Rhine River Cycle Ride

[Z300449]

I am planning to bicycle the Rhine River Cycle Route , (eurovelo #15) in August of this year, starting at the head waters and ending at the mouth.  I am doing it as a self-paced ride with a friend.  I hope to rent a bike at the start and return it at the end of the ride.  I plan to do my own accommodations as I go with no fixed schedule.  I anticipate about 3-4 weeks from late August into September. 
If there is anyone out there with tips for doing this , I would appreciate chatting with them.
Your experiences will be of great value.
Joanne

[mdxix]

I am planning to bicycle the Rhine River Cycle Route , (eurovelo #15) in August of this year

What information are you looking for Joanne?

I bicycled first half of it, close to 600km on trails.

A good reference is Cicerone's book.

[Galloper]

Firstly, rental.   I doubt you will find a company to provide a bike for collection in Switzerland and return in The Netherlands but you may be lucky.   It might be cheaper to visit somewhere like a Decathlon store and buy an inexpensive bike and then sell it at journeys end.   

https://www.decathlon.ch/all-sports/cycle/bikes/city-bikes.html

A Hoprider 300 or 700 would be quite capable of doing the trip.

This website may be of help:  http://www.rhinecycleroute.eu/

You will find plenty of accommodation en route, German Youth Hostels are generally very good and most have bike storage facilities.   Stayok are the equivalent in The Netherlands.   Other things to look for:  Bett und Bike.   A hotel, B&B or similar that welcomes cyclists.   Fremdenzimmer - B&B type accommodation.

Have a good trip.

[Z300449]

thank you for your information.  We are looking forward to this our first European adventure.
Do you generally rent bikes or take your own?  Getting our bikes from the U.S. to Zurich is still a concern and of course from the Zurich airport to Addermatt.  Then from Amsterdam back to the U.S.

[Galloper]

I live in the UK so take my own bike when touring in Europe.   A few years ago I  flew to the States and bought a bike for a trip there.   I took it back to the UK with me and found that travelling with a bike case as well as my other luggage was hard work.   If I do something like that in the future, I would probably buy an inexpensive bike and either sell it at the end of the trip or just give it to someone who looks like they might enjoy it.

A few thoughts on your proposed route.   Once you get north of Koblenz, it gets a bit industrial.   If you have time. when you get to Koblenz, turn left and head up the Moselle cycle route.   Beautiful scenery and very enjoyable cycling.   Well worth an out and back ride.   If you want something more dramatic, when you get to somewhere like Bernkastel-Kues, head up into the hills and make your way to Prum where you can join the Vennbahn, a lovely railpath through the Eifel/Ardennes into Belgium.   You are then in the heart of the Belgian Classics area, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, Tour of Flanders and so on.

If time allows, you can then make your way down to the coast and follow the North Sea Coastal route into the Netherlands.

Where ever you go, have a great time.

[Z300449]

thank you for your reply and suggestions,  I lived in London from 1961-1965.  Thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

[dfege]

We did much of the same trip you're describing last summer, but in a rather convoluted route.  We cycled from Dornbirn, Austria (near Lake Constance) up to Bad Ragaz, Switzerland.  And then took the train to Andermatt; what a great little city.  Then we cycled down to Erstfeld, and took a train to Schaffhausen which is on the west side of Lake Constance, transferring in Zurich. From Schaffhausen we cycled along the Rhine as far as Bad Bressig.

I have bicycle toured several times in Europe, always flying from the States.  Although it is a pain, and costs money, I always take my bicycle with me.  I agreed with a previous comment that it would be difficult to rent a bike in Andermatt and take it all the way to the Netherlands.  I don't think it would be a great problem to take the bike by train from the Zurich airport to Andermatt.  Taking bikes on trains in Switzerland was easy, but you need to pay for the bicycle and you will probably have to reserve a place for your bike on the train. 

Although we camped most of the time, we would stay at a cheap motel/hostel about once a week.  Lodging was easy to find; everyone seems to use booking.com. Bike und Bett was also in many places  Every place had shelter for the bikes and we didn't need to take them to our room.

Let me know if you want any more info.  Where are traveling from in the States?

[Z300449]

thank you for your reply.  I am traveling from Texas with a friend who has never done this type of travel.  He is a a motorcycle enthusiast but thinks this would be a great experience.  We are going to try to do the whole eurovelo #15.  Did you go with a guide?  How many miles and how many days?  Did you ride the route from Llanz to Chur?  The book by Cicerone says that portion has the most climb.  I did the Ragbrai, in Iowa last summer from the Missouri river to the Mississippi...450 miles.  We had significant climb on the last 2 days,  60 miles with 2400' of climb; last day, 44 miles with 2900' of climb!
What part of the summer did you go? How many total miles? How many days?  We plan to stay in B&B, hostels, or hotel.
Would love to hear from you again.

[dfege]

Joanne, I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get back to you.  To answer some of your questions.

We did not go with a guide; we were on a self-contained tour.  We carried all of our gear.  We generally camped, although we tended to get indoor lodging about once a week.  Our total trip was eleven weeks, but only about 11 days were on the Rhine.  In total, we did about 2700 miles.  We usually biked between 45 and 65 miles/day.  We were in Europe from mid-June to mid-August. We cycled from Bad Ragaz to Chur, but not any further. 

Let me know you have want any more information.  I'm sure you will have a great time cycling the Rhine.  Hope all is well.

Dave

[Woods cycling adventures]

Hi Joanne

How very exciting! We cycled from Mannheim to the mouth last summer as part of our first ever cycle tour. We are from England and so no need for us to fly our bikes over. The cicerone guide is useful if you get lost, but difficult to follow. We found that the signs were excellent and we didn't need to use the book - it was more tricky in the towns, however the locals mostly speak English and were very happy to help, one guy in Germany diverted from his commute home to navigate us through Dussledorf - pay particular attention to route notes in Duisberg - it was difficult to navigate. The paths are mostly tarmac - even through the forests!

You most certainly don't need route notes in the Netherlands - it is a dream to cycle - basically they have a system of point to point cycle ways and you just follow the numbers. Rotterdam was a highlight!

We camped all the way without any problems - you might want to download the ACSI app which you can use offline for campsite locations.

Won't spoil your fun with too many stories- you will want to make your own - but if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. We are hoping to cycle the trans America Trail next year!

[Z300449]

Thank you for your reply to my upcoming Rhine River Cycle adventure.  Your comments were very helpful in our preparation for our ride in September. 
When you do your cross U.S. adventure, if you get to south central Texas, be sure to let us know. 
Joanne