8-day Bike & Barge Tour from Koblenz to Bad Wimpfen

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.

Onboard your floating hotel for the duration of this 8 day/7 night bike and barge tour, you are in for a very special treat as you explore the most beautiful sections of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers by bicycle. 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.

The journey along the Rhine and Neckar Rivers takes you from Koblenz to Bad Wimpfen, with the return trip taking place the following week from Bad Wimpfen back to Koblenz. On various dates, the barge also sails along the Moselle and Saar rivers from Koblenz to Saarburg and return a week later, with highlights including the ancient city of Trier, Cochem and Bernkastel. It is therefore possible to combine both tours to create a particularly diverse 14-day bike-boat holiday.

Tour Character:

This tour is perfect for families with children or for anyone of any age for that matter as 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.

Ship:

The 68 metre-long barge which is capable of accommodating a maximum of 68 guests, is your sailing home away from home for the week. She has been modernized to cater for boat and bike tours and in total has 34 twin cabins on upper and lower decks. All the cabins have two single beds standing in a right angle and are approx. 7 M², have a window (the windows on the upper deck can be opened, but for safety reasons, those on the lower deck are fixed), a shower and a toilet. All the cabins on the lower deck also have individually regulated air conditioning as does the restaurant and salon. In total there are 15 cabins on the lower deck and 19 cabins on the upper deck (supplement). The barge is an authentic river barge and features a nice salon with a bar and large windows in front of the top deck and a separate restaurant on the lower deck. On the partially covered sun deck there are sitting places (tables and chairs) for all guests and a cycle shed. The ship sails under the Dutch Flag and management and sailed in The Netherlands for many years. The language is German and English. Since 2011 the barge has been sailing exclusively in Germany and is a very popular ship for boat & bike tours.

Included in the Bike and Barge Tour:

• 8 days/7 nights
• Breakfast
• Picnic lunch during bike tours or noontime snack,
• 7x three or four-course dinners
• Daily coffee and tea till 4pm
• Use of bed linen and towels (change of towels daily possible)
• Daily short cleaning of the cabin
• Climate-controlled cabin (lower deck)
• Welcome drink
• GPS tracks
• Board tour guide (German and English) with daily briefings of the bike tours; The board tour guide doesn’t cycle but can always be reached on his cell phone
• Printed instructions and detailed maps for the daily bike tours, 1 set per cabin

Not included in the tour:

• Transfers to/from the docking place in Koblenz and/or Bad Wimpfen
• Rental bicycle nor e-bike 
• Other transfers
• Parking fee
• Entrance fees & excursions
• City maps
• Fees for ferries
• Drinks on board
• Personal insurances
• Gratuities (at your discretion)
• Dietary requirements on request/surcharges may be charged

Notes:

• Daily self-guided cycling tours. All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours. 
• Excursion program: when the cycle stages and docking times make it possible an excursion program is compiled, which is bookable and payable only on board. Depending on the nationalities of the participants the excursions are available if necessary bilingual German-English
• During days when two bicycle options are possible, not all mentioned highlights can be visited during the short cycling option.
• In case you prefer a day of rest, you can skip the cycling tour and relax on board while cruising to the next town.
• On the first day, please bring your luggage on board from 10am

Arrival/parking/departure:

• Between Koblenz and Bad Wimpfen by train (in 3.5hrs 45 EUR per person – group tickets can be bought through the onboard tour manager)
• Minivan (approx. 85 EUR per person, min. 4 pers., bike 15 EUR). Limited availability, this will be arranged by the onboard tour manager. To be paid on board.
• Departure Saturdays only
• If you would like to rent a bike (75 EUR) or e-bike (165 EUR), please contact our office when booking: [email protected]

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