Strasbourg – Mainz

Bike Cruise Rhine valley: Strasbourg – Mainz

8 days / 7 nights | Ship: MS Olympia | Self-guided cycling tours

Highlights of this bike and boat trip

✔ Cycling along the Rhine Bike Path

✔ Seeing beautiful churches and castles

✔ Crossing the German-French border

✔ Beautiful barge Olympia

The Rhine Cycle Route provides fine views over the Rhine, which has often been immortalised in story and song, as well as over untouched riverside forests with rich varied fauna and flora. The cycleway also leads through picturesque towns, villages and winegrowing areas. The region boasts a wealth of popular touristic destinations and cultural sites as well as of culinary specialities. You cannot miss a short detour along the Neckar River and to Heidelberg, a marvellous city steeped in history. Words are useless to describe the beautiful landscape, the unique cultural sites and the regional delicacies: you simply have to experience them yourself!

Itinerary Strasbourg – Mainz

Day 1 (Sat): Strasbourg

Individual arrival in Strasbourg. Embarkation from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. On board, your captain, the crew and the tour manager will welcome you with a welcome drink.

Day 2 (Sun): Strasbourg – Gambsheim lock (Cycling 25 km / 15 miles), Boat Tour Gambsheim lock – Germersheim

After breakfast, you will have the possibility to visit Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace, with its numerous channels, the Strasbourg Minster and the Tanners` Quarter with its small historic half-timbered houses. Enjoy a piece of French joie de vivre before you begin your first cycle tour. Cycle directly alongside the Rhine River through the gentle Rhine plain until you reach the Gambsheim lock where your ship already awaits you to set sail for Germersheim. While sailing, enjoy a glass of wine on deck or in the saloon recalling the first impressions of your journey.

Day 3 (Mon): Germersheim – Speyer (Cycling 25 km / 16 miles)

Today`s cycle tour leads through unspoilt nature along the old Rhine ox-bow lakes. Before, however, look forward to exploring the ancient fortified city of Germersheim with its numerous quaint lanes, corners and squares. Continue cycling through the Palatinate Region to reach the cathedral city of Speyer. In 1981, Speyer Cathedral was added to the UNESCO-World Heritage List.

Day 4 (Tue): Speyer – Mannheim (Cycling 20 km / 13 miles)

Enjoy a short cycle ride alongside the Old Rhine, past marvellous lakes, through untouched protected areas designated as National Nature Reserves and natural flood plains. You reach Mannheim, also called the “City of Squares” due to its layout in a grid-pattern. In these squares, countless places are well worth visiting as for example the famous Mannheim Baroque Palace – German largest Baroque palace complex and the water tower – the city’s landmark.

Day 5 (Wed): Mannheim – Heidelberg – Mannheim (Cycling 60 km / 37 miles)

Today the tour leads through the core of the Electoral Palatinate and thus partly along the Castle Road. Schwetzingen Castle and its castle garden are only two reasons to visit the charming town of Schwetzingen. From here, the route continues via Plankstadt and Eppelheim to Heidelberg. Already visible from afar, the castle ruin of Heidelberg Castle towers over the Old Town. Admire the famous Heidelberg red sandstone bridge or stroll through meandering lanes and see the picturesque squares in the Old Town. The further way leads you on the other side of the Neckar via the Roman town Ladenburg back to Mannheim.

Day 6 (Tue): Mannheim – Worms (Cycling 25 km / 16 miles)

Today you leave Mannheim and drive past meadows and fields, following the course of the Rhine to the imperial city of Worms. On your journey through two millenniums of the city’s history, learn about emperors and kings, myths and legends of the Nibelung, Judaism and Martin Luther.

Day 7 (Fri): Boat Tour Worms – Nierstein, Nierstein – Mainz (Cycling 20 km / 13 miles)

With almost 1,000 Hectare of viticultural area, Nierstein is home to the largest wine-growing community on the Rhine. The historic Old Town with its medieval market square and noble houses is also well worth visiting. A short stretch that leaves plenty of time for one to indulge oneself: cycle on the Rhine Cycle Route on well-paved cycle ways directly alongside the Rhine from Nierstein to Mainz. Guests, who would like to cycle a longer stretch, can also choose to start the cycle tour already in Worms. (cycle tour Worms-Mainz approx. 60 km).

Day 8 (Sat): Mainz

After breakfast disembarkation until 09:00am. Individual journey home.

Please note: All cycling distances stated above are approximate only. Itinerary is subject to change.