Rheinsteig

The Rheinsteig is a hiking trail in the Middle Rhine Valley and Rheingau regions of Germany.

Understand
The Rheinsteig follows a mainly elevated path along the right (east) bank of the Middle Rhine River in Germany. Its 320 -km (200-mile) route stretches from Wiesbaden (Schloss Biebrich) to Bonn (market place). Although it goes through one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe, as it follows tracks away from the river it provides you with spectacular views of the Rhine and many castles without all the crowds of people. The route a number of times leaves the steep sides of the valley to venture into hills to the east (and north at the southern end of the walk) to provide beautiful walks though natural woodland.

History
The path was opened on 8 September 2005, and has had a few minor route changes since then. The creation of the Rheinsteig was a joint project of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse to promote tourism in the area. The German hiking institute (Deutsches Wanderinstitut) has awarded the Rheinsteig a premium trail seal (Deutschen Wandersiegel Premiumweg).

Landscape
The southern end of the trail starts in the relatively wide upper Rhine (Oberrhein) valley but soon moves into the hills of the Taunus. On returning to the Rhine you find yourself in the narrow Middle Rhine (Mittelrhein) gorge a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The trail then runs either on the slopes of the valley or moves away from the river to the flat plateau above. The numerous tributaries (mainly small streams) makes for a very up and down trail. At the northern end of the trail the valley opens up again at the start of the lower Rhine (Niederrhein) valley.

Eat and drink
In the summer there are a few wayside rest places along the path selling drinks and light meals. Places on the Rheinsteig trail are listed below and of course in the towns and villages you go through or pass near by there are some good German restaurants and taverns (Gaststätte).

Sleep
There are hotel and camping facilities on both sides of the Rhine river. Places on the route are listed below, for others follow the links to the town pages.

Buy
Plenty of opportunities to sample and purchase excellent local wines.

Flora and fauna
Along the trail you will go through beach and oak forests. The meadows have a wide range of wild flowers. At the right time of the year you will come across many types of fungi and mushrooms. For wildlife you may see deer, lizards, slow worms, a few snake species for example the Grass snake and the Aesculapian snake (although rare) and many varieties of butterflies, beetles and birds.

Climate
The generally mild weather in Germany means this trail is accessible all year round. The colours of fruit tree blossom in the spring and the orange leaves of trees in the autumn are both worth seeing. In the summer be aware that you could be exposed to the strong sun for a large portion of the walk, so do not forget sun protection. Some points of the walk you need to take caution on rainy days, particular on rock exposed slopes.

Prepare
This is an energetic trail as it is constantly climbing in and out of valleys. Although the lowest point is 60 m (200 ft) and the highest point only 351 m (1,152 ft) above sea level, the total walk has an elevation change of 9,500 m (31,200 ft). Most of the route is on good quality paths or tracks with only the occasional stretch where you are walking over rocks. Good walking shoes are highly recommended and a small pack of provisions and water, but as you generally come into a village or tourist attraction every 10km or so there is no need for any serious hiking supplies.

Studying a map prior to the hike is obviously a good idea, as much to decide and start and end point logistics as checking the route for the day. The route itself is well signposted with the Rheinsteig way-marker (white curve on a blue background giving the idea of the river forming an R). The yellow markers show feeder route on and off the walk from villages and key transport points.

There are a number of guide books on the trail, mainly in German but at least one in English. Also available is a good paper map (ISBN-13: 978-3896373694) which also marks key points of interest as well as parking spots and rescue points.

By plane
The area can easily be reached from Cologne/Bonn and Frankfurt airports.

By car
From the east the A3 connects to the Rhine valley via the A66 at Wiesbaden, the A48 at Koblenz and A560 for Bonn bring you to the B42.

From the west A61 has good road connection at Bingen, Koblenz and Bonn. There are then a number of ferry crossing points along the B9. The only bridges across the Rhine along the route are at Wiesbaden, Koblenz and Bonn.

From the south A60 take the A643 to Wiesbaden.

By train
There are good rail connections from outside the region to Frankfurt/Wiesbaden and Cologne/Bonn/Koblenz, from where you can get regional trains (SE10: Frankfurt – Wiesbaden – Wiesbaden-Biebrich – Lahnstein – Koblenz Hbf – Neuwied and RB27/RE8: Cologne – Bonn-Beul – Bad Honnef – Neuwied – (Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein) – Koblenz Hbf) to points along the walk.

By boat
There are a number of car (also for foot and bike) ferries across the Rhine. See below in route listings for details of locations.

Get around
Although the route does not often come into major transport point there are a number of feeder path to the main Rheinsteig trail, these are signposted by yellow markers.

By car
The B42 follows the river and provide access to the walk at a number of points or tracks and side routes to the main trail.

By train
The right-hand side of the Rhine is served by the Rechte Rheinstrecke train line SE10 from Frankfurt, Wiesbaden Hbf and Wiesbaden-Biebrich (the train stop on the north side of the Biebrich park) to Koblenz Hbf and Neuwied.

By bus

 * Bus line 4 and 14 from Wiesbaden Hbf to Biebrich
 * Bus line 171 from Wiesbaden Hbf, Wiesbaden-Schierstein and Eltville to Rüdesheim
 * Bus line 172 from Eltville to Kiedrich and Kloster Eberbach

By cruise boats
KD (Köln Düsseldorfer Deutsche Rheinschiffahrt AG) and BRFS (Bingen-Rüdesheimer Fahrgastschiffahrt) boats cruise the Rhine stopping at a number of points along the route.

