2024-10-19 09:02:00
The cycle path from the sources to the mouth of the Main is approximately 600 kilometers long. A classic among cyclists that can be divided into several beautiful sections and features only a few climbs. Today we choose the last stop, which is located between the banking metropolis of Frankfurt and the capital of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Mainz, where the Main flows into the Rhine.
After Frankfurt, however, we do not follow the official Main cycle path, which at Höchst turns downstream onto the right bank of the Main, but instead remains on the left bank of the Main. On the Rhine-Main Regional Park Road we pass Kelsterbach, Rüsselsheim and Gustavsburg, see the industrial culture and travel 40 kilometres.
Which side is more beautiful? If you don’t want to decide and have enough stamina and time, you can go and return and try both options: the one on the right bank of the Rhine is very well signposted and cannot be missed. But then there isn’t much time left to look at the city at your destination or at least stop.
If you follow today’s advice, you can still decide which direction to go. Both Frankfurt and Mainz are worth a trip. We describe the route starting from Frankfurt and returning by train from Mainz.
The route is mostly asphalted. Depending on direction and weather conditions, a strong tailwind or headwind can become a friend or foe. Whatever your departure, it is important to remember that in both cities it is not easy to park for free for the duration of the tour if you are traveling by car.
Directions
We start on the banks of the Main in Frankfurt between the Deutschherrn and Osthafen bridges because there are good parking possibilities there (1). Those arriving at Frankfurt Central Station choose the fastest route to Holbeinsteg via the Main and start the tour from there.
The main cycle path runs along the shore and offers uninterrupted views of the city skyline. There are pedestrians here too, so be respectful. European Central Bank, Imperial Cathedral, Sachsenhausen, Museum Promenade, Eiserner Steg, Holbeinsteg…
On both sides of the Main, the city’s attractions flow like a string of pearls (2). Behind the Main-Neckar bridge, in the Niederrad district, we pass the promontory formed by the former Niederrad lock with the green area LiLu – Niederrad light and air bath (3). The barrage was built from 1883 to 1885.
We continue along the shore, under the Europa Bridge, until we pass the Griesheim barrier, built in the 1930s (4). We pass under the Schwanheimer bridge and now leave the Main bank briefly because on our way there is the Höchst industrial area.
The ring road to Kelsterbach is well signposted with the bicycle symbol. Behind the bridge we turn left and follow the cycle path parallel to the main road until we turn right into the Kelsterbacher Weg, which runs alongside the Schwanheimer Düne (5). It was formed about 10,000 years ago following the last ice age and is today a nature reserve.
We then pass federal road 40 in several places. We first cross Leunastraße, turn right and then left again and stay on the cycle path along Elisabeth-Kuhn-Straße. We cross the B 40 and then find ourselves on the cycle path along the Höchst industrial area.
Attention: on the following route we do not take the cycle path marked on the factory bridge, but we stay on the left side of the Main, we turn left and go through the B 40 underpass. Behind it we turn right and finally go back to the banks of the Main.
We soon reach Kelsterbach, where the pretty Kelsterbar on the shore invites you to take a break between May and September (6). Now we cycle along the cycle path close to the shore, always keeping an eye on the water on the right. We pass the ferry dock in Okriftel. Unfortunately, the once popular connection to the other side of the Main has been interrupted since 2022; According to recent reports, it could resume in the summer of 2025.
Then we pass the protected Eddersheim Dam (Bauhaus architecture), in front of which is the Vogelinsel (7). It is possible to cross the lock, but this is not advisable with a heavy e-bike due to the stairs.
Shortly afterwards we pass the renovated Mönchhof chapel with a small cemetery (8). A nice place to take a break on the banks of the Main, if you don’t mind plane noise, which is omnipresent here near Frankfurt Airport. We are also on the site of the former Caltex refinery, which closed in 1982.
The refinery became infamous when five people died in an explosion in 1966. The Caltex oil port and associated tank farm are still in operation. The bike path leads over the spectacular Oil Harbor Bridge (9), a steel structure with a roundel that is more sculpture than bridge.
We continue past the Raunheim boat harbor with graffiti (10) and through a beautiful avenue until we reach the Opel town of Rüsselsheim with the city park. They invite you to visit the Opelvillen Art and Culture Foundation with temporary exhibitions and the 600-year-old Rüsselsheim Fortress with museum (11). Worthy of note is the “Permanent Parker” right on the shore in front of the city: a concrete sculpture of the cult car Opel Manta by artist Matthias Braun (12).
Then we cross the Opelsteg (13), which runs for 440 meters along the sheet piles of the Opel port. On the opposite bank you can see the Rheingau vineyards. Shortly after, the asphalt cycle path turns left and is now a certain distance from the shore.
We pass under the arch of the monumental sandstone pillar of the Hochheim railway bridge (14) and soon pass the Kostheim barrier (15). Then we continue between the Main dam and the shore until we pass under the Main bridge. Behind it we turn left, then right again and continue on the cycle path with a beautiful view of Mainz up to the Mainz-Süd railway bridge (16).
If you stop on the viewing platform at the beginning, you will have a view of the Mainspitze, where the Main flows into the Rhine. We leave the bridge via a steep ramp behind the bridge head and find ourselves at the winter port of Mainz, in the area of which several beer gardens.
There you cross a small swing bridge above the harbor entrance (17), pass the Malakoff terrace and cross Dagobertstrasse and Holzhofstrasse to the Mainz-Süd/Römisches Theater railway station. From there you can begin the journey back to Frankfurt – but, as much as local patriotism allows, first take a detour to my beautiful hometown of Mainz.
It’s worth seeing
Barriers along the route: In Griesheim and Eddersheim pedestrians are allowed to cross the footbridge, in Kostheim it is only tolerated.
Schwanheim Dune: A walkway opens access to the nature reserve and information markers along the route provide information on the particularities of the delicate fauna and flora.
Mönchhofkapelle: The pilgrimage chapel was built in 1685 and can only be seen from the outside.
Directions
Depending on the direction of travel, Frankfurt is connected via the A 66, A 67, A 661, A 5 and A 3 motorways. Then follow the signs to Sachsenhausen to reach the left bank of the Main. Numerous regional and S-Bahn trains from all directions stop at the central station.
Stop
Café Fortezza RüsselsheimerHauptmann-Scheuermann-Weg 4, Tuesday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00, Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00. From October to March only until 5pm.
Condition: predominantly asphalted cycle path
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