Cycle Vacation in Germany: follow the Neckar and Rhine and a bit of Moselle River!
Flowing through a medieval corridor of castles, the Neckar River is a wine-soaked tributary that feeds the mighty Rhine, the grandfather of all European waterways. You will discover two rivers on this easy, well-marked bike route endorsed with 4**** by the German Cycling Association. You’ll see hilltop castles, sloping vineyards, medieval villages and legendary forests from the ship’s deck and bike path.
While this region boasts high-tech automakers (Porsche & Mercedes), nowhere has medieval charm and Renaissance architecture been so well-preserved. It’s where red-headed giants and robber barons, dwarf jesters and warrior brides named Brunhild still live in the mists of time. The ancient city of Worms is the heart of Germany’s national identity and the geographic setting in the epic saga The Song of the Nibelungs. No one has yet found the buried Rhine treasure nor bathed in dragon’s blood for some time, but Germans would never say never. Great storytellers like Tolkien, Goethe and Wagner tapped into this romantic Zeitgeist. Mark Twain left his mark on his famous trek to Heidelberg in his travel memoir, A Tramp Abroad. He wrote, “Germany in summer is the perfection of the beautiful.” Once you see it, we think you’ll agree.
The lovely wine village of Ruedesheim is a gem, and you get to sail through “the Mountains” of the Rhine, the Loreley.
The tour will start with two days upstream on the Neckar, to explore this lovely area before we follow the river(s) downstream!