Emmerich am Rhein to Düsseldorf

96 km road cycling route74 m climbing6 h 49 minGPX

Emmerich am Rhein, Germany · Road

A flat 96 km road cycling route from Emmerich am Rhein to Düsseldorf through Emmericher Eyland, Xanten and Drüpt, with 74 m of climbing.

Retraced from the map Ridden by Marcus on Tuesday 1st September 2015; the recording was lost, so the line is the road between the day's towns, drawn from OpenStreetMap (the rider logged 106 km that day).

Download GPXMap

At a glance

Best for: Flat, steady riding
Distance: 95.5 km; Point to point
Elevation gain: 74 m; 1 m per km
Riding time: 6 h 49 min; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Moderate
Bike: Road bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Mostly paved; 96% paved · 3% unpaved · 1% no data
Traffic: Mostly minor roads; 3.1 km on main roads without a cycle lane · 4.1 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more · 23 km on cycle paths or lanes
Food & water: Regular; 588 cafés and restaurants · 124 shops · 5 water points · 22 petrol stations · 27 public toilets · 51 bike shops
Best months: May to Sep; Emmerich am Rhein climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start → finish: Emmerich am Rhein → Düsseldorf

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 74 m
Distance: 96 km

What it was like to ride

Marcus’s notes

106Km covered today so still on course. The day started cloudy and quickly turned to drizzle. The scenery for much of the morning was just as dreary, with plenty of factories to enjoy. After successfully navigating out of Emmerich we plotted a course for Wunderland. This is a theme park built into a former nuclear power station. It sounds odd and it is odd. It may have been a Tuesday morning, but it still felt eerily quiet.

After leaving Wunderland we set off for Xanten. Another spot on the Rhine River Route. Turned out to be a pleasant little town with plenty of history. By the time we arrived the bikes were muddy and wet, thanks to Google Maps taking us off piste again. The temperature today must have dropped by 20c overnight so a stop was required at lunch time to buy an extra layer. I was grateful for it as we pedaled off towards Duisburg.

The pace improved in the afternoon along with the weather. The sun came out and the extra clothes came off. A short stop in Duisberg allowed for a warm drink and purchase of a Lebara SIM [on the move data is a must to keep us from getting hopelessly lost]. On the subject of Google Maps, it’s typically a wonderful navigation aid and does take the cyclist on some interesting routes. Occasionally it does suggest some odd diversions, such as this left turn that let to a large log immediately in front of a railway line!

We arrived in Dusseldorf in time to peruse a few hotels before settling for one close to the city centre with secure parking for the filthy bikes. A very good Korean restaurant next to the hotel was today’s calorie replacement therapy.

Route description

Emmerich am Rhein
Emmericher Eylandkm 7
Xantenkm 32
Drüptkm 42
Eick Westkm 56
Alt-Hombergkm 64
Altstadtkm 69
Huckingenkm 77
Stockumkm 89
Düsseldorfkm 96

Starting from Emmerich am Rhein, the route travels east and southeast through several places including Emmericher Eyland at 7.2 km, Kalkar at 16.2 km, and Xanten at 31.5 km. The path surface is mainly paved (96%), with 3% gravel or unpaved and 1% unmapped. About half the route (48.5 km) is on paths, 22.4 km on roads with cycle lanes, 11.2 km on quiet streets, 7.1 km on minor roads, and 3.1 km on main roads without cycle lanes. Most named roads used are B 8 (5.4 km), Emmericher Straße (5.3 km), and Kaiserswerther Straße (3.1 km).

The terrain is generally flat with almost no climbing, standing at a lowest point of 14 m around 9.8 km and rising slightly to a high point of 45 m near 93.3 km. The steepest recorded gradient is 1.4% over 500 m at the start. Water points can be found along the route at 16.2, 31.5, 48.4, 69, and 82.7 km. Cafés and shops are scattered, including cafés near the start, Kalkar (16.2 km), Xanten (31.5 km), and near the finish. The longest stretch without café, shop, or water is 7.2 km from 4 km to 11.2 km.

Highlights

Passes through Xanten at 31.5 km
Highest point 45 m near 93.3 km
Longest stretch without café/shop/water: 7.2 km
Route passes Monreberg (70 m) at 18.4 km

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Emmericher Eyland 7.2 km
Wissel 11.2 km
Kalkar 16.2 km
Kehrum 21.2 km
Marienbaum 23.8 km
Xanten 31.5 km
Beek 32.6 km
Birten 35.4 km
Menzelen-West 39.5 km
Rill 40.9 km
Drüpt 42.2 km
Ossenberg 45.4 km
Rheinberg 48.4 km
Winterswick 50.3 km
Bornheim 54.9 km
Eick West 55.5 km
Eick Ost 56.4 km
Meerbeck 59.1 km
Moers 59.7 km
Hochstraß 59.7 km
Scherpenberg 61.1 km
Alt-Homberg 63.7 km
Homberg 63.7 km
Ruhrort 65.7 km
Kaßlerfeld 68 km
Duisburg 68.8 km
Altstadt 68.9 km
Dellviertel 70.3 km
Hochfeld 70.9 km
Wanheimerort 72.8 km
Wanheim-Angerhausen 74.8 km
Huckingen 77.1 km
Ungelsheim 78.3 km
Wittlaer 82.6 km
Kaiserswerth 84.8 km
Lohausen 87.2 km
Stockum 89.1 km
Golzheim 90.8 km
Pempelfort 92.7 km

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map; 3.1 km is on main roads without a cycle lane.

