Rhine Bike Path: Mainz to Cologne
6 nights from €904
4.55Cycle through picturesque villages and pass vineyards as you pedal along the idyllic Rhine river.
The Rhine bike trail from Mainz to Cologne is along the most beautiful part of the river. The hot springs and spas attracted the ancient Romans to the Rhine, and today vineyards and picturesque towns add to the region's charm.
Admire this gorgeous landscape as you ride 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.
Life in Cologne is uncomplicated and vivacious. It's a wonderful town for the end of a fabulous tour.
Great family vacation
“We completed this tour with our 2 year old in the infant trailer. The route provided great stops for everyone in the family including great playgrounds for the little one and…” Full Review
“We completed this tour with our 2 year old in the infant trailer. The route provided great stops for everyone in the family including great playgrounds for the little one and wine/beer for mom and dad. We enjoyed visiting castles, small medival towns and cable cars rides. The bike riding was manageable but pulling the bike trailer in the heat wave did prove hard some days, maybe an ebike would have helped in retrospect. Hotels were nice and all provided an infant bed. Can't wait to do another cycling tour!” Less
—Rebecca Heersink
Magnificent Rhine
“Wonderful scenery including vineyards, castles, lovely towns and history dating back to the Roman occupation.
Well organized, nice hotels, great bike path and directions.”
—Jim Gr
Wonderful Easy Biking
“The Rhine region of Germany is gorgeous, we enjoyed sunny warm days and relaxed biking. Towns and cities are beautiful and interesting and the people are educated and friendly.” Full Review
“The Rhine region of Germany is gorgeous, we enjoyed sunny warm days and relaxed biking. Towns and cities are beautiful and interesting and the people are educated and friendly. The 3* hotels are good and the 3* Superior hotels are excellent. Breakfasts everywhere were really good and there were very good options for dinner wherever we went. The bikes are heavy and bulky but adequate for the trip, the only issue we had was climbing the long steep hill to Eberbach Monastery. The maps are not easy to read, but the route is pretty straightforward. The only challenges are navigating inside the cities and finding some hotels, which is easily done with Google Maps.” Less
—luis1957
Daily Program
Day 1: Mainz
Upon your arrival in Mainz, you should visit the Roman-Germanic Central Museum, Gutenberg Museum, Emperor's Cathedral and Electors Castle. Your rental bike will be awaiting you at the hotel for you to start enjoying a ride around Mainz at your leisure.
Overnight in Mainz
Day 2: Mainz – Rüdesheim
21-31 mi/35-49 km
The beautiful first stage leads through rolling vineyards and well-known wine villages. The Rhine flows unhurriedly, forming little islands and broadening its bed up to a width of 2600 ft/800 m. Before you reach Rüdesheim you may choose to ride an additional 9 mi/14 km to visit the half-timbered town of Eltville and Monastery Eberbach, which are both worth seeing. With plenty to do in Rüdesheim, you can walk around the vineyards, taste some local wines in one of the nice wine restaurants, or go up to the Niederwald monument by cable car.
Overnight in Rudesheim
Day 3: Rüdesheim – Oberwesel/St. Goar
16-21 mi/27-34 km
Grand castles line today's route. You definitely should climb up to the Loreley! A hiking path leads up to this lovely spot and offers a beautiful view of the narrowest part of the romantic Rhine Valley.
Overnight in Oberwesel or St. Goar
Day 4: Oberwesel/St. Goar – Koblenz
22-26 mi/36-43 km
Further on in the narrow Rhine Valley, the route first heads to Boppard. If you wish you can go to Vierseenblick (Four Lake View) by cable car. Alternatively, you could choose to visit "Deutschen Eck" in Koblenz to see the well-preserved Castle Marksburg and Castle Stolzenfels.
Overnight in Koblenz
Day 5: Koblenz – Bad Godesberg
38 mi/61 km
You have so many options for stops along today's route, like cozy health resorts, inviting wine villages, thermal baths, and beer gardens. You can also choose to take a break from cycling and take an enjoyable boat trip on the Rhine. Between Koblenz and Bad Godesberg, anything is possible!
