The Great Cycling Holiday on the Elbe

The Hanseatic city is one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in Germany and offers numerous sights as a starting point for your Cycling Holiday on the Elbe. Arrive early and visit the Speicherstadt on foot or by excursion boat. Enjoy the evening on the banks of the Alster with a romantic sunset and in anticipation of the cycling days ahead.

Leave bustling Hamburg with a tailwind and cycle through the wild dune landscape of Schleswig-Holstein. In Geesthacht, you can marvel at the Elbe lock and the largest fish ladder in Europe before leisurely cycling close to the banks to Lauenburg. Learn more about the history of shipping, which has always been an important part of the town's life, at the Elbe Shipping Museum in this tranquil little town.

Your Cycling Holiday on the Elbe today takes you through the tranquil marshland past fruit trees, quaint farms and picturesque half-timbered houses. Flocks of sheep graze on the wide open spaces. Enjoy the vastness and tranquillity and park your bike on a lush green meadow to take a break. Rest and relax on your way to Hitzacker. Stroll around the old town island and marvel at the numerous restored half-timbered houses.

Always over the dyke or along the dyke, the Elbe Cycle Path leads into the former German-German border area. In the Lower Saxony Elbe Valley Biosphere Reserve, you will experience a true paradise for plants and birds. A protected habitat for storks, sand martins and gray herons. Your stage destination of Wittenberge shines with numerous Art Nouveau buildings. Enjoy the evening in the beautiful old town.

Because the Elbe often floods the areas here, today you cycle through deserted, lonely stretches of land, which makes this stage a special experience. Every year, over 30 pairs of storks come to Rühstädt to make their home high above the rooftops. Roll comfortably into idyllic Havelberg. From the cathedral, you can enjoy a wonderful view of the old town island and the Havel lowlands.

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Cycling Holiday on the Elbe today takes you from one Hanseatic city to the next. You cycle through many small villages through the beautiful green landscape. At numerous points, you can cross the Elbe using the yaw rope ferries that are still in operation. You will find history you can touch in your stage destination Tangermünde. The medieval castle, which was built to protect the beautiful town on the River Tangier, towers high above the town.

Architectural superlatives await you on today's stage. First you reach the Hohenwarte European waterway junction. The trough bridge, the longest canal bridge in Europe, carries the Mittelland Canal over the Elbe. You will experience a wonderful evening in the Elbe metropolis of Magdeburg. Take time to visit the green citadel, a masterpiece by the artist Hundertwasser. The cathedral and the Old Market are also well worth a visit.

Experience pure nature on the first part of today's stage. You cycle through the Middle Elbe biosphere reserve. During a guided tour, you will learn more about the extraordinary flora and fauna. Your Cycling Holiday on the Elbe takes you to the Bauhaus town of Dessau. It got its name from the most famous architecture and art school, the Bauhaus, which was housed in the city from 1926 to 1932. Do you fancy a change from cycling? Then there are countless options in Dessau, such as canoeing or stand-up paddling.

Follow the numerous Elbe windings through the beautiful countryside, small villages and towns. Reach Wittenberg in the afternoon. Follow in Martin Luther's footsteps through this town steeped in history. The 95 theses on the reformation of the church, published by the monk and scholar Martin Luther, can still be seen on the church door today. Enjoy the evening in a good restaurant.

Before you leave Wittenberg, it is worth visiting the places where other personalities worked, such as the philosopher Philipp Melanchton and the painter Lucas Cranach. Cycle through the wonderful floodplain landscape along the banks of the Elbe to Pretzsch. Shortly afterwards, you cross the state border and reach Saxony. You will recognize Hartenfels Castle – a Renaissance masterpiece – from afar. Various exhibitions and guided tours bring history to life and provide an insight into what life was like in the days of the electors.

Always close to the banks, your Cycling Holiday on the Elbe takes you to Belgern, a cozy town with a historic town center. Among other things, there is a six-meter-high Roland statue here. In the Middle Ages, Roland statues were erected as a symbol of civil freedom. Fourteen of these figures have been erected in Rolandpark in Belgern – almost all German Rolande in an area that is easily accessible for cyclists. You soon reach Strehla, a rural gem in the middle of the idyllic Elbe meadows. Visit the legendary Nixstein. Elbe mermaids are said to have dragged their victims into the river at this point on the Elbe meander.

You will encounter a whole series of well-known and famous towns on today's stage. Cycle past the pasta town of Riesa to the porcelain town of Meissen. Your destination, however, is the Florence of the North – Dresden. The imposing backdrop of the historic old town will greet you from afar. Take enough time to visit the countless sights such as the Zwinger, the Semper Opera House, the Frauenkirche or the Green Vault. In the evening, relax in a good restaurant with traditional Dresden sauerbraten and a Waldschlösschen beer.

Your Cycling Holiday on the Elbe comes to an end today. Take the impressions of the last few days with you on your journey home. Of course, you can also extend your stay in Dresden.