Germany. Along The Rhine The Best of the Rheinsteig The legendary Lorelei Walking along the Rhine Romantic castles. Tour Grade B Tour Code - TRHE

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1 Germany Along The Rhine The Best of the Rheinsteig The legendary Lorelei Walking along the Rhine Romantic castles SELF-GUIDED Departures for a minimum of 2 persons travelling together Tour Grade B Tour Code - TRHE For dates and prices visit:

2 Introduction The Rheinsteig is a recently created, fully waymarked trail following the course of the River Rhine upstream, through romantic countryside, famous for its castles, vineyards, culture, history, nature and landscapes. Surely the best way to absorb and appreciate the wonderful richness of this region is to walk through it, and now you can. Although the entire Rheinsteig is some 320 kilometres in length, we have selected the best section of this brand new trail so that it can be enjoyed in a week s holiday. You follow the Rhine from the charming city of Koblenz to Rüdesheim, walking an average of 20 kilometres per day through an ever-changing landscape, with lots of interesting sights along the way. Dramatic castles perched high above the Rhine are frequent along the route. You also pass the world famous Lorelei, a dramatic rock formation that rises some 120 metres above the river where legend has it a siren would lure sailors to their doom. The Rheinsteig winds its way up and down through woodlands, to the tops of the Rhine Valley, passing through delightful villages and towns too. Each night you stay in pleasant and comfortable hotels throughout the route. During the walking day, you can enjoy stops at various Inns and rural wine cellars and spend the evenings in a wide variety of quality restaurants to sample the culinary delights the region is justifiably famous for. Scenery, culture, food, wine, history and nature. what more could you want? The Holiday Routine As this is a self-guided holiday you can of course dictate your own schedule. As a general rule, usually you will walk for 2-3 hours in the morning, and then halt for a leisurely lunch (either at a café/restaurant en route, or a picnic lunch in a scenic place). After lunch you ll walk for 2-4 hours to your next overnight accommodation. Walking conditions The Rheinsteig is a fully and constantly waymarked (frequent Rheinsteig symbols), which you follow with the aid of simple route notes only. With mostly good conditions underfoot, some sections may be muddy if it has rained. Whilst the trail is not in a mountainous region, both ascent and descent are natural features of this route. Ascents, with descent are rarely sustained and vary (as a daily total) from 340m to 740m. Walking distances are moderate and vary between 18km-22km per day, with an average daily walking time of around 5-6 hours. A full explanation of the trip grading can be found online at You should ensure you are comfortable walking at this level of grading and are physically prepared for the trip. Self-Guided Holiday As the name suggests, self-guided holidays are for those that prefer to be independent. Within reason you are able to dictate your own schedule, as well as walk at your own pace with the aid of simple route notes. All your accommodation has been reserved in advance and unless otherwise stated within this trip dossier, your main baggage is transferred between each accommodation along the way, so there s no need to worry about carrying heavy loads and having to back pack. This means you only need to walk each day and carry your usual lightweight daypack. However, it is important that you are entirely comfortable with being independent whilst on a walking holiday. For detailed information as to what a selfguided holiday entails please read the selfguided walking holidays section at Types of Trip section on before booking your self-guided walking holiday. Route Notes- Help keep them up to date Things can and do change along the routes that self-guided walking holidays follow. A sign may have been changed, or even removed, a path may have been obstructed, even rerouted, a landmark the route notes refer to may simply no longer exist. It is clearly impossible to keep track of all the changes that may occur outside the local tour operators control and knowledge. It may be the route notes translation can be improved (they are translated into several languages by the local operator after all) too. Clearly a case of last person to walk the route has the most up to date information. In the spirit of camaraderie amongst walkers and in an effort to constantly keep route notes updated and improved upon, the local operator (contact details in your final joining instructions) will always welcome notification of any changes along the way/recommendations for improvement if you would care to forward any useful and specific information to them. Alternatively, send to Walks Worldwide and we will forward accordingly. Germany-The Best of the Rheinsteig 2

3 What you need to provide Your personal equipment as detailed in the clothing and equipment list later in this trip dossier. Itinerary IMPORTANT-Due to the specialist nature of our holidays, day to day itineraries should be taken as a guide only, and as statements of intent and not contractual obligations. We regularly update our trip dossiers to take into account changes to trekking routes, accommodation, local transport etc. Such changes are a factor of this type of holiday and when made are out of necessity. Other factors such as adverse weather, unforeseen circumstances and other matters entirely out of our control etc can also lead to enforced changes during the course of the holiday. It is not possible to guarantee that any of our holidays will operate exactly as per the anticipated itinerary. The most current trip dossier will be made available on our website. We will also send you the most up to date trip dossier with your Final Joining Instructions approx. 2 weeks before departure and you should carefully check this for any changes that may affect your plans. Before booking you should read our Types of Trip and Essential and Useful information sections on including our Important Warning. Outline Itinerary Day Your 'at-a-glance' Itinerary Overnight Accn. Meal plan 1Arrive Koblenz Koblenz Hotel 2Walk from Koblenz to Braubach Braubach Hotel B 3Walk to Kamp-Bornhofen Kamp-Bornhofen Hotel B 4Walk to St.Goarshausen St.Goarshausen Hotel B 5Walk to Kaub Kaub Hotel B 6Walk to Lorch Lorch Hotel B 7Walk to Rudesheim Rudesheim Hotel B 8Depart Rudesheim B B breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner. Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 3

