The Rhine : Following Europe's Greatest River from Amsterdam to the Alps

*Shortlisted for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award*

The Rhine is one of the world's greatest rivers. Once forming the outer frontier of the Roman Empire, it flows 800 miles from the social democratic playground of the Netherlands, through the industrial and political powerhouses of Germany and France, to the wealthy mountain fortresses of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

For five years, Ben Coates lived alongside a major channel of the river in Rotterdam, crossing it daily, swimming and sailing in its tributaries. In The Rhine, he sets out by bicycle from the Netherlands where it enters the North Sea, following it through Germany, France and Liechtenstein, to its source in the icy Alps.

He explores the impact that the Rhine has had on European culture and history and finds out how influences have flowed along and across the river, shaping the people who live alongside it.

Blending travelogue and offbeat history, The Rhine tells the fascinating story of how a great river helped shape a continent.

This is a thoughtful travel narrative that combines personal journey with historical exploration. Coates brings both lived experience and scholarly curiosity to his subject, having spent years living near the Rhine before undertaking this comprehensive bicycle journey from mouth to source. The book offers readers both the immediacy of travel writing and the depth of cultural history, examining how geography shapes civilization. It would appeal to readers interested in European history, travel narratives, or the intersection of natural and human geography.