Rhine Source to Sea

Day 2

From Andermatt you can ride the 7 miles to the top of the Oberalp pass or take the funicular railway (not included) which offers superb views. After the obligatory photographs the switchback descent starts before the road levels out a little with longer straighter sections. There are many pretty villages and most of the descent of the whole trip is done today! That said there are some shorter slight inclines of only a couple of percent. It's quite a long day today and you stay in a lovely alpine village with superb views, close to where the Heidi stories were set. 65 miles / 104km.

Day 4

From your hotel you start with a ferry across the lake to Konstanz from where the km markers that you will see for the rest of the route are measured. There are pleny of pretty villages along the route and Schaffhausen is a favourite, with a wide range of options for lunch before visiting the Rhine Falls, Europe's largest waterfalls (by volume of water). There is then a shorter afternoon to your hotel. 66 miles / 105km.

Day 6

A leisurely start today gives time to enjoy a long breakfast and perhaps visit a bike shop or local sights, before departing for France. You ride to the west of the river between it and the Vosges mountains and through some of the wonderful and famous vineyards. A lovely hotel awaits in an old walled town for which the region is famous, and if you need to work up an appetite can always ride up to the mountains and the nearest col or two! 55 miles / 88km. 

Day 8

From Strasbourg cycle lanes get you out of the city safely and soon you are back in the green corrridor aside the river. There is one very gravelly section where it may be better to walk (less than a mile) or go very carefully (we were ok on 28s) but other than that, the surfaces are great, as everywhere. The river is close at hand and you will notice the increase in barge traffic and cruise boats. Your destination is a pretty town originally built around a military garrison with a comfortable and friendly faily run hotel of the type we like. 72 miles / 115km.

Day 10

You will pass the famous landmarks used in many an advertisment for the Rhine region today as you ride through the famous Gorge, with castles dominating the hilltops to protect the valuable trade routes. It's certainly a day you will remember, with a hotel on the banks this evening and with luck dinner outside, admiring the view. 68 miles / 108km.

Day 12

Your last day in Germany and a last chance for the excellent beer or schnitzel! The route takes you throughv the old part of Dusseldorf and then past some of the old Palatinate towns on its way to the Ruhr. Your hotel sits apart from the built up areas in a quiet location with a nice garden in which to enjoy dinner. 58 miles / 93km.

Day 14

It's a long day today but plenty of time as the ferry doesn't leave until 10pm. Not only will you see the famous line of windmills near Rotterdam but you will also ride through one just before! Rotterdam, whilst a major city and trading post, has undergone massive regeneration in recent times and you should have time to enjoy one of the fashionable bars or cafes on the river bank before pressing on for the last 20 miles to the end of the route as the river enters the sea at the Hook of Holland. It's always a bittersweet moment finishing a journey like this but you will have seen and experienced so much that we have no hesitation in describing this as a real journey, one you will remember for a lifetime. NB it is possible to shorten this day by overnighting in Rotterdam and having a short ride to the end the next day. 102 miles / 163km.