Cultural Gems Along EuroVelo 15: Explore the Rich Heritage of the Rhine by bicycle

Swiss lakes & Alps

Lake Constance is one of the most significant and historically important sites on EuroVelo 15 in Switzerland. The Monastic Island of Reichenau is a UNESCO World Heritage site located right on the border between Germany and Switzerland, and easily accessible from both sides of EuroVelo 15. On the island you will find a Benedictine monastery, founded in 724, and its three early medieval churches of St. George, St. Mary and Mark, and St. Peter and Paul. This special place bears witness to the island’s great religious, cultural, educational, and artistic significance in the Middle Ages.

Around the Swiss Alps are 111 small individual sites of prehistoric pile-dwelling remains, dating back to the Neolithic and Bronze Ages, also classified as UNESCO World Heritage sites. And one of them lies right on EuroVelo 15 in Switzerland: make sure you spot it while passing through the city of Eschenz on Werd Island, situated at the outlet of Lake Untersee.

Overlooking the shores of Lake Untersee is also Arenenberg Castle, a place where the future French Emperor Napoleon III spent part of his youth. Inside, you will find a museum displaying the rooms of the imperial family, furnished as they were originally.

Although the Albula and Bernina railway lines of the Rhaetian Railway do not lie directly on EuroVelo 15, we recommend adding them to the itinerary. Passing through the Alps on its high viaducts, hairpin bends and spiral tunnels, the railway lines make their way through mountains and valleys, leaving behind lakes and countryside.

To discover them from the Rhine Cycle Route, take the train from Chur – and take your bike on board to explore further!

France

EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route in France runs through Alsace, a very scenic region that is famous for its unique history and culture. Facing the river and heading towards Strasbourg, you will find several towns that are worth a cultural stop.

In Ottmarsheim, you will find no less than the oldest Alsatian building whose original state has been preserved: the Saint Pierre and Paul Abbey. This abbey, which is a key stop on the Alsatian Romanesque Architecture Road, is almost 1,000 years old and has a curious octagonal shape and frescoes. Further on, another octagon awaits your visit: the UNESCO World Heritage site of Neuf-Brisach, a magnificent fortified citadel founded by Vauban on the orders of the French Sun King, Louis XIV, in 1699. 

Cycling to more recent times, two museums tell the most recent history of Alsace: the  Memorial Museum of the Rhine Maginot Line in Marckolsheim commemorates the 1940 French defence line in a casemate, while the Würth Museum in Erstein displays an extraordinary contemporary art private collection of German expressionism and surrealism, abstract and neo-figurative style, set within an exceptional 800 m² space and a 5-hectare park.

Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, is also its main cultural centre. The city is well worth a visit for its many cultural treasures and its architecture: from the imposing cathedral to the charming neighbourhoods of Petite France and Neustadt, both listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and the European Institutions district, home to the famous European Parliament, situated on the banks of the River Ill.

Germany

After crossing the border to Germany, you’ll have a lot of amazing cultural sites to see. But first, the spa town of Baden-Baden, which has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Great Spa Towns of Europe” since 2021, should definitely make it to your bucket list. Although it does not lie directly on the route, it is worth a small, relaxing detour. Its historic hotels, parks and villas, and the two thermal springs, Kurhaus and Trinkhalle, reflect the European spa culture of the 18th and 19th century.

Not so far from here is a city that has held the title of UNESCO City of Media Arts since 2019 – Karlsruhe. But it is not the only city on EuroVelo 15 bearing the same title: Mannheim is a UNESCO Creative City of Music but also the site of the first documented ride on a predecessor of the bicycle! Karl Drais – “the father” of the bicycle – rode around 7 km on his “bike” from Mannheim to its outskirts... and the rest is history.

The Upper Middle Rhine Valley is made to be explored by bicycle: the 67km stretch of the Rhine Cycle Route between Bingen/Rüdesheim and Koblenz is like cycling through an open-air museum: enjoy about sixty villages, steep vineyards, numerous castles, and impressive landscapes. The Middle Rhine Valley influenced poets, painters and composers and is a magnificent example of a man-made cultural landscape. It is also EuroVelo Certified, so we guarantee that both your cycling experience and the landscapes will be fantastic!

Following the ancient Roman border

As you follow the Rhine further northwards, you will pass the transnational UNESCO World Heritage Sites “Limes” and "Frontiers of the Roman Empire". The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes is the second-longest existing archaeological monument after the Great Wall of China, and the longest in Europe! Starting in Rheinbrohl with watchtower No. 1, this UNESCO site covers a 550 km-long section of the former external frontier of the Roman Empire, separating the empire from Germanic clans, and reaching the Danube. In the northern part of the Rhine, the frontier continues as the Lower Germanic Limes, which stretched for around 400 kilometers along the left Rhine bank to Katwijk, in the Netherlands.

The peculiarity of the Lower Germanic Limes is that the Rhine River acted as a natural border and was heavily fortified, but had no continuous wall. Fortresses, forts, and watchtowers dotted the landscape, with some being important centres until today: think of the legionary fortresses of Bonn and Cologne, which were the main trade and administrative centres for the whole Roman province of Lower Germany. Do not miss the Archaeological Park of Xanten, located very close to the Rhine Cycle Route, to discover more about the Roman times in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Netherlands

Crossing into the Netherlands, one of the most significant historical sites is Wijk bij Duurstede, built near the former trading centre of Dorestad. In the 8th and 9th centuries, Dorestad was among the most important trading settlements of north-western Europe, connecting the Rhine region with Scandinavia, England and the European hinterland.

The Rhine Cycle Route further passes by one of the best-preserved medieval castles in the Netherlands – Loevestein Castle. The old castle is one of many fortified sites that form part of the Dutch Water Defence Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Dutch Water Defence Lines tell the history of safeguarding Dutch territory and offer an enjoyable cycle along the river.

And of course, no trip along the EuroVelo 15 is complete without a visit to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Netherlands’ most iconic landmarks. Its 19 historic windmills demonstrate the ingenuity of Dutch water management and showcase how generations have engineered the landscape to keep the Rhine delta safe and habitable – and your cycling holiday memorable.

EuroVelo 15 – Rhine Cycle Route has excellent infrastructure, lots of services for cyclists, and endless cultural stops to make your trip enriching and memorable. If you are looking to discover even more, make sure to check out all the best points of interest along the way on the EuroVelo.com interactive map and add them to your trip plan.

Download the official GPX track from the EuroVelo Route Planner, get your bike ready, and you’re ready to make memories!

Article by Jessica Casagrande and Barbora Labudová