Koblenz to Aschaffenburg

Welcome to the heart of the Rhine region! On this bike and boat tour in Germany you will navigate the meandering waterways, bike the river paths, and travel through history in a timeless landscape dotted with castles and climbing vineyards.
Much more than a shipping highway, the Rhine River is the pulsing economic vein of Germany and Europe. Around every bend, legends spring to life; the plunging Lorelei cliffs, The deadly Bingen Reef, and the fabled site where Rheingold is buried. At Mainz, you navigate the Main River, entering into the Franconian region, with great historic villages and world famous cities like Frankfurt. You will discover lovely Aschaffenburg, a typical Bavarian town, and fitting end to your bike and boat tour in Germany.

You can combine this tour with Amsterdam to Koblenz bike and boat tour to create a 15 day tour!

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Day 1: Koblenz
Day 2: Koblenz – Alken, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 3: Alken - Koblenz - St. Goar, 25 mi. (40 km) 
Day 4: St. Goar - Rüdesheim, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 5: Rüdesheim - Mainz, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 6: Mainz – Frankfurt-am-Main, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 7: Frankfurt-am-Main - Aschaffenburg, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 8: Aschaffenburg

*All distances are approximate. Itinerary is subject to last minute changes due to unforeseen circumstances such as wind, weather, changes in mooring locations, etc.

Day 1: Arrival in Koblenz
Today you join the IRIS, docked in Koblenz, and enjoy the day in town. If you arrive early enough you can join the guide for a city-walk. Embarkation begins at 2.00 pm. Koblenz has a beautiful “Altstadt” (old city) in the triangle between the Mosel and the Rhine River. Stroll around, join the cable car to the top of the hills and enjoy great views of the rivers and the city.

Day 2: Koblenz – Alken, 25 mi. (40 km)
Koblenz is the place where the Moselle floats into the Rhine. You will enjoy an early morning sail up to Winningen, and there you start biking to the Burg Eltz, well hidden in the hills. This Castle is different from any other castle. It has remained unscathed by wars and has been owned and cared for by the same family from when it was built until today. Its architecture has no comparison and many of the original furnishings of the past eight centuries still remain in place. There is a Treasury and Armoury boasting world-class artworks in gold and silver. It towers high on a large rock, but is still in a valley! Back on board the Iris, you will enjoy an afternoon and dinner cruise back to Alken where the boat will dock for the night.

Day 3: Alken - Koblenz - St. Goar, 25 mi. (40 km) 
The barge takes you back to Koblenz as you begin your day.  After breakfast, the cycling begins, first leading you to the ancient city Boppard. Here the Rhine takes an amazing turn, nearly 180 degrees. Boppard has always been a visitors magnet with her precipitous vineyards and one of the nicest bank promenades on the Middle Rhine and the oldest preserved Roman fort walls to the north of the Alps.The destination is St. Goar, opposite famous Loreley. A ferry and a bus bring you up to the Loreley. A hiking path leads up to this lovely spot and offers a beautiful sight to the narrowest part in the romantic Rhine Valley.
First traces of human settlement have been apparent from the time the Loreley Plateau was level with the Rhine (600.000 years ago). During the Middle Ages the Loreley was well known, along with the Binger Loch, as the most dangerous section of the Rhine. Many mariners in their wooden dinghies came to tragedy here. In St. Goar, directly opposite the Loreley the Saint Goar settled to save shipwrecked mariners and nurse them back to health

Day 4: St. Goar - Rüdesheim, 25 mi. (40 km)
The morning begins with a great sail along the Lorelei. You join the bike path again and pass by pompous castles and reach Ruedesheim. Some of the vineyards date back to Roman times. You will stroll through the “Drosselgasse”, famous for its entertaining music and taste some of the wines of this wine-village. This small old “gasse” is only 144 meters long and has 37.508 paving stones. At the Asbach centre, you can taste German's Brandy, produced locally since 1892. You’re not into brandy? They produce some great chocolate as well. The old town, dating from the Middle Ages, and parts of the city’s fortifications like the Adlerturm (eagle tower) are well preserved. Here you will find cozy traditional wine taverns in historic half- timbered houses.

Day 5: Rüdesheim - Mainz, 25 mi. (40 km)
The beautiful first stage leads through rolling vineyards and well-known wine villages. The Rhine is flowing languidly here, forming little islands and broadening its bed up to 800 m width! Your destination is Mainz, where the Main river meets the Rhine.  Mainz’s inner city is its pride and joy, filled with spacious plazas, lovingly restored -timbered houses and magnificent Baroque style churches. The ‘Old Town’ has a very charming and warm atmosphere

Day 6: Mainz – Frankfurt-am-Main, 28 mi. (45 km)
The route leads along the  Main River to Frankfurt, one of Germany’s largest cities and home to the Frankfurter Messe (Fair), home to fairs since 1240! A Trade-City, home to banks and stock markets. The city skyline is very contemporary due to these developments and also because of the destruction in the second World War. Now Frankfurt is home to a many museums located at a special area at the riverside and famous for its annual Buchmesse (Book Fair).

Day 7: Frankfurt-am-Main - Aschaffenburg, 28 mi. (45 km)
Today’s bike tour leads first to the small and romantic city of Seligenstadt with its windings alleys, wood framed houses, and basilica. After that you cross the Main on a small ferry and continue through Hanau the town where the famous Grimm Brothers were born. You will find the barge again in Aschaffenburg, with the Johannisburg Palace, located on the banks of the Main River. This castle will be the first thing you see as you enter Aschaffenburg as it is the grandest of all Renaissance palace complexes 

Day 8: Aschaffenburg
Departure after breakfast.

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Accommodations aboard the comfort plus boat, the Iris.

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