The Altmuehl Cycle Path

Your journey along the Altmuehltal Cycle Path begins in Rothenburg in the Tauber Valley. Slender turrets, half-timbered houses decorated with flower boxes and imposing fortifications stand here door to door. The well-preserved old town with its intricate alleys is regarded abroad as the epitome of a medieval German town.

You start your cycling trip on the Altmühl cycle path to the Frankenhöhe Nature Park, optionally with a detour to the source of the Altmühl (about 10 km longer). Also worthwhile is the steep climb to Colmberg Castle, whose basic structures have remained unchanged since the 12th century. Your destination, depending on the booked category, is Herrieden, a small community with over 1000 years of settlement history, or Ansbach, the magnificent margravial residence city.

After breakfast, we take a relaxed ride along the Altmuehl cycle path on the bike in the direction of Altmuehl Lake. The reservoir is located in a nature reserve and is home to many rare bird species. After passing Gunzenhausen, you will cycle along the Altmuehl river to Treuchtlingen. Romans, Celts and Franks already settled around the small town, whose traces you can follow in the Volkskundemuseum and in the Villa Rustica. A few kilometers away is Weißenburg, whose medieval old town is worth an extensive walk. Depending on the category booked, you will spend the night in Wettelsheim, Treuchtlingen or Weißenburg.

Today, the Altmühltal Cycle Path takes you to Eichstätt. On the way, a visit to the ruins of Pappenheim Castle is worthwhile, as well as a detour to the quarries of the Solnhofener Plattenkalk, where fossils millions of years old have already been discovered. Accompanied by the striking rock group Twelve Apostles you will reach Eichstätt via Dollnstein. The bishop's town awaits you with magnificent baroque buildings, churches and monasteries.

Before you get on your bike, there's still time to visit the Jura Museum. Located in the lofty Willibaldsburg Castle, it displays numerous fossil finds, including a specimen of Archaeopteryx, a prehistoric pterosaur. You can then take a leap back in time and visit the Vetoniana Roman fort before cycling back to the present. You will cycle through the juniper heath of the Altmuehl Valley to your destination of Beilngries.

The first stop on your tour on the Altmühl Cycle Path today is Dietfurt, which brings you to the Main-Danube Canal. Prunn Castle then presents itself to you on a hill and shortly before Kelheim it is worth taking a look at the Schulerloch stalactite cave. In Kelheim you will reach the confluence of the Altmühl and the Danube. Visit the Liberation Hall on the Michelsberg and take a boat trip to the nearby Weltenburg Monastery. Depending on the category booked, you will spend the night in Kelheim, in the spa town of Bad Gögging or in Abensberg, known for its Kuchlbauer Tower.

If you have not yet taken the boat trip to Weltenburg Monastery and the imposing Danube breakthrough, today you have the opportunity to do so. Along the Danube you are then on your way to Regensburg. The old town has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site - without losing any of its modern flair: Street cafés, restaurants and a lively city life make the visit unforgettable.

After breakfast, your journey on the Altmuehl Cycle Path already ends. We are happy to extend your stay in Rothenburg or Regensburg with an extra night.