This comprehensive guidebook to EuroVelo route 15 offers a detailed stage-by-stage description of the 1368km route along the Rhine, one of Europe's great rivers, passing through six countries on its way from Switzerland to the North Sea. The cycling is easy, downhill and along dedicated cycle lanes, the countries visited are very cycle-friendly and the waymarking is excellent. The whole trip can be completed in two weeks by a fit cyclist.
The guide includes plenty of information to help you plan your trip, with advice on travel, accommodation and facilities. The full route is presented in 27 stages of 32-68km, with step-by-step route description, 1:100,000 mapping and notes on local points of interest. A facilities table, glossary and list of useful contacts can be found in the appendices.
Starting in the Swiss Alps with high mountains, deep glacial valleys and gorges, the route soon reaches Europe's third largest lake, the Bodensee, and its greatest mainland waterfall. After Basel, the Rhine becomes a broad river, now the world's busiest river trading artery. The middle Rhine, between Bingen and Koblenz, forces its way through the narrow rocky Rhine gorge, lined by romantic castles perched above Germany's finest vineyards. Finally, the river passes through low-lying Holland, famed for its many flood dykes and windmills.
CONTENTS
Map key
Overview map
Preface
Introduction
Background
The route
Natural environment
Preparation
Getting there and back
Navigation
Accommodation
Food and drink
Amenities and services
What to take
Safety and emergencies
About this guide
The route
Alpenrhein (Alpine Rhine)
Stage 1 Oberalppass to Ilanz
Stage 2 Ilanz to Chur
Stage 3 Chur to Buchs
Stage 4 Buchs to Bregenz
Hochrhein (High Rhine)
Stage 5 Bregenz to Konstanz
Stage 6 Konstanz to Schaffhausen
Stage 7 Schaffhausen to Waldshut
Stage 8 Waldshut to Basel
Oberrhein (Upper Rhine)
Stage 9 Basel to Neuf-Brisach
Stage 10 Neuf-Brisach to Strasbourg
Stage 11 Strasbourg to Drusenheim
Stage 12 Drusenheim to Karlsruhe
Stage 13 Karlsruhe to Speyer
Stage 14 Speyer to Worms
Stage 15 Worms to Mainz
Mittelrhein (Middle Rhine)
Stage 16 Mainz to Bacharach
Stage 17 Bacharach to Koblenz
Stage 18 Koblenz to Remagen
Stage 19 Remagen to Köln
Niederrhein (Lower Rhine)
Stage 20 Köln to Düsseldorf
Stage 21 Düsseldorf to Duisburg
Stage 22 Duisburg to Xanten
Stage 23 Xanten to Arnhem
Delta Rijn (Rhine Delta)
Stage 24 Arnhem to Wijk bij Duurstede
Stage 25 Wijk bij Duurstede to Schoonhoven
Stage 26 Schoonhoven to Rotterdam
Stage 27 Rotterdam to Hoek van Holland
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Facilities summary table
Appendix C Tourist offices
Appendix D Youth hostels
Appendix E Useful contacts
Appendix F Language glossary
Navigation
Waymarking and signposting
Waymarks on EV15 (clockwise from top right): Swiss R2 and Bodensee radweg sign; Dutch Landelijkefiets sign; French EV15 sign; German Rheinradweg sign; German D8 sign
The route described in this guide is made up from various national waymarked cycle routes that have been adopted by the ECF (European Cyclists’ Federation) as EuroVelo route 15 (EV15), plus some locally signposted stretches to link these together. A programme is in place to incorporate the EV15 logo into national signs and this is more or less complete in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands. In a few places, the route varies from that waymarked where the author believes an alternative route is preferable. In the introduction to each stage an indication is given of the predominant waymarks encountered.
Summary of national cycle routes followed
EV15
EuroVelo 15
throughout
R2
Radweg 2 (Rhein route)
Switzerland
BR
Bodensee Radweg
Switzerland/Austria/Germany
D8
Deutsche Radweg 8
Germany
VR
Vèloroute Rhin
France (mostly replaced with EV15)
RR
Rhein Radweg
Germany
LF+number
Landelijkefiets
Netherlands
In Switzerland, waymarking is excellent and ubiquitous with a well-developed national system integrating cycle routes, mountain bike trails and footpaths. The letter R for radweg (cycle way) and colour maroon indicate cycle routes. Full details and maps of all Swiss waymarked routes can be found at www.schweizmobil.ch. Judith and Neil Forsyth’s Cycle Touring in Switzerland (Cicerone Press) describes the nine national routes R1 to R9. In Switzerland, this guide closely follows R2 ‘Rhein route’ from Oberalppass to Basel (stages 1–4 and 6–8) except for some deviations to visit places of interest across the river. This is waymarked R2 and EV15 throughout.
