Rhine romance wheel and ship 2024: 8 days on the MS Olympia from Strasbourg to Heidelberg and Mainz

Arrival to Strasbourg

Individual journey to Strasbourg. Embarkation from 15:00 to 16:00. On board, your captain and crew, as well as your on-board tour guide, will welcome you with a welcome drink.

Strasbourg – Gambsheim lock, cycling tour approx. 20 km
Navigation lock Gambsheim – Germersheim

After breakfast, take the opportunity to visit Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, with its many canals, Strasbourg Cathedral or the picturesque Tanners’ Quarter with its historic half-timbered houses. Enjoy a slice of French joie de vivre before starting your first bike tour.

You cycle directly along the Rhine through the gentle Rhine plain to the Gambsheim lock, where your ship awaits you for the onward journey to Germersheim. Use the time on deck or in the salon and review the first impressions with a glass of wine.

Bicycle tour Germersheim – Speyer, approx. 25 km

Your bike tour today will take you along the arms of the Old Rhine through seemingly untouched nature. But first, look forward to the old fortress town of Germersheim with its many beautiful alleys, nooks and squares.

Along the numerous arms of the Altrhein, today’s route takes you to the cathedral city of Speyer. Enjoy the short cycling stage through natural areas designated as a nature reserve and natural floodplain. The cathedral in Speyer has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

The Speyer riverbank, the park around the cathedral, the old town, the Electoral Palatine Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Memorial Church of the Protestation. Speyer is worth a whole day. Let the city and the stream have an effect on you. Take your time for the cathedral. You will experience an impressive place that is in awe of all its historical contradictions. You will not forget it, the cathedral of Speyer.

Bike tour Speyer – Mannheim, approx. 30 km

Today, enjoy the short cycling stage along the Altrhein River, through natural areas designated as a nature reserve and natural floodplain. You will reach the square city of Mannheim, which got its nickname because of its street layout.

In the squares there are numerous opportunities to spend your free time exploring things worth seeing. Thus, the Baroque castle – the largest Baroque castle complex in Germany and the water tower – the landmark of the city are among the most famous sights.

Round trip Mannheim – Heidelberg – Mannheim, approx. 60 km

Today, follow the course of the beautiful Neckar River by bike to Heidelberg.

The Roman town of Ladenburg with its historic old town is worth a short stopover. Visible from afar, the ruins of Heidelberg Castle tower over the old town.

Stroll across Heidelberg’s famous sandstone bridge or through the winding alleys and dreamy squares of the old town. The way back takes you through the heart of the Electoral Palatinate via the Electoral Palatinate Route to Schwetzingen Palace.

Here in the palace garden it is worthwhile to linger briefly before you dive back into the lively city life of Mannheim along the Rhine Cycle Path.

Bike tour Mannheim – Worms, approx. 30 km

Today you leave Mannheim and drive past meadows and fields, following the course of the Rhine to the imperial Nibelungen city of Worms: the city of the Nibelungen, the imperial days, the trial of the Causa Martin Luther before the Emperor Charles V, the city and imperial cathedral of Worms.

On your foray through two millennia of city history, you will encounter emperors and kings, myths and legends of the Nibelungen, Judaism and Martin Luther.

Boat trip Worms – Nierstein
Bike tour Nierstein – Mainz, approx. 20 km

In the morning, enjoy the boat ride from Worms to Nierstein. With almost 1,000 hectares of vineyards, Nierstein is the largest wine-growing community on the Rhine. Also visit the historic center of the village with its medieval marketplace and noble houses. A short stage and plenty of time to enjoy:

Directly along the Rhine, you cycle from Nierstein on well-maintained cycle paths on the Rhine Cycle Path to Mainz. If you would like to cycle more, you can cycle directly from Worms to Mainz (approx. 60 km).

Do you have a little time before the hiking boots press the next morning? 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.

Departure from Mainz

After breakfast disembarkation until 09:00. Individual journey home.

Have you ever been to Rheinlad-Pfalz?

Welcome to the capital!

We can promise you one thing: you will not be the first to be captivated by this stream in the Upper Rhine basin shortly before it breaks through into the bedrock of the Taunus and Hunsrück mountains. The Romans were already trudging around here, securing ‘their’ forts on the fertile alluvial land with the Limes deep in the woods above the vineyards.

Do you have a little time before the hiking boots press the next morning? 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!