Roads: 52% path · 24% road with cycle lane · 12% quiet street · 8% minor road · 5% other roads and tracks
Main roads: 3.1 km on main roads without a cycle lane — likely busier
Fast roads: 4.1 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Cycle paths: 23 km on cycle paths or roads with a cycle lane
Main roads used: B 8 (5 km), Emmericher Straße (5 km), Kaiserswerther Straße (3 km)
Surface: Predominantly paved: 96% is mapped as paved, 3% as unpaved or gravel.
Gradient: 0% climbing · 1% descending · 99% flat

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

No stretch is longer than 15 km without a café, shop or water. Along the route: 588 cafés and restaurants, 124 shops, 5 water points, 22 petrol stations, 27 public toilets and 51 bike shops.

Food, water and shops in ride order

0.2 kmCafé Grootmoeder · café · 110 m off route
0.5 kmToilets · 120 m off route
11 kmFahrradverleih Kalkar · bike rental · 50 m off route
16.2 kmDrinking water · 190 m off route
24.2 kmEiscafé Da Tony · café · 70 m off route
31.5 kmMoll am Dom · bakery · on the route
31.5 kmZweirad Reineke · bike shop · 130 m off route
47.5 kmNetto Marken-Discount · supermarket · 70 m off route
48.5 kmEinhorn Apotheke · pharmacy · 30 m off route
60.7 kmAldi Süd · supermarket · 70 m off route
68.7 kmToilets · 40 m off route
70.9 kmBären-Apotheke · pharmacy · on the route
71.9 kmFahrradwerkstatt reborad · bike shop · 50 m off route
75.1 kmAldi Süd · bakery · 30 m off route
82.7 kmWater tap · 180 m off route
84.8 kmToilets · 60 m off route
88 kmDenns BioMarkt · supermarket · 30 m off route
91.2 kmBirdie & Co. · café · 40 m off route

Need to bail out?

0 km — Emmerich (station), 910 m off route
30.5 km — Xanten (station), 150 m off route
48.5 km — Rheinberg (Rheinland) (station), 780 m off route
59.7 km — Moers (station), 1.1 km off route
68.9 km — Rathaus (station), 50 m off route
78.2 km — Duisburg - Kesselsberg (halt), 130 m off route
84.8 km — Klemensplatz (halt), 30 m off route
91.5 km — Golzheimer Platz (halt), on the route

Whether bikes are carried depends on the service — check before relying on it.

Worth a stop

15.5 km — Mühlenstumpf (ruins)
25.5 km — Haus Balken (castle)
30.2 km — Haus Erprath (castle)
48.4 km — Stammhaus Underberg (attraction)
65.8 km — Schifferbörse (attraction)
68.8 km — Alte Markthalle (archaeological site)

Stay after this ride

Steigenberger Parkhotel · hotel · 50 m from the finish
Favor · hotel · 110 m from the finish
Breidenbacher Hof · hotel · 140 m from the finish
The Cloud One Hotel KöBogen · hotel · 220 m from the finish
Neues Hotel an der Oper · hotel · 180 m from the finish

Start and access

Starts at Emmerich am Rhein. Mapped within a short walk of the start and finish, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start

Food and coffee: Café Grootmoeder (250 m), Büsch (170 m), Café Brödje (200 m)
Shops: EDEKA (160 m), Polnische Delikatessen (250 m)

At the finish

Food and coffee: Palio Poccino Cafe (150 m), Peoples Place (100 m), Bäcker Wolff (150 m)

Know before you go

3.1 km on main roads without a cycle lane
4.1 km on fast roads with speed limits 80 km/h+
Longest stretch without café/shop/water for 7.2 km after 4 km
3% gravel or unpaved surface

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

1 photograph from the road

Photo: unbekannt; Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau Karlsruhe · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Stage of

Rotterdam to Budapest

About this route

Ridden by: Marcus
Date ridden: Tuesday 1st September 2015
Route line: Retraced from OpenStreetMap between the day’s towns - the GPS recording was lost.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Emmerich am Rhein (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Sunday 30th August 2026
Page last updated: Sunday 13th September 2026

See something wrong with this ride?