Amsterdam to Koblenz

Day-To-Day Itinerary

Aboard the Merlijn: 
Day 1: Arrival in Amsterdam, cruise to Urk
Day 2: Urk - Deventer, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 3: Deventer - Arnhem, 25 mi. (40 km)
Day 4: Arnhem - Wesel, 31 mi. (50 km)
Day 5: Wesel - Düsseldorf, 24 mi. (38 km)
Day 6: Düsseldorf - Cologne, 22 mi. (35 km)
Day 7: Cologne - Bonn - Remagen - Koblenz, 28 mi. (45 km)
Day 8: Departure from Koblenz

*All distances are approximate. The above planned itinerary is subject to change due to changing wind and weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances having to do with mooring requirements, etc.

Day 1: Arrival in Amsterdam, cruise to Urk
After check in on board at 3 pm, the crew welcomes you and provides information about the week. At 3:30 pm, the Merlijn begins a six hour cruise to its first destination, the charming fishermen's town of Urk. Your dinner will be served while cruising on the Markermeer, and later you will have an evening stroll through Urk. 

Day 2: Urk - Deventer, 28 mi. (45 km)
Today begins with breakfast on board as the Merlijn cruises to Hattem. Enjoy the beautiful scenery along the Gelserse Ijssel River, passing the city of Kampen, the first Hanseatic City on this tour.

Your first bike tour begins in Hattem, after a town visit and  the Anton Pieck Museum. Anton Pieck was a Dutch painter, artist, and graphic artist. His works are noted for their nostalgic or fairy tale-like character and are widely popular, appearing regularly on cards and calendars. Your bike tour leads you along the IJssel River, along the border of the Veluwe, a beautiful landscape fragranced with heather. The tour ends in Deventer, a medieval (9th century) Hanseatic City. After dinner, enjoy a stroll through this historic city.

Day 3: Deventer - Arnhem, 25 mi. (40 km)
Another breakfast cruise is on the agenda as the Merlijn cruises to the Hanseatic city, Zutphen and its historic center, dating back to the 11th century. Biking along the borders of the Veluwe, you will reach Doesburg and then, end the day in Arnhem.

Day 4: Arnhem - Wesel, 31 mi. (50 km)
First destination is Rees where your bike tour begins. Cycling via Xanten, a medieval city where you can still see traces of its rich history, you follow the Rhine River to Wesel, final destination for the day. 

Day 5: Wesel - Düsseldorf, 24 mi. (38 km)
After motoring to Duisburg/Ruhrort, you cycle to Düsseldorf. After dinner, you will have the opportunity to explore the city of Düsseldorf during a city walk!

Day 6: Düsseldorf - Cologne, 22 mi. (35 km)
First on the agenda is Zons and then onward by bike to the city of Cologne. The afternoon and evening are free for you to explore this lively city. Dinner tonight is at your own expense in one of the many local restaurants. The staff on board would be happy to make a recommendation for you!

Day 7: Cologne - Bonn - Remagen - Koblenz, 28 mi. (45 km)
The Merlijn sets off early in the morning. While you enjoy your breakfast, the boat takes you further upstream on the river Rhine. After passing Bonn, the Siebengebirge, meaning "seven mountains", begins. It is a German range of hills to the East of the Rhine, southeast of Bonn, consisting of more than 40 mountains and hills.

Your bike tour will start in Remagen and end in Koblenz where the Merlijn awaits at the bank of the Moselle.

Day 8: Departure from Koblenz
Individual departure after breakfast.

