The River Rhine Trail - A Walker's Guidebook

A spectacular 170 mile (273 km) walk along the Rheinhohenweg route along Germany’s most famous river from the old capital, Bonn to Alsheim near Worms. Excellent public transport assists the walker.

Walking in Germany

There are several hundred thousand kilometres of waymarked walking trails in Germany, the majority of which are adequately waymarked and well maintained. A great many are local routes, sometimes linear but very often circular in nature (Rundwanderwege), of varying length but typically from 8 to 40km, ideal for either a few hours’ easy strolling, or a long, relatively hard day on the hills and through the forests. The circular routes often start and end at special countryside car parks (Wanderparkplatz) specifically designed with countryside walkers in mind. Some of the trails originated as routes used on special Wandertage, after which they became established as permanent trails, available for all to walk at any time of the year. Many others are established, waymarked and maintained by local walking clubs or organisations, often sponsored by tourist offices or even private companies.

The country has an extensive network of long distance paths, passing through all the major walking areas of the country. Many of these paths, or National Trails, have distinctive waymarking symbols, by which they are recognised. This guidebook describes just one of Germany’s National Walking Trails, the Rheinhöhenweg, which follows the course of the Rhine from Bonn in the north to Alsheim in the south, a distance of 273km (169.5 miles).

In addition to these National Trails the country has nine of the eleven European Long Distance Paths, or “E Routes”, passing through it (the E 1, E 3, E 4, E 5, E 6, E 8, E 9, E 10 and E 11) which make up tens of thousands of kilometres of trail. (Compare this with the relatively short section of E 8 across northern England, Britain’s only “E” route. See “European Long Distance Trails - The E 8 and The E 3” below.) Germany was at the forefront of the foundation of the European Rambling Association (ERA) whose remit is to establish and popularise European Long Distance Trails, and has always taken a key, active role in its organisation. (The headquarters of the ERA are in Saarbrücken, Germany - see Appendix D for their address.)

Apart from the Bavarian Alps in the south of the country, where some routes are extremely steep and exposed, the majority of the walking trails in Germany offer relatively easy grade walking. The country has quite extensive areas of woodland: a far higher percentage of the land being forested than in Britain.

Walking holidays are popular with Germans and consequently there is plenty of accommodation particularly suitable for walkers in most of the main walking areas. Apart from the ubiquitous pension, gasthaus and hotel, there is an extensive network of alpine huts, maintained by the German Alpine Club, in Bavaria and over the border into Austria, whilst in other areas there are many Youth Hostels as well as other forms of budget accommodation, often established and run by walking organisations, to accommodate individuals, groups and walking club meets. Above all walking in Germany is a social activity, and Germans are particularly friendly to the stranger when out walking. You will always receive a Guten Tag, Morgen or Grüss Gott greeting when passing other people out walking.

The River Rhine and Rhineland

The River Rhine (Rhein in German) is a major European river. 1320km (820 miles) in length, it rises in the mountains of Switzerland, forming the border between that country and first Liechtenstein, then Austria and finally Germany. From Basle it forms the German-French border for a while before entering Germany. During its crossing of this country its major tributaries are the Neckar, Main, Mosel and Ruhr, after which it enters the Netherlands, where it is known in Dutch as the Rijn. Once over the Dutch border it splits into a number of branches which link, divide and link again, forming a huge delta over the south-west corner of Holland, its waters entering the North Sea by a number of estuaries.

The River Rhine has proved throughout history to be an effective barrier to the progress of invading armies, from the Roman legions, to the Americans at Remagen in the Second World War.

A major commercial waterway, the river has through the ages helped to establish the prosperity of Europe, and today still sees a vast quantity of barge traffic. It is navigable up to Basle. In centuries past the waters of the Rhine were treacherous in many areas, and there were numerous tragic tales of craft and crew lost as a result. Nowadays the river has been controlled by a number of modern engineering techniques. Alongside the commercial traffic the river today sees many pleasure craft, particularly the Rhine Cruise Boats which carry large numbers of tourists every year between Bonn and Mainz. Within this section is the scenically spectacular Rhine Gorge, between Bingen and Koblenz, where the river narrows to twist and turn beneath precipitous rocky crags topped with scores of romantic medieval castles. All this area is covered by the River Rhine Walking Trail.

The best known area of the River Rhine, is the section in Germany between Cologne and Worms, the river and surrounding countryside being known generally as the Rhineland. Here is a country not only of great historical importance in the development of the German nation and in the shaping of Europe itself, but also a land steeped in romantic myths and legends, the subject of epic poems, songs and paintings. Numerous picturesque medieval villages of half-timbered houses and cobbled streets dot the landscape, many of them gracing the banks of the river itself. The region also contains several of Germany’s most well known and elegant cities including Cologne, Bonn, Koblenz, Wiesbaden, Mainz and Worms which, apart from being packed with history, contain some of the finest buildings, museums, cathedrals and churches in the country.

