Trail Name: Rheinradweg (German)/Rhine Cycle Route, also known as Eurovelo 15
Trail Type: Long distance cycling trail; This segment is completely paved, well maintained, and much of it follows a dedicated trail for bicycles. The specific route marking is not always easy to see, but bike signs to the next town/destination are abundant. (Otherwise, just go with (or against) the flow, literally.)
Length:
Total: over 1200 km/circa 760 miles
Segment: circa 45 km/ 30 miles
Convenient to: Bingen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany
Marking:
Trail Description: The famous and fairly heavily used Rhine Cycle Route extends from the Swiss Alps to the Netherlands’ North See coast. This post describes the UNESCO-protected Oberes Mittelrhein (Upper Middle Rhine) segment in Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate), from the vineyards outside Boppard to Bingen, passing through and between famous old Rhine villages and towns. Here, the completely paved, mostly car-free cycle path runs exclusively along the river, entirely on the left bank, is level, easy for all ages, and very occasionally shaded.
Trailhead: Boppard (mine); Otherwise, anywhere along the Rhine in this Mittelrhein region, on the left bank.
Parking Possibilities:
Boppard: Large lot near Muehltal x B9, riverside.
Sankt Goar: Large lot off B9, outskirts on the north end of town, riverside. (Limited parking in town center!)
Oberwesel: Along B9, both town and riverside, but check for time and money constraints!
Bacharach: Medium-sized, unpaved lot, where Strandbadweg enters B9. Otherwise along B9, spaces both town and riverside, and a large lot riverside; check for time and money constraints!
Bingen: Off K8 (bridge) and L419 (Stefan George Strasse); peak hours costs; but free on Sundays and holidays.
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: The “Mittelrhein Bahn” serves most of the towns on this route, and may be used to return your start point with a bicycle.
Suggested Stages: not applicable
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points:
Boppard: Muhltal x B9 (Koblenzerstr)-Kreuzweg-Rheinallee; B9; Bad Salzig; Hirzenach (outskirts): B9; Zu Fellen: Weinhotel Landsknecht; Sankt Goar: B9 (Heerstrasse); Oberwesel: B9; Bacharach: B9 to dedicated bike path; Neiderheimbach shorelineand ferry stop; Trechtingshausen shoreline; Burg Rheinstein; Bingerbrueck: sportsfields; Bridge over Nahe to Bingen.
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms:
Boppard: by the Tourist Information Office on Marktplatz.
Oberwesel: off Marktplatz; off Unterstr, by the Katharinen Kapelle.
Bacharach: in the park, by the large parking lot off B9.
Bingen: Tourist Information Office, (during open hours), Rheinkai (Rhine Quay).
Attractions on or near Trail:
Boppard: Roman Kastell; Church of St Severus for early history and wall murals.
Sankt Goar: Burg Rheinfels is an extremely imposing castle, with a long history.
Oberwesel: Town Walls, parts of which may be walked.
Bacharach: Town walls; Castle Stahleck; St Peter’s Church; Malerwinkel, a very picturesque corner of the town within the walls; a round-the-town path connects these sites.
Burg Rheinstein: walk up to this castle for the views, the food, and an interesting, self-guided tour.
Bingen: Hildegard of Bingen Museum, for a very definitive word on the life and works of this learned medieval woman.
Tasting along the Trail:
Boppard, Sankt Goar, Bacharach, and Bingen all have wine tasting and wine shops in the town centers.
Alternative Options:
Walking: All of the Mittelrhein segment may be walked. Between southern Boppard and Sankt Goar the tarmac is exceptionally smooth, making it ideal for baby carriages, wheelchairs, walkers, etc.
Running: All of the Mittelrhein segment may be run. Between southern Boppard and Sankt Goar the tarmac is exceptionally smooth, making it ideal for runners.
Biking: This relatively short segment may be lengthened north of Boppard and/or south of Bingen for hundreds of miles!
Car: B9 is the road to follow for visiting this route by car.
Additional Information:
Regional: http://www.welterbe-mittelrheintal.de/index.php?id=318&L=3
Trail specific: http://www.rhinecycleroute.eu/countries/germany
Comments:
The Rhine Cycle Route is over 760 miles long, and 560 miles of it are in Germany. The segment described above covers the best-known part of the German Rhine, a UNESCO World Heritage site known as the Mittelrhein, which is also German Rhine wine territory. This segment remains exclusively on the left bank (here, the western side) of the Rhine.
Numerous bike rental and bike repair shops, the convenient train, and the ease of following and riding this segment, make this one of the easiest bike rides to arrange logistically.
While physically very easy to complete, I would not rate the section of this segment from Boppard to Sankt Goar ideal for young children as there are a couple of long stretches between towns.