Romantic Rhine-Bike excursion
Hi,
Can anyone give me some information about the bike excursion along the Rhine when docked in Koblenz? I see that it is along the Rhine-Lahn cycle path, but I can't find info about whether that is next to the river, or somewhere else. Also, is it a flat course? We did a bike ride on our last cruise on the Danube and it turned out to be up some pretty steep paths at some points, instead of a leisurely ride. Thought I should check with others who've done this one before I commit!! ;-)
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Most of the German bike paths along the Rhine and Danube follow right along the river, just a few feet above the water level, on a smooth asphalt surface. You will have some deviations and the path may go on a street or lane through a small village and up an occasional rise, but nothing steep or high. Remember the Tauck demographic- the bike ride is suppose to be chance to leisurely see the countryside- it is not a Tour de France!
Dig a little deeper- most reviews are similar, but one Google source said, "From the source to the mouth of the Lahn, i.e. from the Rothaargebirge to Lahnstein, the Lahnradweg offers 245 km of completely relaxed cycling fun. The path runs mostly directly along the river, away from car traffic and hectic, very romantic."
You'll undoubtedly have some jackrabbits in your group, but you don't need to stay with them. Go at your own pace, the boat will not leave without you!
Disclaimer, I have not done this bike path, but I found the Danube path similar to the Lahn path in the photos below- just a wider river.
Hi, My family did the biking from the drop off point downstream back to Koblenz on about July 31. Preamble here: 1) I've been super laudatory of this cruise in general and it was all fantastic; 2) I assume Tauck may have fixed the problems we encountered as they were with the contracted bike tour outfit; 3) even though it was a logistical disaster we had a good time; 4) I understand part of the problem was they used a new, less-organized outfit because on a Bridges trip so many people were younger that more than expected signed up to bike. Many of their usual subcontractors didn't have enough bikes.
The path we rode was influenced by low water - the boat dropped us farther from Koblenz than advertised in order to use a safe mooring. At least two of the 35 bikes used experienced mechanical failures (one family had to bail out via taxi after the same bike flatted twice). The route is along relatively pleasant but kind of uniform Rhine River bank where you see the river. It then ducks into the industrial district north of the confluence in Koblenz, which is not great. Then crosses a bridge and winds through downtown Koblenz to the statue. Our group got split into three due to the mechanical failures. One group ended up without a guide and got lost in the industrial district. I could tell it was the Tauck staff's worst nightmare. My kid had one of the mechanical failures but it ended up being a great experience. We struggled through fixing the bike and brought it home on our own force of will.
It seems like an attempt to include an activity other than walking. A lot of this info likely isn't transferable to your experience, except that the route was unremarkable. Hope it helps. On our cruise it was easy to change your choice.
Thanks much to both for your comments! AlanS-we had some Tour de France folks in our Danube cruise bike ride and the leaders were pretty much going along with them. The path was more challenging than they let on, also. But, we made it work and enjoyed the scenery at our own pace (at the back!). Thanks also for the great pics!
JMine-thanks for the in depth info on this path! Sounds like you and the family had a very memorable time. I appreciate you noting the ins and outs of what we can expect along the route. I’m sure it will be a nice change from walking.