BIKE AND BARGE: Rhine & Main: Koblenz to Aschaffenburg

Koblenz

Today you join the IRIS, in Koblenz, and have time to unpack and explore the town with a City Walk. No cycling today!

Moselle, visit of Burg Eltz, cycling about 25 miles/ walking about 1,8 miles

Today is a day of options:

Cycling: Our first option is to ride along the river on the Moselle bike path. We will visit Burg Eltz today!. Part of it is walking, as it is well hidden in the hills. This Castle is different from any other castle. It remained unscathed by wars. It has been owned and cared for by the same family from when it was built until today. Its architecture has no comparison and many of the original furnishings of the past eight centuries still remain in place. A Treasury and Armoury is boasting world-class artworks in gold and silver. It towers high on a large rock, but is still in a valley. So you understand: we have to go there! After this great visit we will bike back to the barge, which will offer us an afternoon cruise to Koblenz were we will dock for the night.

Second option is to have a restful day on board, enjoy cruising with the ship, and only do a short bikeride and the walk up to the castle.

Third option: leave the ship in the morning and spend the day in Koblenz, visit the Burg Ehrenbreitstein in Koblenz and enjoy the local hospitality and shops.

Koblenz has a beautiful “Altstadt” (old city) in the triangle between the Mosel and the Rhine River.

Koblenz - St Goar 25 ml

After breakfast, the bike ride first takes you to the ancient city Boppard. Here the Rhine takes an amazing turn, nearly 180 degrees. Boppard has always been a visitors magnet with her precipitous vineyards, one of the nicest bank promenades on the Middle Rhine, and the oldest preserved Roman fort walls to the north of the Alps. You can get up the hill with a chairlift ride!
Your destination is St. Goar, opposite the famous Loreley. A ferry and a bus bring you up to the Loreley. A hiking path leads up to this lovely spot and offers a beautiful sight of the narrowest part of the romantic Rhine Valley.
The first traces of human settlement have been apparent from when the Loreley Plateau was level with the Rhine (600.000 years ago). During the Middle Ages, the Loreley, along with the Binger Loch, was well known as the most dangerous section of the Rhine. Many mariners in their wooden dinghies came to tragedy here. In St. Goar, directly opposite the Loreley, Saint Goar settled to save shipwrecked mariners and nurse them back to health.

St. Goar - Ruedesheim, start cycling at Oberwesel 14 ml, from St. Goar 20 ml

Our morning can start with a great sail along the Lorelei. Lights show us if ships are coming down while our boat sails upstream.

We join the bike path again, pass by pompous castles, and reach Ruedesheim. The Romans already planted their vines here! Stroll through the “Drosselgasse”, famous for its entertaining music and taste some of the wines of this wine village. This tiny old “gasse” is only 144 meters long and has 37.508 paving stones. Visit the Asbach centre, home of Germans Brandy produced locally since 1892. Are you not into brandy? They make some great chocolate as well.

The old town, dating from the Middle Ages, and parts of the city’s fortifications like the Adlerturm (eagle tower) are maintained. Here you will find cosy traditional wine taverns in historic half-timbered houses.

Ruedesheim - Mainz 22 ml or more

The beautiful stage leads through rolling vineyards and well-known wine villages. The Rhine flows unhurriedly, forming little islands and broadening its bed up to 800 m width! Our destination is Mainz, where the Main River meets the Rhine.
In the afternoon, there will be time to explore this exciting city. Mainz’s inner city is its pride and joy, filled with spacious plazas, lovingly restored -timbered houses and magnificent Baroque-style churches. The ‘Old Town’  has a very charming and warm atmosphere.

Mainz - Frankfurt am Main 40 k / 25 ml

We now cycle on the cyclepaths along the Main River to Frankfurt, one of Germany’s largest cities and home to the Frankfurter Messe (Fair), home to fairs since 1240! A Trade-City, home to Banks and Stockmarkets. The city skyline is very contemperary due to these developments and also because of the destruction in the second World War.

Now Frankfurt is home to a many museums located at a special area at the riverside and famous for its annual Buchmesse (Book Fair).

Frankfurt am Main - Aschaffenburg 55 k / 35 ml.

Today’s bike tour leads first to the small and romantic city of Seligenstadt with its windings alleys, wood framed houses, and basilica. After that we cross the Main on a small ferry and we continue through Hanau the town where the famous Grimm Brothers were born. You will find the barge again in Aschaffenburg, with the Johannisburg Palace, located on the banks of the Main River. This castle will be the first thing you see as you enter Aschaffenburg as it is the grandest of all Renaissance palace complexes

Aschaffenburg

It’s time to say goodbye. Your guided tour ends after breakfast. You can leave your luggage on board until lunchtime and visit Aschaffenburg a bit more.

The ship will continue to sail to Miltenberg later this day. If you want to book a longer tour, consider the one from Aschaffenburg to Bamberg—it’s epic!