Many Rivers to Cross – Rhine

Okay, so this is a Rhine trip with a difference, but it is a real trans-European trip and takes in some of the most amazing scenery in the world. For it you require a bicycle or motorbike, rather than a boat, although water fun is involved in various places. Begin by picking up the Rhine near its source at Disentis in the high Alps, descending through idyllic Swiss countryside to the borders of Liechtenstein (don’t blink or you’ll miss it!) and Austria and then to the shores of Lake Constance. This is what you’ll see on the way.

Disentis to Chur is a narrow and dramatic section of the Rhine as it cuts through the Alps in the what is known as the ‘Swiss Grand Canyon’, then on through vineyards and cute Alpine villages. At this point you can stop to explore the thermal springs in Bad Ragaz; very health giving and if you can be there on the first Sunday in May, you can see a truly ancient water ceremony – accompanied by the loud rattling of bells and tins the Maibär (May bear) takes the last signs of winter out of the lanes of Bad Ragaz. A water sacrifice is thrown over the bridge to the demons. Don’t worry though, this doesn’t involve bear abuse! The Maibär is a cone-shaped frame made of beech branches and decorated with flowers and ribbons. He dances through the streets and alleys of the spa, surrounded by beggars and grotesques until he reaches the upper end of the Tamina bridge where he’s thrown into the river.

Rorschach to Berlingen is a wonderful flat route that follows the lake shore and allows you to stop as often as you like at good campsites to hire canoes, fishing lines and even rafts for a couple of days water sport.

Berlingen to Schaffhausen involves travelling through picturesque fishing villages along the lake before reaching the end of the lake at the beautiful town of Stein am Rhein, home of the spectacular Rhine Falls, a short distance beyond the town. These falls are the larges in Europe and you can take a boat trip either to the famous rock in the middle of the Falls with a short walk to the top, or across the river below the Falls.

Rhine photograph by william.ward, used under a creative commons attribution licence

 

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