Rhine route (EV15) - is it worth it?

[bohrsatom]

For this summer's tour we're thinking of riding the Rhine route from Source to Sea. On paper it looks OK but a couple of years ago we spent a very boring week riding the Elberadweg and I have a nagging feeling the Rhine might turn out to be the same.

It seems the prettiest part is the Swiss/French section and I've already ridden most of this before (Bregenz to Mulhouse). Researching the route using some CGOAB blogs shows other parts appear to have an industrial feel to them and the prospect of riding mile after mile on riverside paths with nothing but factories for company is quite unappealing! I was wondering whether this is a trip anybody would recommend, or if I should search elsewhere.

I don't have my heart set on Germany but the Moselradweg or even the Romantic Road look good. Maybe I could combine the two...

[bikes4two]

> I've done the Rhine route Basel to Baden-Baden and found it boring with a lot of the track which although very good for cycling, is so far away from the Rhine itsself that you couldn't see the Rhine for the trees
> Others who have cycled this way tell me that if I'd continued northwards, things improved?
> My buddy has done the Romantic Route and by his account, it's worth it

[CyclingTerrier]

I'd say not.
Cologne - Bingen is the best bit IMO although Strasbourg to Basel is pretty sweet too.
Much of Holland is cycling along the canal/river path (boring) or cycling through featureless fields (really boring). Once into Germany not much changes and Duisburg/Dusseldorf can be given a wide berth.
And yeh it's pretty industrial in parts.
Not that I've cycled it but I hear good things about the French part of Eurovelo 6. That might be worth a look.

[ossie]

I did it last year from North to south but turned off at Mulhouse and joined EV6.
I much preferred EV15 to EV6....

Im not sure what your definition of boring is but EV15 is a real mixture and of course the Rhine with its constant traffic was to me a major attraction and the route was almost always on the river and safe, unlike EV6 which takes you away from the Loire on numerous sections to back streets and pointless towns and villages.

The Industrial areas of EV15 were also an eye opener, safe and interesting- far from being boring. The pretty (touristy) part of EV15 castles etc is short lived - Bonn to Bingen but if you take your time and explore I could imagine it would fill a few days.

For me the stretch between Manheim to just north of Strasbourg was uneventful (boring in places) but Strasbourg to Mulhouse was far from it.

In short EV15 has everything and i'll be doing it again.

[foxyrider]

River routes almost by definition are pretty flat 'boring' if you like. The surrounding countryside is what make them individual, industry is attracted to rivers for power and transport - it's a fact of life.

There are often great things to see just away from the river - museums etc, you can sometimes miss the real gems by rigidly following the bike routes and not doing a bit of personal research in the tourist offices en route.

If the Rhein is too boring/industrial you could try the Main from Bayreuth to Mainz. The Donau isn't known for its scenery but there are some nice places to visit. I found the Neckar quite nice with some great stops along the way.

The Romantische Straße is certainly a nice route but even that can be helped with some side trips. If you are feeling more adventurous the Limes route is interesting - it's the German equivalent of Hadrians wall but a lot longer!

I've ridden all or part of all the above - and a lot more besides, they each have attractions and variety. The Elbe is probably the most boring of them all but it's crossing the north German plain - there was a clue there! Don't get too caught up on a single route, combine parts of several to tailor the route to your preferences.

I don't have a specific favourite but having travelled the Mosel I found it pretty boring, it's one long tourist trap. Much nicer up in the hills to either side!

[Slowroad]

I did the Netherlands part of the Rhine last October and loved it - really looking forward to post-industrial Ruhr - e.g. Duisburg Nord Landschaftspark: http://en.landschaftspark.de/the-park. Just shows it's horses for courses in cycle touring as much as anything else!

[andymiller]

River routes almost by definition are pretty flat 'boring' if you like. The surrounding countryside is what make them individual, industry is attracted to rivers for power and transport - it's a fact of life.

There are often great things to see just away from the river - museums etc, you can sometimes miss the real gems by rigidly following the bike routes and not doing a bit of personal research in the tourist offices en route.