Overnight in Bad Godesberg
Day 6: Bad Godesberg – Cologne
27 mi/43 km
Bonn is an inviting stop along today's route and offers a view of Cologne Cathedral. Today's stage is not very long, and you'll have enough time to admire the many sights of Cologne.
Overnight in Cologne
Day 7: Cologne
Nobody wants to leave, but after a week in the beautiful Rhine Valley the tour ends in Cologne.
Hotels
These are sample hotels and may vary based on availability.
Hotels are a mix of 3- and 4-star comfortable, middle-class hotels
Mainz: Hotel Hammer
Rudesheim: Hotel Zum Baren
St. Goar: Hotel Landsknecht
Koblenz: Hotel Brenner
Bad Godensburg: Best Western Hotel Kaiserhof
Koln: Hotel Coellner Hof
Note: city taxes are not included in the cost of the tour and must be paid at hotel reception at check out (€1-5 per person/night).
Interested in visiting other areas before or after your tour? Visit our hotels page to learn more about lodging options
Bikes
Standard touring bike
The 27-speed tourer is the best choice for cyclists that value the advantages of the dérailleur gear shift for flexibility whilst going up and down hills. This bike allows you to be a little more active without compromising on saddle comfort and practical everyday suitability.
The robust modern aluminium frame with moulded lower tube guarantees quiet running even in case of high "payload". Same applies to the steel fork. All frames are coated with a long-living and non-polluting powder lacquer showing the typical Velociped green. There are, of course, different types of frame available depending on the size of ladies and gentlemen, as the bike must fit the "rider". And: all ladies' bikes have a low opening that makes mounting and dismounting much easier.
Smooth-running 28 inch wheels with sealed hubs, stable spokes and robust aluminium hollow chamber rims. We only use the extra breakdown-safe tires 'Marathon Plus' by Schwalbe in the size 40-622, that run smoothly on the road allowing at the same time excursions to open terrains.
Electric bike
Our e-bikes are equipped with robust and powerful motors from Bosch, which are specifically designed to meet the high demands of cycling tours. They are positioned centrally on the bottom bracket and transmit their power directly to the bicycle chain. Due to the position directly on the bottom bracket, the bike has a low centre of gravity, which very effectively ensures stable and safe handling and good steering characteristics.
Our engines draw their power from powerful batteries with the latest lithium-ion polymer technology. Each battery supports you up to a range of approx. 100 km per charge – depending on how much strain you put on the motor. The charging time with a completely discharged battery is about 4 to 5 hours.
*More about electrically-assisted bikes >
Accessories
- Saddle bag (rear, side)
- Repair kit
- Map holder
- Lights
- Mudguards
- Reflectors
- Carriers
- Lateral kickstands
- Lock
Children's bikes and equipment (upon request)
Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE.
Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.
Helmets:
Helmets are not available to rent. We recommend that you bring or buy your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes.
Surface and terrain
The route along the Rhine runs almost exclusively on asphalted and paved hiking and biking trails or along quiet country roads. It is very relaxed riding. From Mainz to Bad Godesberg, the route is marked with white and green signs, which always identify the next town. There are also blue signs with a yellow bike pointing the way. On the last day cycling to Cologne, you will see the signs of the Rheinschiene route (square plates with blue wave symbol).
Along the route there are good rail connections, so you can always take the train for some sections.
How to get there
Tour start
Nearest airport: Frankfurt, Germany
Nearest train station: Mainz, Germany
Tour end
Nearest airport: Cologne/Bonn or Frankfurt, Germany
Nearest train station: Cologne, Germany
A transfer is available from Cologne to Mainz, which departs Wednesdays and Saturdays at 11:00am and arrives at 2:00pm. It costs €100 per person, and has plenty of room for luggage and bikes (personal bike transfer: €42).
Tips on getting to and from your tour
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