Aboard the Iris:

Day 1: Amsterdam - Wijk bij Duurstede
Day 2:  Wijk bij Duurstede – Arnhem
Day 3: Arnhem – Rees
Day 4: Rees – Düsseldorf
Day 5: Düsseldorf – Cologne
Day 6: Cologne - Bonn
Day 7: Bonn - Koblenz
Day 8: Koblenz

Daily distances are approximately 45 to 50 km, accept for arrival day

Day 1: Amsterdam - Wijk bij Duurstede
Your adventure starts in the heart of Amsterdam, where the IRIS is docked and ready to sail. Boarding must be complete by 12:30 pm.  The boat will pick up anchor and begin to motor at 1 pm, giving you a taste of the beauty of Amsterdam seen from the water. You will then enjoy a short scenic ride along the Vecht River where the sophisticated traders and aristocrats of Amsterdam had there countryhomes, or better: estates. The winding little river is a branche of the Rhine, so you are already going in the right direction: upstream. Don’t worry…it’s flat cycling and stays like that all the week! Your biking ends in Breukelen (yes, indeed: where Brooklyn NY gets the name. By the end of the afternoon, you board the  barge and cruise to Wijk bij Duurstede, a small fortified town on the river Rhine. Enjoy an evening stroll and turn in your comfortable cabin!

Day 2:  Wijk bij Duurstede – Arnhem
What a magical place! No visit to Holland is complete without a ride through Europe’s largest drifting sand dunes in the National Park Hoge Veluwe. Imagine an African safari with grassy plains and weathered pines, bogs brimming with rare species and hardwood forests filled with birdsong. The geography is wild thanks to an Ice Age glacier that dumped its load of sand and gravel like a bulldozer. Awaiting ypu on the other side is world-famous Kröller-Müller art gallery and sculpture park with the largest private Van Gogh collection in the world and also works by Claude Monet, Georges Seurat, Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondriaan round out the collection. From here you cycle to  Arnhem ‘Home of Eagles,’ given its name by Romans stationed on the Rhine. You may walk or ride across this beloved landmark into Arnhem center which is teeming with art, fashion and all things Lekker (Sweet, fun, cool)

Day 3: Arnhem – Rees
Of bridges, battlegrounds and castles…like the 13th century Doornenburg Castle. It’s an impressive brick behemoth where German commanders set up headquarters during the Battle of Arnhem. Naturally, it became a prime target for British bombers and you can imagine what happened next. After a tour, you pedal away and say tot ziens (see ya) to Holland, crossing the border into Germany. Around the bend is Emmerich, home of Germany’s longest suspension bridge. This engineering feat spans some 1,600 ft across the Rhine and you can bike across for super aerial photos. Some 500 ships pass underneath it every day. Before the Rhine was channeled in the 1800s, sturgeon, shad and salmon used to swim the river — not anymore. Now barges are the big fish. Emmerich is also home to a WWII Biber submarine and one-man U-Boat in the Rhine Museum. Final destination is Rees, famous for its medieval wall, towers,  and river promenade with art sculptures, restaurants and cafés…the perfect place to raise your glass of  Riesling  or beer stein and watch the Rhine flow by.

Day 4: Rees – Düsseldorf
The great Ruhr region was once Germany’s blast furnace during the Industrial Revolution, until recently. Pedaling peacefully along the Rhine, you’ll see historic factory stacks, now mostly quiet and converted into other uses and venues—a reminder of when coal was king. This area is also where Neanderthal Man was found in 1856. And, it’s home to the mega supermarket chain Aldi. We cruise through world’s biggest inland harbor in Duisburg then it’s anchors away to the modern, sparkling city of Düsseldorf—Germany’s fashion and advertising capital. Think supermodel Claudia Schiffer. And it’s here you drink Altbier which doesn’t mean the beer is old; it’s a top-down fermentation style that’s hoppy and bitter-crisp. The waiters won’t ask if you want a second beer, it will just appear in front of you. Explore the Altstadt along the river or check out Media Harbor—the rehabbed riverside warehouse district that will blow your mind. The city sparkles with international flair, übermodern architecture and swanky folk. A casual feeling reigns in the evening when the “suits” loosen their ties at the 17th century Füchschen Brewery for roast pork shank (Haxen) Say it…“Haxen!” (one of our favorite barbarian words) You’ll need a couple cold ones to wash down the Haxen. Bring it on Düsseldorf!

