Itinerary

Individual arrival to Cologne and Embarkation between 3 and 5 pm. Enjoy the evening on board or with a Kölsch beer in one of the pubs with a view over the river Rhine.

Before starting your first cycle tour, take the opportunity to stroll through the Old Town. Afterwards you start your first cycling tour to the city of Beethoven, Bonn. This federal city and former capital of Germany still has international flair. On your way it is worthwhile to visit the leisure island Groov amidst a vast landscape of the Rheinaue wetland in the Cologne suburb Porz-Zündorf. In Bonn there are museums like the House of History or the Bundeskunsthalle courting for visitors’ attention and the House of Beethoven, the Rheinaue as well as the Bundesviertel with the path of Democracy are equally worth a visit.

You will continue towards Andernach by bike today. Königswinter with its castle Drachenburg on the Drachenfels (steep ascent) as well as the Sea Life with aquariums for more than 6.000 sea inhabitants is worth a visit. Your destination for today, Andernach, is famous for the world´s biggest cold water gush spring with its impressive fountain of 60 m.

On your way to Koblenz you will find castle Engers in Neuwied. At the famous “Deutsche Eck” (german corner) the river Mosel merges with the river Rhine. Another place of interest is the fortress Ehrenbreitstein which you can also reach by cableway across the Rhine in Koblenz. Tickets for the cableway are available on board.

You continue your journey by bike up the river Rhine through the UNESCO world heritage site Upper Middle Rhine Valley. You will pass the romantic fortress Marksburg, the only hilltop castle of middle Rhine which has never been destroyed, as well as the city Boppard with its fortress Kurfürstliche Burg, before you will reach St. Goar. Here you will find the ruins of fortress Rheinfels, which is the biggest of its kind along the Rhine. The fortresses Katz und Maus (cat and mouse) in St. Goarshausen on the other side of the Rhine are also worth visiting.

Again you will pass very beautiful Rhine castles like Burg Reichenstein and Burg Rheinstein. You will cycle past the famous rock Loreley before you reach Rüdesheim. In Rüdesheim we recommend a city walk around the historical town with its beautiful half-timbered houses. Or treat yourself to a ride on the cable car up to the Niederwald monument. Here you will have a beautiful view over the old town of Rüdesheim and the river.

On your final cycling stage you will find the Rhine at its best. The city Eltville am Rhein with its emblem, the castle Kurfürstliche Burg, is on your way. Mainz, your destination of today, presents itself with numerous impressive buildings. You may want to visit its cathedral Hoher Dom St. Martin, one of the proud imperial cathedrals of Germany, or the castle Kurfürstliches Schloss. In the old town you will find attractive alleys and squares like the Augustinerstraße and the Kirschgarten with its lovely timber framed houses and wine restaurants.

Disembarkation after breakfast until 09:00 am.

Tour character

Easy

The quality of the cycle paths is excellent. The cycle route is mostly on paved cycle paths and embankments or quiet country roads without any significant gradients. Therefore, this tour is also suitable for inexperienced cyclists.

Prices & Dates

Prices per person in EUR

Services & Extras

Leistungen

Included

7 nights in outside cabins on board the MS Olympia in the booked cabin category
Programme as per itinerary
Welcome drink
Daily cabin cleaning
Change of bed linen and towels as required
Full board: 7x breakfast, 6x packed lunch for the cycle tours or lunch snack, 6x coffee and tea in the afternoon, 7x 3-course evening meal
All passenger, harbour, bridge and lock fees
Daily cycle tour briefing on board
Maps and information material (1x per cabin)
GPS data for the cycle tours
On-board tour guide

Not included

Arrival and departure
transfers
Bike hire
Entrance and sightseeing fees
City maps
Ferry fees
insurance
Tips and personal expenses

Extras

Parking

Car park/parking garage - Globus-Parkgarage (guarded, only with advance reservation) - approx. 6 km from the jetty in Cologne, costs approx. € 109,- to € 134,- per week.

Embarkation: from 16:00
Disembarkation: at 09:00 am
Rental bikes on board: Smooth-running 7-speed unisex touring bikes and 8-speed e-bikes from Velo de Ville with hand and coaster brakes or with freewheel (subject to availability; please specify when booking) and pannier bag. Electric bikes (limited number - early booking required) Please state your height when booking.
Bringing your own bike: Due to the limited space available on the sun deck, bringing your own bike is only possible on request and only to a limited extent.
Cycle tours: Individual and unguided. You will cover between 30 and 55 kilometres. All kilometres mentioned are approximate distances of the recommended cycle tours
Cycle routes / level of difficulty: The quality of the cycle paths is excellent. The cycle route is mostly on paved cycle paths and embankments or quiet country roads without any significant gradients. Therefore, this tour is also suitable for inexperienced cyclists
Excursion programme: If the cycling stages and layover times allow, an excursion programme is put together which can only be booked on board and is payable in cash. Depending on the composition of participants, the excursions may be offered bilingually in German and English.
Holiday luggage: We recommend good rainwear, cycle helmet, sun hat and sports shoes. For reasons of space, we would ask you to refrain from bringing luggage with a hard shell, as the storage space in the cabin is very limited!
Timetable and programme subject to change: Subject to change without notice. If, for example, a route cannot be travelled due to low water, high water or bad weather, the captain reserves the right to change the route for your safety (this is not a reason for cancellation free of charge).
Travel documents: EU nationals (with no special circumstances, e.g. dual citizenship, primary residence abroad or provisionally issued travel documents) require a valid identity card or passport for this trip, which must be valid for at least 6 months after the end of the trip. If you have another nationality or several nationalities or if you have to observe special legal regulations, please contact your local consulate for information on the relevant visa and entry requirements.
This tour is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Further information

Further important information on the "Pauschalreisegesetz" (Package Travel Act) and additional information on your trip by bike and boat can be found here!

We organise this trip for our partner SE-Tours.

To the travel conditions