4 Day 1 Arrive at Frankfurt and travel to Koblenz (see joining arrangements and transfers section). Hotel, Koblenz Day 2 During the course of your walk along the Rhine on the Rheinsteig, you ll be following a trail that is waymarked throughout with a Blue/White R symbol with directional arrows. Walking from Koblenz you head upstream initially along the Rhine and then into the idyllic Bienhorntal Valley. Heading up through forest you reach the Lichter Kopf viewpoint and then back into the forest to follow the small stream known as Ruppertsklamm to descend. A short walk along a road brings you to the Lahn River and along a metal catwalk to Friedland. A stiff climb then takes you above the Lahn and onto Hof Aspich. Passing through the pretty village of Einmuth the trail undulates to lead you to the Kerkerser plateau where you can enjoy fine views over to Castle Marksburg. A short descent then brings you to Braubach and your overnight halt. Ascent/descent 740m, walking distance 21km. Hotel, Braubach Dinkelholder Valley and above the village of Osterpia through the forest and then down to the village of Filsen. A final section along a newly built staircase leads you to the pilgrimage village of Kamp-Bornhofen.Walking distance 22km, 620m ascent/descent Hotel, Kamp-Bornhofen Day 4 A large driveway leads to the castles of Liebenstein and Sterrenberg, which are collectively known as Die Feindlichen Bruder (the adversarial brothers). You then head up over open pasture and into the hills to reach the village of Lykershausen and further upwards to the Hindenberghohe. Descending towards Kestert a detour eventually leads to Wellmich. From here you head up to Castle Maus (Mouse) and along the Rhine heights with good views across the Rhine to the Rhine Rock Castle to ultimately descend to St.Goarshausen.Walking distance 20km, with 690m ascent/descent. Hotel, St. Goarshausen Day 3 It s an uphill start to the day to reach Castle Marksburg. The Rheinsteig then leads between some houses and on through a small passageway between rocks onto the Zecherpfad. You then walk through the scenic Day 5 The Rheinsteig climbs to reach Castle Katz to continue through the district of Heide. Walking through the fields of Lesiefeld the world famous Loreley rock formation comes into view. Another particularly fine viewpoint reached on today s walk is Rosstein, which looks across river to Oberwesel. From here the Rheinsteig ascends once more to the Rhine heights where there are delightful views over a palatinate (a form of castle used by Kings and Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 4

5 Emperors) before Kaub called Pfalzgrafenstein on a small island in the middle of the Rhine. Walking distance 21km, walking time approx. 360m ascent/descent Hotel, Kaub Day 6 Heading up in the direction of Gutenfels Castle you enter a vineyard area and into the Volkenbachtal Valley. The Rheinsteig then loops around the Schenkenbachtal Valley before descending in a series of switchbacks to Niedertal. With pleasing views across the Rhine, the village of Bacharach on the opposite bank with it s striking churches adding traditional appeal. After another loop walk above Lorchausen you join a metalled road that leads you through vineyards to beneath the ruins of Nollig Castle. A short stroll then brings you to the village of Lorch. Walking distance 17km, 560m of ascent/descent. Hotel, Lorch valley to Bacharacher Kopf. With more vineyards along the way you can avoid an additional 280m, 1.5km climb by taking a chairlift up to the Niederwald nature reserve. Along the fairly level trail over the Niederwald you ll pass an old hunting lodge (now a hotel) and looking down to the Rhine you ll see the Binger Mauseturm that stands in the middle of the river. At the end of today s final stage you reach the famous and important historical monument called Niederwalddenkmal. Your journey along this section of the Rheinsteig is completed with your choice of either a cableway descent to Rudesheim, or a final 30 minute walk, where you will have earned your Rheinsteig pin and Rheinsteig certificate. Walking distance 18km, with 340m of ascent and descent. Day 8 Depart Rudesheim at your leisure. Practical Information Joining Arrangements and Transfers The joining point for this holiday will be the first night s accommodation in Koblenz on day 1. It is anticipated that the majority of clients undertaking this section of the Rheinsteig will fly from the UK to Frankfurt Airport. From Frankfurt there is a regular indirect train service (hourly at weekends, twice an hour during weekdays) for the 75min to 120min journey to Koblenz Hauptbahnhof. The cost for this journey is approx. 35. A taxi from Koblenz Hauptbahnhof to your Koblenz hotel will cost around 10. Alternatively a private taxi to Koblenz from Frankfurt will cost around 150. For the return to Frankfurt from Rudesheim, your hotel will take you to the train station in Rudesheim where you can take a train back to Frankfurt. The journey back to Frankfurt is around 80mins, and there is a regular hourly service costing approx Day 7 A steady climb up through vineyards on a hillside road once more affords fine views across the Rhine. The Rheinsteig then disappears into the forests for a short while to emerge at Georgs Ruh, a very nice place to take a rest. En route today you ll also encounter the castles of Sonneck, Hoheneck, Reichenstein and Rheinstein. After heading into the Bodental Valley a stiff, but brief ascent rewards with a particularly panoramic section to Paul-Claus-Hutte and then through a side Many clients choose to return to Koblenz from Rudesheim at the end of their walk by taking a ferry on the Rhine to Koblenz, and on wards to Frankfurt from Koblenz. The ferry service costs approx 30 (2011), and takes around 4hrs, with departures at 0915, and (2011) Visit the excellent for further details on train travel in Germany. Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 5

