Experiencing the Rhine River

The Rhine Song

The Rhine! That little word will be

For aye a spell of power to me,

And conjure up, in care’s despite,

A thousand visions of delight:

The Rhine! Oh, where beneath the sun

Doth our fair river’s rival run?

Where dawns the day upon a stream

Can in such changeful beauty shine

Outstripping Fancy’s wildest dream,

Like our green, glancing, glorious Rhine.

Born where blooms the Alpine rose,

Cradled in the Bodensee,

Forth the infant river flows,

Leaping on in childish glee.

Coming to a riper age,

He crowns his rocky cup with wine,

And makes a gallant pilgrimage

To many a ruined tower and shrine.

Strong and swift and wild and grave,

On he speeds with crested wave;

And spurning aught like check or stay,

Fights and foams along his way

O’er drag and shoal until his flood

Boils like manhood’s hasty blood.

Lays and Legends of the Rhine - Planche

For centuries, the Rhine river has attracted explorers, warriors, and travelers. It intrigues with tales of romance, legend and myth. Today's travelers arrive for architecture, literature, music, wine and food.

The vistas wind through scenery cities and villages. Rhein in German, Rhin in French, Rijn in Dutch, all names derived from the Latin, Rhenus.

Elation, joy, exuberance intertwine along the waterway.

Fed by alpine springs, the Rhine flows about 850 miles from its origin in southwest Switzerland, along Liechtenstein and Austria, through the French alps, western Germany, and the Netherlands into the North Sea. 

No European river varies more in character throughout its course.