in an old gasometer Europe’s biggest man-made diving centre has been created; alpine climbing gardens have been created in ore storage bunkers; in a former casting house a high ropes course has been set up; and an extinguished blast furnace has been modified to provide a viewing tower.

The Landscape Park is open throughout the year and with no time limitations. Entry to the park site is free.

Landscape Park Duisburg Nord

Raesfeld

Raesfeld was first mentioned in 889, as “Hrothusfeld.” The first known local ruler was Rabodo von dem Berge (“of the mountain”), circa 1170. He was probably also the founder of the church of Raesfeld around which the village developed.

Raesfeld is located in the Westminster county, bordering with the areas of Wesel and Recklinghausen.

Raesfeld castle: Impressive moated castle from the 14th-17th centuries with front castle, main castle, and astrologer’s tower, surrounded by West Minsterland park landscape.

Castle chapel: St. Sebastian chapel was built 1658 and contains a baroque altar and the Leaden Heart of Christoph Otto von Velen, died 1733.

Raesfeld

Ringenberg castle, Hamminkeln

Around 1223 the Lords of Dingden erected a solid fortress dwelling in the marshlands of the Ijssel River on the border between the territories of the Bishop of Münster and the Duke of Kleve.  Today Ringenberg castle is a studio and exhibition center located on the Lower Rhine River,  between the Rhine-Ruhr area and the southeastern Netherlands. The castle accommodates ten live-in artists’ studios and 320 square meters of exhibition space. The program of events at the castle revolves around contemporary art. In addition to internal activities such as workshops, work conferences or symposia, a wide range of educational activities and visual experiences are offered to the public.

Ringenberg castle, Hamminkeln

Emmerich

Emmerich the beautiful city on the Rhine has many attractions to offer. For example, the beautiful St. Martin's Church with the treasury or the 1000 year old St. Vitus Church. Also worth seeing is the Rhine promenade. The Drususbrunnen on Eltenberg attracts also numerous tourists.Not to forget the museums. The Rhine Museum with more than 130 ship models, or the poster museum with over 90,000 posters are always worth a visit. Who likes to relax can walk on H. Borghees in the beautiful park and at the same time look at the little castle.

Emmerich

Emmerich Rhine Bridge

The Emmerich Rhine Bridge is a suspension bridge completed in 1965, it has a main span of 500 metres (1,600 ft), crossing the Rhine, carrying the Bundesstrasse B 220, the federal highway between Emmerich am Rhein and Kleve. It is the longest suspension bridge in Germany.

Emmerich Rhine Bridge