Rheinsteig

Overview

Length: 320km (199mi)

Season: March-October, but the Trail is open and accessable year round

Permits and Regulations

There are no permits needed to hike the Rheinsteig, the land that the Rheinsteig runs through falls under standard German right-to-roam legislation.

Maps

Online Maps

https://www.romantischer-rhein.de/a-rheinsteig-gesamt-nord-sued#dm=1&dmdtab=oax-tab8

Printed Maps

Rheinsteig: Wander-Tourenkarte 1:50000, KOMPASS, ISBN: 3850269833

Information Resources

Websites

https://www.rheinsteig.de/en/rheinsteig

Guidebooks

"Rheinsteig: von Wiesbaden nach Bonn" (Outdoor Wanderführer) ISBN:3866866976

Sections

The Trail is divided into 4 Sections: Siebengebirge, Lower Middle Rhine Valley, Upper Middle Rhine Valley and Rheingau. There's also an official division into 21 stages, each of them representing an easy day hike. It's not important to follow these though, as they are mainly intended for dayhikers.

Water

Water is plentyful, as the Trail runs through a town every day, and there's plenty of streams flowing into the Rhine river that are safe to drink after filtration.

Weather

There aren't any extreme weather conditions on the trail that should stop you from hiking; expect normal German weather.

Resupply

Resupply is plentyful as the Trail usually runs through a village/bigger town with a supermarket every day.

Geographic Features

The Trail runs along the valley side east of the Rhine river, which is one of the biggest rivers in Europe. Although the Trail's highest point is only at 365m(1197ft) it racks up a sizeable amount of elevation as you constantly go up and down the steep valley walls.