Rhine: classic, Mainz – Cologne 7 days

A river of wine, castles and romance

The Rhine Bike Trail from Mainz to Cologne.

The Rhine bike trail from Mainz to Cologne is the most beautiful part of the river. Here hot springs and spas already attracted the ancient Romans. Today vineyards and picturesque towns add to the region‘s charme. Admire this manmade landscape and look forward to Cologne where you can see the cathedral spires tower over Germany's oldest city. Enjoy its innumerable cultural and historical treasures, world-famous museums and active art scene. The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet for a Kölsch (beer), a chat or simply a laugh. Life in Cologne is uncomplicated and vivacious. A wonderful town for the end for your tour.

1. day Mainz arrival

You should arrive early. Not just the Roman-Germanic central museum, the Gutenberg museum, the emperors cathedral and the electors castle are worth an ample visit (arrival possible by German railway/ rental bike at hotel).

2. day Mainz - Rüdesheim 35 km/49 km

The beautiful first stage leads through rolling vineyards and well-known wine villages. The Rhine is flowing steady, forming little islands and broadening its bed up to 800 m expanse! On your way you may visit the half-timbered town of Eltville and monastery Eberbach (+ 14 km), which are worth seeing. In Rüdesheim you should walk around the vineyards, taste some local wines in one of the nice wine restaurants and go up to the Niederwald-monument by cable car.

3. day Rüdesheim - St. Goar 34 km

Pompous castles attract on your way. And you definitely should climb up to the Loreley! A hiking path leads up to this lovely spot and offers a beautiful sight to the narrowest part in the romantic Rhine Valley.

4. day St.Goar - Koblenz 36 km

Further on in the narrow Rhine Valley, the route firstly leads to Boppart. In this place it is quite turbulent, but if you wish you can go to "Vierseenblick" by cable car in densely wooded heights. Or you may visit on your further way to the ‚Deutschen Eck‘ in Koblenz the well preserved castle Marksburg and castle Stolzenfels.

5. day Koblenz - Bad Godesberg 61 km

Cosy health resorts and inviting wine villages invite you for visit! Or you may have a break from cycling and go to an enjoyable boat trip on the Rhine. Between Koblenz and Bad Godesberg everything is possible!

6. day Bad Godesberg - Cologne 43 km

Bonn will be on your way and invites for a visit until the Cologne cathedral comes into field of vision. The today’s stage isn’t that long so you will be quite early in your hotel which is located in the city center. You will still have enough time to admire the manifold sights of Cologne.

7. day Cologne departure

Nobody wants to leave, but after a week in the beautiful Rhine Valley the tour ends in Cologne (departure possible with German railway).

Worth knowing

Below you will find specific information about the Rhine bike trail Mainz - Cologne. If you have further questions about this trip, you simply call us: Phone: 06421 – 886890.

Arrival by train

Mainz is easily accessible from all major cities in Germany by train. All our partner hotels are located within easy access to the station. Current schedule information and price information can be found at: www.bahn.de.

Train schedule information

Parking facilities at the hotel in Mainz

The hotels in Mainz have no parking facilities. You can park in one of the municipal parking garages near the hotel. Your will receive detailed information on the parking facilities together with your travel information package 2 weeks prior to your arrival.

Condition of cycle paths

The route along the Rhine runs almost exclusively on asphalted and paved hiking and cycling trails or along quiet country roads. Driving in traffic is rare. From Mainz to Bad Godesberg, the route is marked with white and green signs, which always identify the next town. Also you will see blue signs with a yellow bike. On the last day cycling to Cologne will see the signs of the Rheinschiene route (square plates with blue wave symbol). Due to the consistently good signage the right way is easy to find.

Available rental bikes

If you choose to rent a velociped-rental bike for the tour, we take it to your first hotel and bring pick it up at your destination. You can choose between woman’s and men's bicycles either with 7-speed gear shift and coaster brake or 27-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.
On our Velociped tours we use high-quality Velo de Ville e-bikes. They are technically mature and very robust.

Velociped rental bikes

Transfer back to the starting point of the journey

Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11 am there is the possibility to transfer back to Mainz with a small bus (with bike trailer). Arrival at 2 pm. The driver picks you up at your hotel and has much room for you, your luggage and where required your own bicycle. The bus takes you back to your first hotel, thus ensuring a perfect return service without the hassle of hauling luggage.

Bike and boat

Particularly the Middle Rhine Valley a boat tour is a delightful addition to cycling. The major part of the passenger traffic on the Rhine route is done by the Cologne-Düsseldorf shipping company. Bicycles can be taken on all ships.

Timetable Cologne-Düsseldorf shipping company

Bike and train

Along the route there are good rail connections, so you can always take the train for some sections.

Extra costs which are not included in the price

A possibly applicable city tax as well as the ferry boat from Rüdesheim to Bingen are not part of the travel price and therefore has to be paid at the hotel locally.

7 day hotline service

Just in case the bike chain breaks, flooding makes it impossible to continue your tour or any other nasty surprise: You can reach us seven days a week and we will do anything to help you as fast as possible. 

Passport and visa requirements

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

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.