In Germany, local waymarking is excellent but national waymarking variable. This is influenced by Germany’s federal structure of semi-independent lände (states), each of which has its own system. A national cycle network is in existence, although this often plays second fiddle to regional and local routes, with some signposts carrying the badges of many different routes. National route D8 follows the Rhine, mostly on the eastern (right) bank, and on some stages this is followed. The Rhein Radweg (RR) is waymarked using the Rheinradler symbol, a stylised yellow cyclist on a blue background with the wheels formed from the yellow stars of the European flag. In most lände, generic cycle route signposts have a white background, but the text colour varies (green in Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Rheinland-Pfalz and Hessen; red in Nordrhein-Westfalen).
French waymarking originally also used the Rheinradler to identify the Véloroute Rhin (VR), but almost all Rheinradler signposts have been replaced with EV15 waymarks.
Unsurprisingly, the Netherlands, a country with more cycles than people, has an excellent waymarked national cycle network known as Landelijkefiets routes (LF). Full details can be found at www.nederlandfietsland.nl. This guide uses parts of LF3 (Millingen to Arnhem, Stage 23), LF4 (Arnhem to Amerongen, Stage 24), LF11 (Ablasserdam to Rotterdam, Stage 26) and LF12 (Rotterdam to Hoek van Holland, Stage 27). Signposts include a or b after the route number to indicate direction. Where this guide does not use LF routes (Amerongen to Ablasserdam, stages 24–26), local signposting is excellent. In addition, there is a system of numbered knooppunten (nodal waypoints) with local maps on location boards throughout the country.
German cycle route sign with eight different routes shown
Maps
The only stand-alone maps of the whole route from source to Rotterdam plus Bodensee Radweg are published by Publicpress (www.publicpress.de), who produce a series of five laminated folding strip maps: 199, 302, 368, 333 and 569.
For Switzerland, including the part of the route across the river in Germany and the northern side of Bodensee, detailed maps of R2, at any scale you wish, can be downloaded from www.veloland.ch.
For France, Esterbauer Bikeline publish two sheets at 1:75,000 (Radkarte Elsass Süd and Elsass Nord) covering the route from Basel to north of Karlsruhe.
For Germany, Bikeline publish a map at 1:75,000 covering Bodensee, one covering Konstanz to Basel, three maps covering the stretch from Karlsruhe to Koblenz and one covering Düsseldorf to Millingen: sheets BW08, BW13, BW03, RPF06, HES4 and NRW3. Publicpress publish six sheets at 1:100,000 covering the route from Karlsruhe to Millingen: sheets 168, 120, 576, 157, 228 and 166. Bikeline maps contain more detail and are more accurate.
For the Netherlands both ANWB (Dutch automobile association) and Falk/VVV (Dutch tourist office) publish a series of 1:50,000 fietskaarten (cycle maps) covering the whole country. The route between Millingen and Hoek van Holland is covered by ANWB sheets 10, 15 and 14, with a very short section on sheet 11; or Falk/VVV sheets 11 and 15. Both sets of maps provide good coverage. The ANWB maps are the most recommended.
Most of these maps as well as the guidebooks below are available from leading bookshops including Stanfords in London (www.stanfords.co.uk) and the Map Shop, Upton upon Severn (www.themapshop.co.uk). Relevant maps are widely available en route. See Appendix E for more contact information.
Other guidebooks
Bikeline publish a three-volume series of Radtourenbücher und Karte (cycle tour guidebooks with maps) in German covering the route from the source to Rotterdam but excluding the route around Bodensee’s northern shore (Stage 5), that through Karlsruhe (Stages 12 and 13) and the long section across the Netherlands from Amerongen to Ablasserdam (Stages 24–26). These include strip maps at 1:75,000 with volume 1 covering Andermatt to Basel, volume 2 Basel to Mainz and volume 3 Mainz to Rotterdam. A separate book describes the Bodensee Radweg. (www.esterbauer.com)
Although neither a map nor guidebook, a topographic strip map of the Rhine from Bodensee to Rotterdam produced by Rahmelverlag (www.rahmel-verlag.de) gives a good overall impression of the route and makes an attractive souvenir. It is published in several languages, including English, and is sold in gift shops along the route, particularly in Rüdesheim and Boppard.
