Germany: Koblenz – Bad Wimpfen or Bad Wimpfen – Koblenz

This tour is without doubt a journey along two very contrasting and beautiful German rivers – the Rhine and Neckar. The romantic Upper Middle Rhine region is famous worldwide as a river valley straight out of a picture book, with towering cliffs, steep vineyards, castles perched on virtually every hilltop and pretty villages lining the river banks. By contrast, the Neckar valley, unlike the Rhine, is a well-kept secret, known only by a very few tourists outside of Germany. The Neckar valley boasts picture postcard medieval towns and villages, breathtaking views of castles and beautiful scenery at every turn of the river … it is simply a romantic gem, waiting to be discovered by you on the best form of transport possible – a bicycle.

During this 8 day/7 night boat and bike tour, you are in for a very special treat as you explore the most beautiful sections of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers by bicycle. The cycle paths along the banks of both the Rhine and Neckar Rivers do not have any gradients of note and are asphalted or paved. While the Upper Middle Rhine is famous for its history, castles and medieval towns and villages, it is the much lesser known Neckar valley that promises to be the surprise card on this particular tour. What you will discover along the Neckar are ornately decorated half-timbered houses, impressive churches, castles, palaces and many historic monuments. Every city and village along the river has a unique atmosphere of its own, while the natural beauty of the valley has to be seen to be believed. At the end of the tour it will be interesting to see what your favorite valley was. Will it be the Neckar and its towns of Marbach am Neckar – famous worldwide as the birthplace of the classical poet and dramatist Friedrich Schiller – the historic old town of Eberbach, beautiful Heidelberg, the city of romanticism or the idyllic and romantic spa village of Bad Wimpfen? Or maybe it will be the “Father Rhine”, which is associated with the famous Nibelungen saga, the Loreley rock, some of the best preserved medieval castles in Germany between Bingen and Koblenz or Mainz and its many museums… it will be an interesting choice.

The ship – Your sailing hotel
In between cycling excursions, you cruise along with the ship, which travels to a new destination every day. You dine, sleep and eat breakfast on board. You’ll receive a packed lunch every day, and you can usually choose between a longer or shorter bike ride. It’s also possible to spend a day on board if you like. There are rental bikes on board, but you can also bring your own if you mention it when booking.

Tip for a two-week journey:
It is possible to combine two beautiful tours to create a particularly diverse 15-day boat and bike holiday on the Patria. The journey along the Rhine and Neckar Rivers takes you from Koblenz to Bad Wimpfen; the return trip taking place the following week from Bad Wimpfen back to Koblenz. On various dates, the Patria also sails along the Moselle and Saar rivers from Koblenz to Saarburg and returns a week later, with highlights including the Roman city of Trier and picturesque towns like Cochem and Bernkastel.

Reporter Valerie Cosgrave of the Munster Express joined us on this tour along Rhine and Neckar. One of her quotes: “an unforgettable experience”…

NOTE from the organizing tour operator:
Due to the current Covid-19 situation, the “2G regulation” (2G in German: “geimpft” (vaccinated) or “genesen” (recovered) applies with immediate effect to all our tours for the season 2022. This means that the participation in our tours is only possible for fully vaccinated and recovered guests. In case the general conditions improve considerably in the course of 2022, the authorities withdraw the requirements and make travelling without proof of vaccination and convalescence possible again, we will adapt accordingly. If the 2G proof cannot be provided at the start of the journey, we expressly point out that we are entitled to charge cancellation fees in accordance with our travel conditions.
For the safety of all persons present on board, you are obliged to wear a mouth-nose protection and to observe the distance and hygiene rules.