Few rivers can claim such an important role in the growth of a nation as the Rhine. The Rhine rises in Switzerland and ultimately flows through the Netherlands in its progress to the sea, but most of its 1,370km (850 miles) snake through the mountains and plains of Germany. For more than 2,000 years, it has been a chief trade route, its deep waters enabling modern seagoing vessels to travel downstream from the North Sea as far as Cologne.
From its earliest times, the Rhine has also been a main road for religious, intellectual, and artistic ideas. It has been called a "triumphal avenue of the muses," and a trip along its banks today reveals endless treasures.
From Mainz north to Koblenz, the winding river cuts through steep vine-covered hillsides dotted with towns whose names are synonymous with fine German wine. Here you'll find the dramatic Lorelei, the legendary rock from which a siren lured men to their doom. The saga of The Nibelungenlied, the best known of the Rhine legends, is associated with the topography from the Siebengebirge (the Seven Mountains) near Bonn, where Siegfried slew the dragon, to the city of Worms, where Brunhild plotted against the dragon-slayer.
The Rhine is also the home of many of Germany's largest and most modern cities. Cologne (Köln) and Düsseldorf vie for trade and tourism. Cologne is also a common starting point for boat tours of the river.
Roadways along the Rhine tend to be heavily trafficked, so allow adequate time. Main roads hug both the left and right banks of the river, and at many points you'll come across car-ferries that can take you across. The most scenic stretch for driving is the mid-Rhine, between Koblenz and Mainz. EuroCity and InterCity trains connect all the major cities, including Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn, and Mainz. Rail service also extends as far north as Hamburg and as far south as Munich.
Watch on the Rhine -- The Rhine carries more freight than any other river in Europe, and its once famous salmon were caught at the rate of 250,000 annually. But by the 1950s the river had simply become too poisonous for the fish to survive. By the 1970s and 1980s, the fabled Rhine was called "the sewer of Europe." That has now changed and the salmon are back. Billions of euros spent on water-treatment plants led to a cleaner river. However, the salmon you see today heroically leaping about aren't the same salmon of yore. The new salmon were brought in from Ireland, France, Scotland, and Scandinavia. Therefore, we must rely on old cookbooks to tell us of the glorious taste of the salmon Rhinelanders once enjoyed. One species of small crab is not as welcome. This alien amphipod that came from the Danube is now spreading to all the major rivers of Germany, including the Rhine, and devouring native species at a rapid rate and reducing biodiversity.
