Spring Fever along the EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route

The first rays of sunshine dispel the wintry temperatures, seas of blossoms transform the landscape into a colorful scenery and the birds’ chirping accompanies the days – spring is the perfect time for a trip into nature. Bicycles are the perfect form of transportation for warm and sunny spring days. During a cycle tour, one can enjoy the surroundings to its fullest. The EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route offers the right experiences for everyone.

One of the mightiest rivers in Europe runs through different landscapes and offers once-in-a-lifetime views. The EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route accompanies the Rhine River from its source in the Swiss Alps to its outlet in the Dutch Sea. It provides a great opportunity to experience the different Rhine landscapes. While one can design rather challenging stages in the Swiss Alps, the Rhine Cycle Route follows the river thereafter without any major inclines, which makes it easy for cyclists of all ages to follow the route.

Nature-loving cyclists appreciate the diversity along the route. The source of the Rhine, majestic mountain lakes and the famous Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen emphasize the scale of the glacial scenery. Further down the Rhine, the Rhine Cycle Route runs through the Black Forest and the wideness of the Lower Rhine up to its end point along the Dutch coast.

A number of cultural facilities invite cyclists for a stop along their cycling trip. Railway enthusiasts particularly enjoy the Locorama Railway Adventure Park in Romanshorn, Switzerland. The PAMINA-Rheinpark close to Rastatt in the Black Forest area addresses topics around natural history. The Middle Rhine Valley is home to more than 65 castles and palaces. Some of these witnesses of the past can be visited. Chocolate enthusiasts should not miss a stop in Cologne’s Chocolate Museum. The historical importance of windmills in the Netherlands becomes apparent in Kinderdijk, where some windmills invite visitors to dive into their history.

Charming smaller towns also invite cyclists to a stop. The border towns Breisach in the German Black Forest and Neuf-Brisach in the French Alsace are well worth a visit. Especially remarkable are their long history, historic sights and a very special charm. The fortress town of Germersheim in the Palatinate with its fascinating fortress and the wine town of Oppenheim in Rhinehessen with many cozy wine bars are well suited for a stop in the German federal state Rhineland-Palatinate.

To make a cycle trip along the Rhine Cycle Route perfect, several accommodations offer a unique way of staying overnight. One of these extraordinary accommodation choices are yurts along the Swiss stretch of the route. In the French city Straßbourg, cyclists can spend the night in a former palace, while the Hessian Rheingau offers quiet dreams in a monastery. Actual wine barrels guarantee an once-in-a-lifetime experience in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley.

ADFC Bike Analysis attests continuous positive results for the Rhine Cycle Route

During this year’s ITB Berlin, the ADFC (German Cyclist’s Association) presented the results of the 20th Travel Bike Analysis. The study says that in 2018 27 per cent more cycling holidays were done than the previous year. The number of day tours involving a cycle trip rose to 258 million throughout Germany. The Rhine Cycle Route was once again voted among the Top 10 most popular German cycle routes. When it comes to trips that were taken along the cycle routes in 2018, the Rhine Cycle Route ranks fourth. When being asked about their plans for a cycle trip in 2019, the Rhine Cycle Route came in a very satisfactory fifth position. Overall, this analysis shows that the topic of cycle tourism is getting more and more important. All the more gratifying are the results of the Rhine Cycle Route in this analysis.

More information on the EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route can be found under www.rhinecycleroute.eu.

The Demarrage Project LTMA comprises the following partners: Stichting Landelijk Fietsplatform, Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Mittelstand und Energie des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, Hessisches Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr und Landesentwicklung, Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Verkehr, Landwirtschaft und Weinbau des Landes Rheinland-Pfalz, Wirtschaftsministerium Baden-Württemberg, Stiftung Schweiz Mobil, Conseil Géneral du Bas-Rhin under the leadership of the European Cyclists´ Federation. This press release was issued by Romantischer Rhein Tourismus GmbH on behalf of the partners listed above. Further information: Romantischer Rhein Tourismus GmbH, An der Königsbach 8, 56075 Koblenz, info(at)romantischer-rhein.de, www.rheinradweg.eu / www.rhinecycleroute.eu / www.rijnfietsroute.eu / www.velorouterhin.eu

Photo: Break along the Rhine Cycle Route at the Lower Rhine © European Cyclists’ Federation Demarrage LTMA, P. Gawandtka