Mainz Cathedral

The High Cathedral of Mainz is the episcopal church of the Roman Catholic diocese of Mainz and is under the patronage of St. Martin of Tours. The eastern choir is dedicated to St. Stephan. The building, which belongs to the imperial cathedrals, is, in its present form, a three-aisled Romanesque column basilica with gothic and baroque elements in its annexes.

Mainz Cathedral

Mainz Cathedral

Drosselgasse, Rüdesheim

The heart of Rüdesheim's old town is a meeting place for locals and visitors from all over the world. This is where the music is and where it never stops! Whether you're after something lively or classical, romantic or groovy, from brass bands to string quartets, from dusk until dawn. There's a wide range of wine bars and garden taverns to satisfy everyone. Come to Drosselgasse and revel in its unique atmosphere.

Drosselgasse

Monastery Eberbach

The monastery "Kloster Eberbach" is located in a beautiful valley next to the Rheingau where it´s surrounded by trees and vine. Since its foundation by Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1136 the works of the Cistercian Monks have characterised the Spirit of the monastery as well as its architecture. Today the foundation "Stiftung Kloster Eberbach" carefully protects the cultural traditions as a historic heritage. Many cultural events bring them to the attention of a large number of people. The monastery is open to you to experience it with all your senses. 

Monastery Eberbach

Loreley

The Loreley is a 433 feet high slate cliff in the Upper Middle Rhine Valley World Heritage near the town of St. Goarshausen. The view of St. Goarshausen, from the Loreley ( Lorelei ) outlook point, with Castle Katz and the view of the town St. Goar and its Fortress Rheinfels, leaves a wonderful impression on all Loreley ( Lorelei ) tourists.

The Rhine, at the Loreley, is up to 82 feet deep and only 371 feet wide. Because this area is so deep and narrow, it is one of the most dangerous places in the World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. Ships, crossing each other here and all along the section between Oberwesel and St. Goarshausen, are directed by light signals, called “Wahrschau”.

Loreley

Deutsches Eck, Koblenz

World-famous: Where Father Rhine and Mother Moselle meet: The Deutsches Eck ("German Corner")

The establishment of the Teutonic Order at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle in 1216 gave this historic site its name, the “Deutsches Eck”. Koblenz also owes its name to the meeting point of the Rhine and the Moselle - from “Castellum apud Confluentes”, Latin for “fort at the confluence”, which over time became the current name of Koblenz.

Shortly after Kaiser Wilhelm I’s death, the idea arose of creating a memorial to him, as it was the Kaiser who had brought about the unification of Germany after three years of war. Three years later in 1891, Kaiser Wilhelm II, the grandson of the deceased, chose the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz as the most suitable location. A harbour of refuge in the Moselle estuary was filled in to create space for the memorial. The Deutsches Eck in its present form was created.

Deutsches Eck

Bridge of Remagen

The bridge of Remagen was built during World War I on the orders of the German generalship to be able to bring more troops and war materials to the West Front. Originally the Ludendorff Bridge, was the last intact bridge over the Rhine and was conquered by the Allies on March 7, 1945 in World War II next to the railway bridge in Wesel, which was blown up on 10 March 1945.

Bridge of Remagen

ARP Museum, Oberwinter

The Rolandseck train station, the classic jewel from the mid-19th century at Remagen, has been a place for famous artists from all over the world - for musicians, literati, painters and sculptors. Originally the station was the terminus of a private railway, which operated from Cologne. Today, there is an hourly train service to Koblenz and Cologne

ARP Museum, Oberwinter

Godesburg, Bad Godesberg

The 32-meter-high Bergfried of the Godesburg has a wide view of Bonn, the green city district of Bad Godesberg, the Rhine Valley and the Siebengebirge. The changing history of Bad Godesberg at the southern end of the Bay of Cologne between the Siebengebirge and Voreifel has left its mark.

Godesburg in Bad Godesberg

Cologne Cathedral

It can be seen from nearly every point in the city centre and from many places elsewhere: The magnificent Cologne Cathedral hovers above the roofs and chimneys of the city. It is not only used as a point of orientation but is the pride of the people in Cologne. The panorama of the city has been dominated by the Cathedral's gigantic pair of towers (the North Tower (157.38 m) is 7 cm higher than the South Tower) since their completion in 1880. The Cathedral is still the second highest building in Cologne after the telecommunications tower. Its footprint is no less impressive, with the full length of the Cathedral measuring 145 m and the cross nave 86 m. In comparison, a football pitch is "only" around 100 by 70 m. The total area of the Cathedral measures almost 8000 square metres and has room for more than 20,000 people.

Cologne Cathedral

Museum Ludwig, Köln

Roy Lichtenstein's M-Maybe, Andy Warhol's Brillo Boxes and George Segal's Restaurant Window, all icons of American Pop Art, had all just been completed when in 1969 they arrived as a loan at Wallraf-Richartz-Museum. The works come from Peter and Irene Ludwig, who had put together the largest Pop Art collection outside of the USA. The Museum Ludwig is devoted to modern art from the beginning of the 20th century. There usually are two or more temporary exhibitions. 

Museum Ludwig, Köln