In Germany, rivers have long been the most important transportation arteries in the country and today they mark some of the most beautiful routes through the country. They flow through regions rich with history, lead to Germany’s largest cities and provide a romantic backdrop complete with picturesque castles and half-timbered river towns. Today the same rivers are lined with meandering, well-maintained bicycle paths.
Honestly, I’m not much of a bike guy. However, I love traveling along German rivers. Every curve brings another beautiful view. They flow through vineyards that drop from hillsides to the riverbanks, through tortured rocky gorges carved our by the rushing waters over centuries and curl through lush farmlands. The German National Tourist Board provides this overview of some of the country’s best riverside bike paths.
The Elbe Cycling Path is one of the most attractive in Germany. It leads for 520 miles from Dresden in the southeast all the way to the North Sea. The route is split in several stages, all easily doable in a day, and you can choose between both sides of the river. Leading through fascinating landscapes from wetlands to hills, connecting UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as the city of Dresden, the Luther town of Wittenberg and the harbor city of Hamburg there is plenty to discover along the way. The river has historic significance as part of the former German-German border and you can still see the transformation of this region in process. Along the way you will find plenty of bike friendly hotels, hostels and camping grounds and many package tours make this a very accessible route.
The Moselle Cycling Path in Germany’s west between the wine-growing region of the Elbling wine near Trier, a wine specialty of the Upper Moselle, and Koblenz invites you to a pleasurable bike tour. For 150 miles discover the 2000 year old history of the region from old Roman ruins in Trier and Koblenz, to romantic wine villages such as Bernkastel or Cochem and great spas in Traben-Trabach. The trail is predominantly level with an excellent network of cycle tracks and rural roads as well as old towpaths and accurate sign-posting offer optimum conditions for the casual cyclist.
For 360 miles the Main River Cycling path leads from east to west through the northern Bavarian Region of Franconia and the State of Hesse to Frankfurt. Highlights along the way are the majestic Wagner town Bayreuth, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bamberg, known as Germany’s beer capital and for its Baroque architecture, the wine growing region around Wuerzburg and the buzzing financial metropolis of Frankfurt. Stop along the way in one of the many local breweries or vineyards and be enchanted by 1000 year old castles and cathedrals.
The Danube Cycling Path leads for 360 miles, along the second-longest river in Europe, through the German states of Baden-Wuerttemberg and Bavaria from the Black Forest to Passau in the southeast. The cycling road is signposted and package tours with several itineraries from seven to 15 days are bookable. Highlights along the way are the castles Sigmaringen and Hohenzollern of the Hohenzollern dynasty that ruled Germany in Baden-Wuerttemberg, the cathedral and merchant town of Regensburg, with the largest core of undestroyed medieval houses in Germany, and the three-river city of Passau. Discover the Danube from its fast flowing beginnings until it grows into a wide and impressive river in Bavaria.
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