Rhine ride

[simonsbike]

Hi We are planning on cycling the rhine from Zurich to rotterdam in October. Anyone done this? The headache is getting a booking on a TGV train allowing bikes from paris to zurich. It only seems to allow booking a month ahead. Advice please!

 

[matticus]

No offence to the wonderful, knowledgable and helpful people here, but the CUK forum is full of info on this ort of thing, and is a bit more Touring-ofcused generally:

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/search.php?keywords=zurich

 

[Gwylan]

My suggestion was to try SNCB.
Until I did, up to their high standard until you get to the " that journey is not possible" after you've filled in all the boxes.
But you could try the "Night Jet".

 

[TomDW]

Hi We are planning on cycling the rhine from Zurich to rotterdam in October. Anyone done this? The headache is getting a booking on a TGV train allowing bikes from paris to zurich. It only seems to allow booking a month ahead. Advice please!

I did Hoek van Holland to Chur and then onto Italy so this included EV15. You'll have a great time. Yes it is difficult to take a bike across from UK to Europe, I sympathise. Since doing that big trip I've looked at going back and it does seem to be really hard to get to Germany or Switzerland. There are Flix bus options but my friend was badly let down by them so I'm can't recommend. Best advice is prepared to flexible and have plenty of time to get there i.e. using TER trains if necessary. In a utopian future you could get a train from London to Cologne with your bike onboard

 

[mjr]

Yes it is difficult to take a bike across from UK to Europe, I sympathise. Since doing that big trip I've looked at going back and it does seem to be really hard to get to Germany or Switzerland.

Germany's not bad if you use the ferry to the Hook of Holland and NS, or to Dunkerque and ride east to use Belgium's SNCB. I guess you can get to Switzerland that way but it's indirect and DB has problems, even if it's still easier than multi-train SNCF journeys.

 

[albal]

Got a train from Munich to cherbourg a few years ago. October time.Had to get back to work. The biggest headache was booking in at Strasbourg to cherbourg. It took ages in the booking office, eventually the woman got me a train at 0530 HR out of Strasbourg on a fast train.