The region of the Rhine Gorge, where the river narrows, was the province of immensely rich and powerful robber barons in medieval times, who controlled the area from their mighty imposing fortresses, towering above the waters of the Rhine, demanding heavy taxes from the passing shipping. Their castles, many of them now romantic ruins, are prominent features of the region today and obvious targets for the present day tourist industry. Rhineland has always been an area that has played a significant role in the history of the German people; many memories of this will be seen along the route of the Rheinhöhenweg with, for example, monuments to Bismark, Kaiser Wilhelm, Schiller, Richard Wagner and other important figures in the history and culture of the nation.

But apart from the historical significance of the region, Rhineland is very much associated with numerous myths and legends, the major of which is undoubtedly the epic Nibelungenlied, the great national saga which was written at the end of the twelfth century by an unknown author. It is an extraordinary tale of heroism, treachery, vengeance and incest, of immense importance to the German inheritance. Richard Wagner’s great nineteenth-century music drama The Ring Cycle (Das Ring des Nibelungen) was based on the Norse versions of these same legends. Here in the Rhineland is the very setting of the drama, for it was beneath the waters of this great river that the Rhine Maidens safeguarded the gold, the Rheingold, that is the very cornerstone of the legend.

The other great legend associated with the River Rhine is that of the Lorelei. Associated with the myth of the mermaid, the legend is that of a beautiful maiden sitting on a rock, combing the long tresses of her hair, mesmerising passing sailors and thereby luring them to a watery grave amidst the fathomless depths of the dark waters below. But there are many other less well known myths and tales associated with this region, every mile of the river between Koblenz and Mainz being crammed with history and folklore.

The spectacular natural beauty of the Rhineland is not confined to the Rhine valley itself. Several of the Rhine’s tributaries form equally impressive, if less well known, valley systems, such as those of the Nahe, Lahn and Ahr, which slice though the Hunsrück, Eifel and Westerwald hill ranges which border the Rhine. The Mosel valley, which meets that of the Rhine at Koblenz, is the most famous of the Rhine tributaries, the Roman city of Trier being the best known and attractive of its many towns. Both the Rhine and the Mosel valleys are world famous for their extensive vineyards, Rhineland being the major wine producing area of Germany.

The landscape of Rhineland is a mixture of rocky outcrops, deep river gorges and meandering rivers, of quiet forests, luxuriant heathland and sun-drenched terraced vineyards. And everywhere there is history and legend, in the great cities, in the numerous medieval castles, and in many enchanting towns and villages that grace the banks of the Rhine, Mosel and other rivers of the region. Threading an undulating line along the wooded hills and ridges above the Rhine, between its villages, towns and cities, runs the High Level River Rhine Walking Trail, the Rheinhöhenweg, the subject of this guidebook.

The RIver Rhine Walking Trail, The Rheinhöhenweg

The Rheinhöhenweg, the “Rhine High Level Way”, is a long distance walking trail which follows the course of the River Rhine from Bonn, the old temporary West German capital, upstream to Alsheim, a village deep in the heart of the famous Rhine vineyards, south of the city of Mainz. The total distance is 273km (169.5 miles). The trail, as described in this guidebook, can be walked in fourteen fairly relaxing stages and provides an opportunity not only to enjoy the outstanding scenery of the area, but also to visit some of the many places of historical, architectural and cultural interest in the Rhineland, deservedly the most famous of all the German regions.

Unlike the Thames Path in England, Britain’s newest National Trail, opened in July 1996 and the first long distance path in the UK to follow the course of a river from source to sea, the Rheinhöhenweg does not faithfully follow the bank of the Rhine for its entire course. Instead there are many sections which are several miles from the river and several hundred metres above it. This provides for a much greater variety of walking than might be expected from a river trail, the route reaching many high viewpoints* which offer extensive views of the river, its valley and the surrounding countryside of forested and open hillsides, heathland and vineyards. Consequently there is a moderate amount of ascent and descent on the trail but nothing too severe, neither in gradient nor length. The naming of the walk as a “High Route” is somewhat of a misnomer as it certainly is no mountain trail, the route basically traversing a long series of undulating, forested hills. The highest point reached on the whole trail is a mere 628m (2059ft) [on the Salzkopf, see Stage 9]. There is nevertheless a fair amount of up and down work as the route frequently returns to the banks of the river. In terms of severity the trail is more comparable to the Cotswold Way or the Cleveland Way than to the Pennine Way or the Cambrian Way - but there the similarity ends!

