Rhine romance wheel and ship 2023 / 24: 8 days on the MS Olympia from Cologne to Mainz

Journey to Cologne

Individual arrival in Cologne. Embarkation from 15:00 to 16:00.

On board, the captain and his crew, as well as your on-board tour guide, will give you a warm welcome.

Bike tour Cologne – Bonn, approx. 40 km

Before your bike tour, take the time for a little stroll through the old town at Alter Maat. Then you cycle up the Rhine to Bonn. Castella Bona, traditionally the most beautiful part of Kölle has retained a unique Rhenish international flair even and especially since the departure of the federal government. You drive along the planetary path, the old towpath to the sun at the former Bundestag, the Bonn waterworks.

On the way, if the weather is nice, it is worth visiting the “leisure island” Groov in the extensive Rhine floodplain landscape of the Cologne district Porz-Zündorf. In Bonn, interesting museums such as the Haus der Geschichte (House of History), the Rheinisches Landesmuseum (Rhineland Regional Museum) with the original Neanderthal and the Bundeskunsthalle (Federal Art Gallery ) await your attention. But the Beethovenhaus, the Rheinaue amusement park and the Federal Quarter with the Democracy Trail are also worth a visit.

Bonn – Andernach bike tour, approx. 45 km

By bike we go in the direction of Andernach. Königswinter with the castle Drachenburg on the Drachenfels as well as the Rhine bank near Bad Honnef at the foot of the Siebengebirgewith the islands Nonnenwerth and Grafenwerth under the Rolandsbogen are worth a visit and a rest.

Remagen invites you with its world-famous Peace Bridge . It is the only Rhine bridge that survived the blastings of the German Wehrmacht during the retreat across the Rhine. Later, it did collapse under the weight of the war for which it was once built.

Your destination today, Andernach, is known for the world’s largest cold-water geyser, whose water sprays up to 60 meters in an impressive spectacle.

Bike tour Andernach – Koblenz, approx. 45 km

Neuwied with the Engers Castle, which is worth seeing, is on your way to Koblenz. Finally, on the Moselle, you will reach the ancient capital of the Rhenish Republic, the Romans, Chur-Trier, the Prussians, the Germans.

Koblenz is probably the most underrated city in Germany. The banks of the Rhine and Moselle, the three fortresses, the fortress garden, the promenades, the beautiful old town. Koblenz is worth an extra day.

At the famous Deutsches Eck with the equestrian monument of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the Moselle flows into the Rhine.

Worth seeing is the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, to which you can also take the Koblenz Rhine cable car.

Bike tour Koblenz – St. Goar, approx. 40 km

The tour continues by bike down the Rhine through the UNESCO World Heritage Site Upper Middle Rhine Valley. You will pass the romantic Marksburg Castle, the only hilltop castle on the Middle Rhine that has never been destroyed, as well as the town of Boppard with its Electoral Castle, before reaching St. Goar.

Here, the ruins of Rheinfels Castle await you, the largest of the castle ruins on the Rhine. Also worth seeing are the castles Katz and Maus on the other side of the Rhine in St. Goarshausen.

Bike tour St. Goar – Rüdesheim, approx. 35 km

The ruins of Nollig Castle, Gutenfels Castle and, as a highlight, the imposing customs castle Pfalzgrafenstein, located directly on an island in the Rhine, make today’s stage a real Middle Rhine experience. Reichenstein Castle and Rheinstein Castle … count with you.

By the way, today’s stage ends in Kaub at the place where Marshal Blücher led the united armies against Napoleon across the Rhine in 1814 with 50,000 men and 15,000 horses.

You cycle past the famous rock of the Loreley and finally reach Rüdesheim. Get to know the historically significant sights of Rüdesheim. Or treat yourself to a ride on the cable car to the Niederwald Monument. From there you have a magnificent view of the old town of Rüdesheim and the river.

In the wide Rheingau below the Germania near Rüdesheim, the Romans already felt so comfortable that they built the Limes far up in the Taunus to protect the fertile alluvial land of the Rhine for agriculture and viticulture.

Salve!

Beautiful Rhine islands, steep slate cliffs and vineyards characterize the region near Rüdesheim. By bike, the route passes Eltville, with its Electoral Castle, and Oestrich-Winkel, whose landmark is a historic wine loading crane, to Rüdesheim.

The old winegrowing town of Rüdesheim, where even the Romans grew wine, welcomes you with quaint wine taverns and historic half-timbered houses.

Bike tour Rüdesheim – Mainz, approx. 35 km

On the last cycling stage, the Rhine once again shows its most beautiful side. Eltville am Rhein is on your way. Worth seeing here is the Electoral Castle, the landmark of the city.

Do you have a little more time? Mainz is worth a visit. St. Martin’s Cathedral, the Deutschhaus with the State Parliament, the beautiful Old Town on the Rhine with its half-timbered buildings, the Gutenberg Museum or the Electoral Palace of the Prince Bishops with their Archbishopric and Churwürde… When the railroad tunnel south of the main station was renovated a few years ago, what happens so often on the Rhine happened. A Roman bone, long thought to be dead, poked and and blocked all construction work. A grandiose amphitheater cut into the rock came to light.

What does the Rhinelander do in such a situation? Well, he simply built the S-Bahn station onto the theater stage. One of the most remarkable train stations in Germany – worth your visit!

Departure from Mainz

After breakfast disembarkation at 09:00.

Do you have a little more time before heading back to Cologne?

Mainz is worth a visit. St. Martin’s Cathedral, the Deutschhaus with the State Parliament, the beautiful Old Town on the Rhine with its half-timbered buildings, the Gutenberg Museum or the Electoral Palace of the Prince Bishops with their Archbishopric and Churwürde… When the railroad tunnel south of the main station was renovated a few years ago, what happens so often on the Rhine happened. A Roman bone, long thought to be dead, poked and and blocked all construction work. A grandiose amphitheater cut into the rock came to light.

What does the Rhinelander do in such a situation? Well, he simply built the S-Bahn station onto the theater stage. One of the most remarkable train stations in Germany – worth your visit!

And – while you’re here….

Make your way back to Cologne by train. The journey with the Mittelrheinbahn is an experience. For schedules and tickets, visit https://www.mittelrheinbahn.de/.