IME a lot of the big European rivers were only really tamed with flood defences in the last century, and so the most interesting towns and villages tend to be a little bit away from the river to avoid getting flooded. You often need to make a conscious decision to make a detour —it's worth doing a bit of research (or buying/downloading/scrounging a guide) so you have an idea of which detours are worth the trouble and which ones aren't.

[bainbridge]

I did the Netherlands part of the Rhine last October and loved it - really looking forward to post-industrial Ruhr - e.g. Duisburg Nord Landschaftspark: http://en.landschaftspark.de/the-park. Just shows it's horses for courses in cycle touring as much as anything else!

Yes we cycled along the rhine as far as mainz and stayed in the hostel on landschaftpark in duisberg, spent an hour the following day exploring the blasting furnace. You can climb right up on it and wander around.

I loved the blend of gritty industrial and fairy tale castles the rhine route has to offer.

[ossie]

Duisburg, Dusseldorf and Koln were pretty epic..likewise Bonn down to Mainz.

Mainz to Strasbourg wasnt that interesting....miles of flood plain and river defences but I still enjoyed it..Speyer was worth a stop.

[craign74]

I did the full route from Andermatt to Rotterdam (Europoort for ferry to Hull) a few years ago with a friend, you'll see mountains, lakes, valley gorges and everything in between. The industrial bits around Dusseldorf and the like are not too bad, they actually make a nice change of scenery at times. Of all the long distance routes I've done, this is the only one I'd like to do again before my legs tell me to stop.

[bohrsatom]

Thanks to those who commented for the advice. The Rhine route sounds good but variety is the spice of life. So, not quite set in stone but I think we'll be doing the following:

• Basel to Strasbourg following the small villages/towns of the Alsatian Wine Route rather than EV15, which is more direct but perhaps less interesting
• Across the Northern Vosges to Sarreguemines
• Saar radweg from Sarreguemines to Konz
• Mosel radweg from Konz to Koblenz
• Rhine route from Koblenz to Cologne
• Somehow get to Brussels so we can get home to London on Eurostar

[Jedmaddock]

Myself and three other riders will be touring the Euro Velo 15, Rhine Route from Andermatt to Rotterdam for three weeks starting in late July. If you have done this route and can recommend some of your not to be missed experiences, it would be appreciated. The hidden gems of your trip, items not in the guide books is what we are looking for. Sightseeing spots, restaurants, best campsites or any not to miss experiences you found and really enjoyed would be nice to hear about.

[Cycling Hills]

A group of us did a circular route from Cochem, Koblenz, Baccarah, Idar-orberstien, Trier, Bernkastel Kues and back to Cochem

We stayed in a mixuture of DJH youth hostels and hotels.
The Hostel at Koblenz is spectacular, and we went into the city via Cable car.
We really enjoyed Baccarach, the hotel was reasonable, had a good wander and a lovely meal.
The Hochwald -ruher bike path was brand new tarmac and down hill all the way to Trier

We had such a good time, that we did another tour around Germany this year, and are now planning for next year.

[bohrsatom]

As I'm the OP and now back from my trip I should probably provide some notes for anybody considering following in our tyre tracks.

We did pretty much the route outlined above. The only exception was instead of heading N along the Rhine from Koblenz to Cologne we rode one day south to Rudesheim. I didn't realise at the time but this section of the river is known as the Rhine Gorge and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As you might expect, the scenery is fantastic and the area is jam packed full of interesting places to visit. Afterwards we caught a train to a town just outside Cologne and continued our journey from there.

Both the Alsatian wine route and Mosel Radweg were great too, however the Saar was quite boring. There wasn't much to look at other than disused factories and the motorway. Thankfully it was only about a day's riding but I would probably find an alternative route if heading this way again.

One more point to mention: don't worry about your bidons running dry as every few minutes you will ride past somewhere to taste the local wine!

If you are really interested you can read our crazyguy blog: https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o= ... 17982&v=G8