Where to go for a weekend getaway for a cycling enthusiast in Germany?
1. Weser Route (German: Weser-Radweg) – 515 km
The most popular route among German cycling enthusiasts. It runs along the Weser River from its source in Hann. Münden to where the Weser flows into the North Sea.
What to see: Fürstenberg Castle, Hameln Museum, Hamelschenburg Castle, Fischbeck Abbey, Schinna Monastery Foundation, German Creative Wood Center, Lower Saxony Police Museum, Achim Weekly Market, Sea Zoo, windmills, and many other museums, castles, and towns.
2. Danube Route (German: Donau-Radweg) – approximately 600 km in Germany
The route has a total length of 2850 km. It starts in Germany, in Donaueschingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg, and ends in the Danube Delta in Romania.
While traveling through the German part of the route, you can visit Sigmaringen Castle, Swabian Alb Biosphere Reserve, Beuron and Weltenburg Monasteries, Blautopf, Ulm Cathedral, Danube Gorge, and Walhalla.
3. Mecklenburg Lakes Cycling Path (German: Mecklenburger Seen-Radweg) – 645 km
It starts in Lüneburg and ends in the port town of Wolgast.
Must-visit places include Ludwigslust Castle, medieval fortifications in Neustadt-Glewe, the Bird Sanctuary (Das Vogelschutzgebiet), Müritz National Park, the port town Waren (Müritz), Kefflingsberg Tower, Usedom Island, and more.
4. Bavarian Lakes Route (German: Bodensee-Königssee-Radweg) – 418 km
It runs along lakes and Alpine foothills through picturesque villages. It starts at Lake Constance in Lindau and continues to Lake Königssee in Berchtesgaden.
Attractions: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castles, Kandinsky and Münter House-Museum in Murnau, Altenauer Moos and Murnauer Moos Nature Reserves, St. Bartholomew’s Church on Königssee, and the highest town in Bavaria – Füssen, among others.
5. Baltic Sea Route (German: Ostseeküsten-Radweg) – 1095 km in Germany
It runs through 9 countries along the Baltic Sea. The German part of the route starts in Flensburg and ends at the resort of Ahlbeck on the island of Usedom.
Where to visit: World Heritage sites in Wismar and Stralsund, Rügen Island, the cities of Kiel and Greifswald, and the Baltic Sea resort of Travemünde.
