Linking Mainz and Strasbourg, this bike-and-barge trip traces the Upper Rhine at an unhurried pace, pairing flat, well-marked cycle paths with the comfort of the MS Olympia. Daily briefings set up self-guided rides through vineyard country and floodplains, with options for shorter or longer distances before rejoining the barge. The route threads past half-timbered old towns and heavyweight landmarks—Speyer’s UNESCO-listed cathedral, Mannheim’s Baroque palace, Heidelberg’s castle—while skirting both industry and nature, from BASF’s riverbank to oxbow lakes and reserves. Alsace and the edge of the Black Forest add a wine-and-cheese accent, and picnic lunches are assembled each morning on board. Luggage stays in your cabin, keeping the cycling light. A gentle itinerary across Germany and France, suitable for beginners, with a steady rhythm of riding by day and relaxed river cruising in the evening.
Arrive Mainz
D1
Follow the Rhine Cycle Route to Nierstein and then Worms (26 or 60km/16.3 or 37mi)
D1
Cycle to Mannheim, at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers (26km/16.3mi)
D1
Cycle to Heidelberg and return through Rhineland Palatinate to Mannheim (52km/32.3mi)
D1
Continue via oxbow lakes to Speyer (27km/16.7mi)
D1
Cycle to Germersheim, then by boat to Gambsheim (22km/13.7mi)
D1
Cycle from Gambsheim Lock through countryside to Strasbourg (18km/11.2mi)
Trip concludes
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