Day 5: Düsseldorf – Cologne
Today’s ride stretches from one rival city to the other. Be it beer suds or soccer clubs, ne’re the two agree. In Düsseldorf you drink Altbier, but you’ll forget that word exists when you arrive in Cologne. Here in Köln, Kölsch is king. It’s the largest city on this  Rhine cruise and #4 after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. Everything worth seeing is within walking distance from the barge. The city isn’t just big—it’s ancient. The Romans set up their northern military headquarters here in 50 AD. The blending of Roman and Germanic cultures comes to life in the Roman-Germanic Museum. After the telecommunications tower with its rotating restaurant, Cologne Cathedral is next. This giant Gothic beauty reaches God’s ears. It’s longer than a football field and holds 20,000 people! It takes an army of specialists to maintain the 750-yr old landmark…80 stonemasons, glaziers and roofers. You’ll never forget the toll of her famous bells either. There are many free concerts. Ear plugs provided on Sundays—no joke. The best place to take it all in is at Café Reichard for a German trifecta: coffee, cake and cathedral views. BikePlanet’s favorite district for rambling is the medieval Hay Market. Here you can fill your steins with good Kölsch beer. Top it off with an order of Himmel un Ääd (heaven and earth). Apples and mashed potatoes is Cologne’s comfort food on steroids. What a colossal city.

Day 6: Cologne - Bonn
Today a great ride into West Germany’s former Capitol city. When the wall came down in 1990 most of the government moved back to Berlin. It’s the birthplace of musical genius Ludwig van Beethoven. Even after he’d lost his hearing in his ‘20s, Beethoven continued to write classics like Moonlight Sonata. It’s a tune that puts you in the Bonn mood. This is also where gummy bears are born every day. You can visit the world-famous Haribo factory with all the gummy sweets and gadgets—imagine Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Sure Bonn has its “museum mile,” but Bonn’s parks and gardens are the cat’s meow when it’s sunny. The first-rate Botanical Gardens at Poppelsdorf Palace are among the oldest. Have you ever seen a water lily whose giant pads hold the weight of a 95 pound child!? And the world’s rarest flowering plant, titan arum—the stinky Sumatran Corpse Flower that takes 7 years to blossom for one day…fairytale flowers! Stroll Bonn’s endless river promenade and the nearby Rheinaue Leisure Park. So many sights right near our dock. For the best views of legendary Siebengebirge hills, join locals under the great chestnut trees at the ‘Alter Zoll’ beer garden. It’s a former Rhine toll station and military fort along the river and another BikePlanet favorite.

Day 7: Bonn - Koblenz
This morning we cruise past the Siebengebirge (seven hills) and officially enter the legendary middle Rhine valley with its dramatic cliffs and curves, romantic castles, sloping vineyards and sleepy half-timbered villages. We sail past the ancient volcano, Dragon’s Rock where the hero Siegfried killed the dragon and bathed in its blood to become invincible. The Dragon’s Castle lies in ruins, a reminder of French revenge. Today’s biking starts in Remagen with a stop at Ludendorff Bridge. It was only one of two bridges still intact over the Rhine during Operation Lumberjack in the final days of WWII. In a stroke of good luck, U.S. Army got 25,000 troops, six Army divisions, tanks, artillery and trucks across the river. We pass little villages with old churches and medieval harbor crane. Arriving in Koblenz, we moor in the shadows of mighty Ehrenbreitensteinfortress. Here the noble Riesling grape is the Queen of Cups. Trocken means dry. Order one and prepare to become a convert for life. Prefer a beer in the Koblenz’ Biergarten? Just steps away from the barge.

Day 8: Departure

If you're looking for a different flavor, check out our entire list of bike and boat tours or view all our featured bike trips, specials, and news.

Book This Trip

Email or Call 800-951-4384 +1 570-965-2064

• Amsterdam to Koblenz