The majority of long distance walking trails in Britain and Europe avoid large towns and cities. The Rheinhöhenweg is rather different in this respect as, although for most of its length it follows paths through the countryside, through woods, heathland, fields and over hills down to numerous picturesque villages, it deliberately includes the large towns and cities in the region, in particular those of Bonn, Koblenz and Mainz. This allows the walking visitor to explore these fine cities and to visit cathedrals, churches, museums, etc, as desired. The walking through these cities is, on the whole, not unpleasant, but for those who dislike such urban walking there is always the option of taking one of the many local buses from the outskirts of the city to the centre, and another from the city centre to the point on the periphery where the Rheinhöhenweg can be resumed.

The other favourable difference between the Rheinhöhenweg and most other long distance paths is that whereas the latter usually traverse countryside where public transport is very sparse or non-existent, the Rheinhöhenweg, because it frequently returns to the Rhine valley bottom, which is served by an excellent train, boat and bus network, is well provided with public transport. Hence the walk is particularly suitable for those who wish only to sample certain sections of the Rheinhöhenweg. Also it is a simple matter to take days or half-days off from the trail to visit another valley, town or city, most of which are easily reached by public transport.

Another advantage of the Rheinhöhenweg is that it is well provided with accommodation of all categories and all price ranges, from hotels and pensions to youth hostels and campsites. Most towns and villages along the trail have tourist offices where English is usually spoken and where assistance in choosing and booking nightly accommodation can be sought. The only problems with acquiring accommodation may occur during the height of the summer season.

As the English translation of Rheinhöhenweg as the “Rhine High Level Way” is not a very manageable title, in this guidebook the trail will henceforth be referred to either by its German name, the Rheinhöhenweg, or by the abbreviation RHW.

There is in fact not one Rheinhöhenweg, but two. As well as the one described in this guidebook, which follows the left or southern bank of the Rhine, there is another RHW trail on the other side of the river, the right or northern bank of the Rhine. The author considers the Left Bank Trail to be the more interesting of the two, passing through more attractive countryside and visiting more interesting villages, but those wanting to sample the Right Bank Trail will find information on this in the “Epilogue” at the end of Stage 14.

The Left Bank Rheinhöhenweg starts its long journey south from the central railway station in Bonn, a few miles south of Cologne. From Bonn the trail passes through the elegant spa resort of Bad Godesburg to reach the town of Remagen which featured so prominently in the Allied advances of the Second World War. From here it skirts the lower regions of the Eifel range, passing through the towns of Sinzig, Bad Breisig and Andernach to reach the Mosel valley at the city of Koblenz, at the confluence of these two great German rivers, the Rhine and the Mosel. Here the Rheinhöhenweg crosses the other famous, well established, long distance path in the region, the Moselhöhenweg.

The second stage of the RHW leaves Koblenz to enter the Hunsrück, and soon it is traversing undulating, hilly countryside of forests and vineyards, above the most spectacular section of the River Rhine, the celebrated Rhine Gorge. The route passes through the picturesque medieval Rhine villages of Boppard, St Goar, Oberwesel and Bacharach to reach Bingen, passing many of the famous Rhineland castles en route. At Bingen the Rhine, which has until now been heading generally in a south-easterly direction, abruptly changes course to head slightly north of east for several miles, before once more swinging south-eastwards to flow through one of Germany’s most elegant cities, Mainz. Forest now almost entirely gives way to vineyards as the last stages of the Rheinhöhenweg pass through the wine villages of Bodenheim, Nackenheim, Nierstein and Oppenheim to reach journey’s end at the village of Alsheim.

The Rheinhöhenweg on its journey between Bonn and Alsheim passes through three German Länder or provinces, ie. Nordrhein-Westfalen (North Rhineland-Westphalia), from Bonn to near Rolandsbogen, Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate) from near Rolandsbogen to Mainz, and finally Hessen, from Mainz to the end of the trail at Alsheim.

It would be a pity to walk the RHW in its entirety without stopping for at least a day in one of the main towns or cities encountered en route, to enjoy a rest and some sightseeing. The two obvious places to spend such days are Koblenz and Mainz which, if reached after five and eleven days of walking respectively, as outlined in this guide, are well spaced for days off from the trail. There is much to see in both of these cities.

If time is available there are many other cities, towns and regions that can be explored on and off route, and ideas for such excursions are given in the relevant sections of the guide. The Rheinhöhenweg can be walked in considerably less than fourteen days by fit and experienced long distance walkers, but to sample this route slowly, visiting as many places as possible en route, will provide the most satisfying walking holiday. The combination of walking and sightseeing is the ideal way to enjoy the Rheinhöhenweg.