The Rhine

The Rhine Valley, Europe's most significant and beautiful water, is on everyone's list of places to visit in Germany. Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands are all bordered by the Rhine River. Along this stretch of the river, there are nearly 60 medieval towns and 40 castles just waiting to be discovered. The Rhine is one of Europe's major rivers. The river starts in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps, passes through the Swiss-Liechtenstein, Swiss-Austrian, Swiss-German, and then Franco-German borders, then flows mostly north through the German Rhineland and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea.

At about 1,230 km (760 mi),Rhine Valley is the second-longest river in Central and Western Europe (after the Danube), with an average discharge of about 2,900 m3/s (100,000 cu ft/s).

The Rhine and the Danube formed a large part of the Roman Empire's northern inland border, and the Rhine has long been a vital navigable waterway for bringing trade and goods deep inland. Its importance as a waterway in the Holy Roman Empire is evidenced by the numerous castles and fortifications built along it. Cologne, Düsseldorf, Rotterdam, Strasbourg, and Basel are among the Rhine's largest and most important cities.

• Location: Rhine, Cologne
  
• Timings: NA
  
• Entry fee: Free