Walk
The walk does not need to be done in a single expedition. There are points at convenient distances, between 8 and 12 kilometres, where you can park a car allowing you to use the two car one direction hiking technique. There are also points where trains are available or even one of the Rhine cruise ships.

Rheingau and Taunus
The first stage of the walk (if you start from the south end) begins on the outskirts of Wiesbaden, gently winding up out of the town through low hills of orchards and farming fields moving away from the Rhine into the woodlands of the Rhein-Taunus nature park.

Wiesbaden-Biebrich to Schlangenbad - 16,5 km

 * Wiesbaden-Biebrich


 * Wiesbaden-Schierstein




 * Wiesbaden-Frauenstein
 * route to trail
 * route to trail

Schlangenbad to Kiedrich

 * Schlangenbad
 * between Rauenthal and Eltville
 * between Rauenthal and Eltville

Kiedrich to Johannisberg - 14,5 km

 * Kiedrich,

The walk now returns towards the Rhine and vineyards of the Rheingau.


 * near Kiedrich,


 * Oestrich-Winkel
 * Access route to trail
 * Access route to trail

Johannisberg to Rüdesheim - 13 km

 * pass nearby Johannisberg (Geisenheim),


 * Marienthal (Geisenheim)


 * Eibingen (Rüdesheim)

Upper Middle Rhine Valley
This section is the most up and down taking a path often along the ridge above the Rhine but dropping in and out of valleys all the way. The landscape varies between vineyards and natural woods. There are many points along the route providing scenic views of the middle Rhine valley including all the castles on both sides of the river.

Rüdesheim to Lorch - 20 km

 * above Rüdesheim
 * Access route to the trail
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen
 * Assmannshausen


 * Freistaat Flaschenhals (Free State Bottleneck) – short-lived quasi-state from 1919 until 1923.
 * Access route to trail
 * Freistaat Flaschenhals (Free State Bottleneck) – short-lived quasi-state from 1919 until 1923.
 * Access route to trail

Lorch to Kaub - 13,5 km



 * Lorch am Rhein
 * Access route to trail
 * Access route to trail
 * Access route to trail
 * Access route to trail
 * Access route to trail
 * Access route to trail
 * Above Kaub

Kaub to St. Goarshausen - 22 km

 * Kaub
 * Access route to trail
 * Dörscheid
 * Lorelei
 * Dörscheid
 * Lorelei
 * Dörscheid
 * Lorelei
 * Lorelei


 * above Sankt Goarshausen
 * above Sankt Goarshausen
 * above Sankt Goarshausen

St. Goarshausen to Kestert - 12 km

 * Sankt Goarshausen
 * Route to trail


 * above Wellmich

Kestert to Kamp-Bornhofen - 12 km

 * above Kestert
 * access route to trail


 * Lykershausen


 * above Kamp-Bornhofen

Kamp-Bornhofen to Braubach - 16,5 km

 * above Kamp-Bornhofen
 * Filsen
 * access route to trail


 * Osterspai

Braubach to Niederlahnstein - 8,5

 * Braubach


 * Oberlahnstein

Niederlahnstein to Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein - 13,5 km

 * Niederlahnstein,


 * Koblenz-Pfaffendorf

Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein to Vallendar - 9 km

 * Koblenz-Ehrenbreitstein

After the steep climb from the town at river level you have the choice of going around the fortress or through. Going through the fortress provides great views of Koblenz and the Deutsches Eck. Exiting the fortress from the North is one of the few area you can loose the way markers. The path goes through the west part of the park but exits on the north-east end by the road.

Vallendar to Sayn - 13 km

 * Vallendar

Sayn to Rengsdorf - 13 km

 * Bendorf - (Sayn)
 * Bendorf - (Sayn)

Rengsdorf to Leutesdorf - 19 km

 * Rengsdorf

Leutesdorf to Bad Hönningen - 16,5 km

 * Leutesdorf
 * Rheinbrohl

Bad Hönningen to Linz - 14 km

 * Bad Hönningen
 * Leubsdorf

Linz to Bad Honnef - 18 km

 * Linz am Rhein
 * Unkel

Bad Honnef to Königswinter - 13,5 km

 * Bad Honnef
 * Nachtigallental
 * → Königswinter
 * Nachtigallental
 * → Königswinter
 * Nachtigallental
 * → Königswinter
 * → Königswinter

Königswinter to Bonn - 22 km

 * Königswinter
 * Niederdollendorf
 * Bonn/Beuel
 * Bonn Marktplatz (market place)
 * Bonn Marktplatz (market place)

Stay safe
There are a few points with narrow path and steep drops but the route is basically a safe walk. Just keep an eye out for the odd crazy mountain biker. Places of population are never more than an hours walk away but if you need assistance take note of where you are relative to a rescue point (Rettungspunkt). These are places that are recognised by emergency services as accessible by motor vehicle; they are marked by a white cross on a green background and an individual identification code. There is a very small chance in the region to come across wild boar, in this rare event stay well away from them!

Go next

 * Rheinhöhenweg Trail
 * Rheinburgenweg Trail on the left Rhine side