6 International Travel Frankfurt Airport is the nearest International Airport for arrival and to make your way to the joining point. For total flexibility and choice, the price of our holidays often excludes flights. However, as an ATOL bonded agent we are able to arrange competitively priced tickets with the majority of international airlines. Where low cost airlines offer a better option, we are also able to arrange these, subject to a small booking fee. Only by arranging your flights with us can we offer you the peace of mind and 100% financial protection that booking with a licensed tour operator brings. Contact us to discuss your regional flight options for this holiday. If you would prefer to make your own International travel arrangements you can book this holiday as Land Only. You will need to book flights that enable you to arrive in Frankfurt, no later than mid-afternoon on Day 1 of the trip itinerary in order to subsequently arrive in Koblenz no later than early evening by train on the same day. Return flights should be booked to depart from Frankfurt Airport no sooner than the late afternoon of Day 8 of the trip itinerary. Please note if you are booking Land Only it is your sole responsibility to ensure you arrive at the joining point for the contracted arrangements in good time before these commence. No refunds will be provided in respect of any unused services contracted as a result. Similarly our contractual obligations cease at the end of your contracted arrangements. IMPORTANT- MAKE SURE YOUR CHOSEN HOLIDAY IS GUARANTEED TO RUN BEFORE YOU PURCHASE AIR TICKETS AND MAKING ANY OTHER TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS. Please contact the Walks Worldwide office to check the status of your chosen holiday BEFORE purchasing your International Air ticket. You should not book your International flight tickets or make any other travel arrangements until your chosen holiday is guaranteed to run. If you are purchasing your own air ticket, you should be aware that most of the cheaper airline tickets available for sale on the Internet or from low cost carriers are non-refundable in the case of cancellation. For this reason we strongly advise you check the rules of the ticket when you make a flight booking, and check the limitations of any cancellation insurance policy you have. We cannot be held liable, for losses incurred relating to any flight bookings or subsequent travel arrangements you have made yourself. Travel by Train If you would prefer to travel to/from Koblenz and Rudesheim entirely by train provides an online booking service for European rail services, including Eurostar. You should not book your International rail tickets or make any other travel arrangements until your chosen holiday is guaranteed to run. Passports and Visas British passport holders (and other EU passport holders) do not require a visa for stays up to three months for visit to Germany (please ensure your passport has at least 6 months validity). Accommodation Accommodation will be reserved for you on a twin share basis unless you have already requested a single room. The accommodation will be in a variety of small hotels/inns along the way. You will be sent full accommodation details with your Final Joining Instructions, as the accommodations used along the way will be determined by availability for selected travel dates. Due to demand for accommodation on the Rheinsteig we cannot specify accommodation in advance. Food All breakfasts are included in the Land Only price of this holiday. Lunches and dinners are intentionally not included to afford the opportunity to enjoy the wide variety of wonderful cuisine to suit your own particular tastes and budget. During the course of the walking you will pass by villages and towns, where you can take lunch (with the exception of one day), or simply carry a picnic with you to enjoy in a scenic place, which you can obtain locally. Your route notes will highlight lunch opportunities along the Rheinsteig. Climate It is of course impossible to predict the precise weather conditions you will encounter during the course of your holiday. However, we do schedule our holidays to coincide with what should be the most suitable weather periods for walking. Summer in Rhineland is usually quite warm, with frequent dry periods, although rain and thunderstorms can occur at anytime, so you should always be prepared for inclement weather conditions. For climate statistics visit Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 6

