BIKE AND BARGE: Rhine & Neckar & Main : Koblenz to Heidelberg and Aschaffenburg

RHINE: Koblenz - Boppard - StGoar

Today, you can join the IRIS in Koblenz at around 1 pm, and we will start sailing right after. We advise you to arrive the night before to explore this lovely town on your own. For instance, you can take the cable car up to the Ehrenstein Castle for a lovely view over the Rhine and the Moselle.

At Boppard, we will drop you off for your first short ride to St. Goar, on the cycling path along the Rhine!

Overnight at St. Goar

RHINE: St. Goar - Mainz: cycling from St. Goar to Ruedesheim and Eltville am Rhein, 48 km

Your starting point today 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 since the Loreley Plateau was level with the Rhine (600,000 years ago). During the Middle Ages, the Lorelei, along with the Binger Loch, was well known as the most dangerous section of the Rhine. Many mariners in their wooden dinghies met a tragic end here. In St. Goar, directly opposite the Loreley, Saint Goar settled to save shipwrecked mariners and nurse them back to health.

We join the bike path again, pass by pompous castles, and have a longer stop in 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.

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.

After this longer stop, it is not far to the IRIS, which awaits us in Eltvillle am Rhein. And while you have a lovely rest on board, the IRIS will sail to Mainz.

Overnight in Mainz

RHINE Mainz to Worms, cycling from Nierstein to Worms, 46 km

During breakfast, we sail to Nierstein, from where the cycling takes us to Worms. We are now heading to one of the oldest cities in Northern Europe, the capital of the Kingdom of the Burgundians in the early fifth century! The Worms Cathedral is one of the finest examples of Romanesque Architecture. Not only Catholic, Worms is also known for its Jewish life in Europe during the Middle Ages, described on the UNESCO World Heritage site, along with those in Speyer and Mainz.

Overnight in Worms

NECKAR Worms - Heidelberg: cycling from Mannheim to Ladenburg to Heidelberg Castle, 35 km

Passing Mannheim, it’s now time to enter the Neckar region! Our bike path takes us to one of the most famous and oldest cities in Germany. It’s time to put on our walking shoes in Heidelberg. But, before we get there, we will stop at a much smaller but lovely old village in Ladenburg.

Our excursion goal for the day is Heidelberg, the Gothic and Renaissance castle sitting on the Königsstuhl (King’s Seat), which overlooks the oldest and most prestigious German university. Take the funicular up and explore the red sandstone behemoth and see the world’s largest wine barrel, timbered from 130 trees with a 58,500-gallon oak belly. Fortunately, Heidelberg escaped WWII with all of its original buildings intact. The castle, however, didn’t fare as well through the ages, repeatedly struck by lightning and partially plundered by pesky French neighbours. The world’s first bicycle was invented in 1817 by former Heidelberg student Baron von Drais — his prototype lives in the Kurpfälzisches Museum.

NECKAR RHEIN Heidelberg - Mainz, cycling from Heidelberg to Gernsheim, sailing to Mainz, 55 km

Today will be a good day for cycling, as we have more options to get to our pickup in Gernsheim. We will leave the river(s) and find our way to the countryside, with some moderate hills to cycle on. We are now a bit away from the tourists and can enjoy some authentic German villages, meadows, and forests—country lanes and a bike path here and there.

MAIN Mainz to Frankfurt 40 km

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!