Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Get the App

Alpine Rhine Trail: Salez to Widnau

Alpine Rhine Trail: Salez to Widnau

Highlight • Cycleway

Alpine Rhine Trail: Salez to Widnau

Recommended by 54 cyclists out of 62

Save

Location: Altstätten, Wahlkreis Rheintal, St. Gallen, Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland

Save

See rides here

Take Me There

Routes here

Top cycling routes to Alpine Rhine Trail: Salez to Widnau

4.7

(38)

463

riders

1. Illspitz Bridge – Illspitz mouth of the Rhine loop from Altach

58.0km

03:17

100m

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

4.6

(38)

382

riders

2. Wiesenrain Bridge – Alpine Rhine Trail loop from Schaan-Vaduz

66.4km

03:47

120m

Moderate bike ride. Good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Moderate

4.4

(28)

341

riders

3. Jenins: Village and Church – Historic Old Town of Maienfeld loop from Heerbrugg

114km

06:38

390m

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.

Navigate

Send to Phone

Save

Hard

Tips

Paul

May 18, 2025

Rhine Route / Stage 4: Buchs – St. Margrethen
The St. Gallen Rhine Valley is a landscape often blessed by the warm foehn winds. Much of the land was reclaimed during the Alpine Rhine's river course corrections. This created Europe's largest freshwater delta with a rich birdlife.
After the bustling regional center of Buchs, the route heads toward Werdenberg, the "smallest town in Switzerland." It is said to have just under 60 inhabitants and is home to the oldest timber-framed settlement in the country. Surrounded by lush meadows and framed by the Alvier Range and the Kreuzberg Mountains, the route continues toward Schlosswald. With the exception of the floodplain forests, this is the only remaining forest area in the St. Gallen Rhine Valley. The population's deforestation frenzy was once great.
You feel grand and sublime at the top of the dam, overlooking the 1,320-kilometer-long Rhine. Sweating cyclists can hardly find a shady spot along the Alpine Rhine. Not so for the local wildlife: Over decades, a habitat network of nutrient-poor meadows, small bodies of water, and woodland has been created for them. Stepping stone biotopes between the Rhine landscape and fens in the valley floor, as well as the motorway bridge with screens, enable wildlife migrations across the river and the A13.
Perhaps the name Diepoldsau sounds familiar. Wasn't there something? In 1923, the course of the Rhine was shortened again with the so-called "Diepoldsauer Durchstich" (Diepoldsau Cut). This created the Old Rhine near Diepoldsau with its charming loop. Today, this can be divided into four sections: "Rheinspitz," "beim Zoll," "Matz," and "Rohrspitz." They are connected by small streams. Excess water drains through a shaft into the "Diepoldsauer Kanal" flowing below. As early as 1892, Austria and Switzerland established the International Rhine Regulation (IRR) with an interstate treaty. The primary objective of the agreement is to ensure flood protection along the approximately 30-kilometer stretch between the mouth of the Ill River near Rüthi (SG) and the extension into Lake Constance.
Text / Source: schweizmobil.ch
schweizmobil.ch/de/veloland/route-2/etappe-4

Translated by Google •

In the know? Log-in to add a tip for other adventurers!

Details

Informations

Elevation 480 m

Weather

Monday 12 January

7°C

-1°C

-- %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: -- km/h

Most visited during

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

See rides here

Take Me There

Location: Altstätten, Wahlkreis Rheintal, St. Gallen, Eastern Switzerland, Switzerland

Other Popular Places to Check Out

Illspitz Mündung Rhein

Border Guard Shelter Ruggell

Wichenstein Lake

View of the Rhine Valley and Lake Constance from Kamor

Alprestaurant Rohr

Sennwald Canal

Spiersbach Stone Bridge and Ruggell–Bangs Historic Border Crossing

Baggersee Brederis

Rhine Cycle Path (Austrian Side)

Rheintal Riverside Path

Paspelssee Brederis

Rhine River Near Ruggell

Alpine Rhine Trail: Salez to Widnau

1. Illspitz Bridge – Illspitz mouth of the Rhine loop from Altach

2. Wiesenrain Bridge – Alpine Rhine Trail loop from Schaan-Vaduz

3. Jenins: Village and Church – Historic Old Town of Maienfeld loop from Heerbrugg

Other Popular Places to Check Out

We value your privacy ⛰️

We value your privacy ⛰️