A proper extended weekend: ~485km each way through Belgium and past Aachen to a Gothic cathedral that took over 600 years to finish, a riverside old town, and one of Europe's best cycling rivers running right through it.
Kölner Dom is one of the tallest cathedral façades on Earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — free to walk into the nave, and a rewarding, cheap climb up the south tower for a Rhine panorama. Below it, the old town (Altstadt) hugs the river with the Hohenzollern Bridge's famous love-locks, a genuinely lively riverside promenade, and the Rhineland's own beer culture: Kölsch, served exclusively in small 0.2L glasses (Stangen) by roving waiters called Köbes, is a real local tradition found nowhere else quite like this. The Rhine also happens to have some of Germany's best-maintained dedicated cycling infrastructure — the Rheinradweg and EuroVelo 15 run right along the riverbank through the city, flat and car-free, ideal for the bike-in-car setup.
Meudon-la-Forêt → Cologne is ~485–497 km, roughly 4h45–5h driving via Belgium (A1/E19 past Valenciennes and Mons, A3/E40 or via Brussels/Liège, then E40 across the German border near Aachen). With a realistic ~330–370 km range on a 97% SOH Model Y Premium, this needs one Supercharger stop, with a short optional second top-up available if you want extra margin.
Early departure. Charge and stretch at Liège around the halfway point — that's the one mandatory stop. Add the short optional top-up at Aachen before the final 70km into Cologne only if you'd like extra margin. Arrive late afternoon — head straight down to the free riverside spot to set up before dark, then walk into the Altstadt for a first look at the Dom lit up at night.
Morning at the cathedral — the nave is free to enter, but arrive early to beat tour groups. Climb the south tower's 533 stone steps to the viewing platform at 97m for €8 (adult), or the combined tower + treasury ticket for €14. Afterward wander the Altstadt, cross the Hohenzollern Bridge's love-lock fence, and spend the afternoon along the Rhine promenade watching the barge traffic. Evening: treat meal at a traditional Brauhaus (Früh am Dom, Peters Brauhaus, or Brauhaus Sion) — order a Halve Hahn (rye bread, aged Gouda, mustard, onions — no chicken despite the name) for about €5.50–7.50, and let the Köbes keep bringing Kölsch Stangen (small glasses, tallied on a beer mat) until you turn yours over.
This is what the bike-in-car setup was made for. Unload the bike and ride the Rheinradweg/EuroVelo 15 along the river — flat, dedicated, well-signed paths on both banks. A relaxed loop south through Rodenkirchen and Marienburg's riverside villas, or north through the Rheinpark and past the Zoobrücke, both work well as half-day rides with plenty of benches and riverside cafés for a break. Afternoon free for a museum (Museum Ludwig or the Roman-Germanic Museum near the Dom) or just more time along the water.
Top up at the Köln-Carlswerk Supercharger before leaving, then retrace the route: Liège is the mandatory return stop, with Aachen available as an optional buffer top-up if wanted.
Bike loaded inside per the Car Camping & Bike Guide — front wheel off, no range penalty. Cologne and the Rhine are genuinely one of the best cycling destinations on this whole trip list: the Rheinradweg and EuroVelo 15 run for kilometres of flat, dedicated, car-free riverside path right through the city, so a full day's riding needs zero driving once you're parked up.
| Category | Cost |
|---|---|
| Tolls (France/Belgium/Germany mostly toll-free motorways) | ≈ €0–10 |
| Charging (2 Supercharger stops each way, round trip) | ≈ €50–70 |
| Lodging (3 nights free bivouac, or paid fallback ~€17–19/night) | €0–57 |
| Cathedral tower climb | €8 |
| Brauhaus treat meal (Halve Hahn + several Kölsch) | ≈ €25–30 |
| Food (self-cooked, remaining meals) | ≈ €45–55 |
| Total | €180–260 |