7 Roughly speaking temperatures decrease by approx. 1ºC for every 200 metre increase in altitude. Local transport No local transport (other than for arrival and departure transfers) is required during the course of this walk along the Rheinsteig. However, if you wish to miss a day s walk there s usually the option of using a bus, or even better a boat to your onward destination. On day 7 there s the option of taking a chairlift to aid an ascent, with the added option of a cableway descent later that same day. Baggage Please make sure that your baggage is clearly marked with your name, inside as well as outside, in case the labels get detached. Your main baggage will be transferred each morning to your onward accommodation. Please restrict your main baggage to one piece per person. As your main baggage will be transported by vehicle a normal suitcase can be used for your main baggage. During the walking day you will simply carry your usual walking daypack. Vaccinations and medical precautions We always recommend visiting your doctor and dentist for a check up before travelling. Your doctor will also have access to the most up to date information on vaccinations and medical precautions for the country you are about to visit. In general, no vaccinations are necessary for Germany and health problems here are quite rare. A useful travel health online resource is Please make sure that you obtain form EHIC either online or from your local post office you will need to produce this if you have to see a doctor. First Aid You should always carry your own small, personal first aid kit. This should consist of the following: A general anti-biotic, throat lozenges, painkillers, plasters (band-aids), blister treatment, insect repellent (DEET), rehydration salts, antiseptic cream, diarrhoea treatment (e.g. Imodium). Currency The currency used in Germany is the Euro ( ) Please refer to for up to date rates. ATM machines are common in the main towns visited during the course of this holiday. Inclusions and exclusions Inclusions All breakfasts All accommodation All baggage transfers in the itinerary Route Notes and Maps Exclusions Drinks Lunches and Dinners Airport transfers Chairlift/cableway options Optional public transport Souvenirs and personal items Insurance International Travel Language The language spoken in Germany is German. In many of the places you visit English may be understood, but this may not be the case everywhere. It is always a good idea to learn a few simple phrases, common greetings and courtesies in both German and taking along a phrasebook can be very useful in this respect and strongly recommended. Tipping Tipping is at your discretion. However, if you have received good service a tip is the normal way of saying thank you. Travel Insurance It is a condition of booking any of our holidays that you have comprehensive travel insurance. It is your to responsibility to ensure you are covered for medical and personal accident risks for the part of the world you intend to travel and the activities involved. This cover should include repatriation costs, air ambulance and helicopter rescue. It is also advisable to take out cancellation insurance as all deposits paid are non-refundable. You may arrange either single-trip or annual multi-trip travel insurance through Walks Worldwide. Please call us on or us- sales@walksworldwide.com for a quotation. Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 7

8 Clothing and Equipment Lists At least one set of casual / non-walking clothes will be useful for wearing in hotels on this holiday. Whilst walking you must not worry about how you look: comfort and protection against bad weather are of prime importance. Because mountain weather is so very variable, we recommend a number of thin layers rather than a few thick ones. The following list is our suggested guide to help you with your packing based upon our many years of travelling/walking. Using your own judgment for packing is of course important, especially with regard to casual clothing etc but please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about packing for your holiday, or are uncertain as to the suitability of your clothing and equipment. CLOTHING Walking boots and spare laces Lightweight Trainers/approach shoes Socks 3+ pairs (Walking and Casual) Underwear 3+ T-shirts 3+ Trekking Pants Short trousers 1+ Light fleece 1-2 Thick fleece 1 Thermal Baselayer shirt 1-2 Thermal underwear Waterproof jacket with hood Waterproof trousers Lightweight Gloves Sun Hat Warm Hat Gaiters (optional) EQUIPMENT Daypack/rucksack (25litre-35litre capacity) 2 Large water bottles ( 1 litre each) Torch (and spare bulb and batteries) Camera & accessories Binoculars (optional) A variety of dry bag/plastic bags (kitbags are not waterproof) Sunglasses Trekking poles (highly recommended) Reading material (optional) Washing/Shaving kit Insect Repellent Small personal First Aid kit (see section above) Anti-Bacterial Handwash Water purifying tablets Sun Cream & lip salve Blister plasters i.e. Compeed Tickets/E tickets Passport Money Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 8

9 The following items should also considered as being useful on a walking holiday Penknife/small scissors (DO NOT PACK IN HAND LUGGAGE) Moisturising cream Baby wipes Snacks/Energy bars Safety pins (DO NOT PACK IN HAND LUGGAGE) Padlock for your kitbag Small sewing/repair kit (DO NOT PACK IN HAND LUGGAGE) Small mirror Nail clippers (DO NOT PACK IN HAND LUGGAGE) Spare glasses/contact lenses Earplugs (against snorers) Cold water Travel Wash (preferably biodegradable) Travel adaptor Germany- The Best of the Rheinsteig 9