Germany (all)

From Vienna to Switzerland's Rhine Falls via some of Europe's most extravagent castles, walled medieval towns and Bavarian villages filled with painted houses. Packed with how-to-do-it hints and tips.

I am a child of 67 summers who enjoys cycle touring. My ride is a 1999 Litespeed Blue Ridge fitted with 46-36-24 chainrings and 12-25 cluster. I have largely abandoned camping, and use small hotels and restaurants. I carry a [credit] card, a set of bike clothes (shorts, jersey, shoes with Frog cleats, helmet, tights, a capilene long sleeve shirt and Gore-Tex jacket) and a set of dinner clothes (running shoes, nylon long pants and shirt and a polypro sweater). A small bottle of CampSuds for the evening clothes wash keeps me social. Rear panniers (now with rain covers) carry the clothes and a handlebar bag carries maps and camera. All together bike plus gear comes to about 35 lbs.

Total Kilometers/Miles Cycling: 3849/2392 - Total Kilometers/Miles by Train: 435/270.5 - Total kilometers/Miles by car (rushing to Kirkenes to catch the plane to Chicago: 519/322.5 - Average distance per day 167/104.

A journey through Sweden, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Poland, by Karl Andersson. I am Karl Andersson from Sweden. This website is about the 2700 kilometers (1688 miles) that I biked from Stockholm to Kraków in the summer of 2002. You won't find the usual gear and packlist pages on this site. Instead, I've decided to share with you the diary I wrote every evening, slightly edited. A travelogue from the road. It's all there: The hellish days in former East Germany, the rain and wind that threatened to make me quit. Why would anyone do such a biketour, and that alone? My answer to this very frequent question among my couchpotato friends is: Why not? But OK, there's more to it...

Through the Heart of Europe on Germany's Romantic Road and Altmuhl River Bike Paths, and on Down the Danube almost to Vienna.

I've just spent 16 memorable days cycling beside the rivers of Bavaria and Austria on a network of mostly paved and car-free bike paths. Day-by-day, I pedalled through a series of almost perfectly preserved towns and villages straight out of the Middle Ages. Many were enclosed by still-intact city walls. Entering the walls through a gate in a massive watchtower, I would pedal through a maze of crooked, cobblestoned streets lined by half-timbered medieval houses to picturesque squares with centuries-old churches and soaring Gothic towers.

Out in the country, I cycled on level bike paths beside scenic rivers. The bike paths themselves may have been flat and easy to pedal. But they were full of hidden delights and surprises. Flat sections led through farmlands dotted with scarlet poppies and a patchwork quilt of blazing yellow rapeseed fields. Elsewhere, rivers like the Danube wound between steep, forested mountains where hilltop castles, monasteries and abbeys loomed over the landscape.

Altogether, I cycled along three of Europe's most famous and popular Radwegs (bike paths): the Romantische Strasse and Altmuhltal Radwegs of Germany, and the Donau Radweg (Danube Bike Path) which runs through both Bavaria and Austria. The entire region is rich in history, and towns and villages along the way were on every tour bus itinerary. But the tourist buses miss the many unspoiled and half- forgetton villages, and the spectacular river panoramas, that only bicyclists get to see. Bicycling is undoubtedly the one best way to explore this wonderful region--better, in my opinion, than seeing it from one of the many deluxe cruise boats that ply the Danube.

Herausforderungen liegen manchmal vor der Haustür. Obwohl das nicht so ganz stimmt, denn wir leben ja nicht gleich hinter dem Deich. Aber nur gut zwei Bahnstunden davon entfernt. Es handelt sich um die bislang längste ausgeschilderte Radroute der Welt, insgesamt 6000 km lang: die Umrundung der Nordsee. Das ist die erste ``von 12 geplanten transeuropäischen Radfernwegen'' (EuroVelo) (aus bikeline). Die Route ist erst vor gut einem Jahr eröffnet worden, da gehört man ja glatt noch zu den ersten, wenn man diese Herausforderung annimmt. Bevor die Leute dort Schlange stehen. Wenn es denn dazu kommt...

Als es los gehen soll, steht keiner Schlange, denn wir haben einen Dauerregen. Wie nachher zu lesen ist, die größte Regenmenge in unserer Gegend seit 1881. Zum Glück verzichte ich auf einen Blick in den Keller, morgens um vier Uhr. Nur mit dem Rad zum Bahnhof zu fahren, das geht nicht, da wäre man ja gleich durch bis auf die Haut? Man kann improvisieren, alles rein ins Auto und dann bin ich weg, mit ein paar geschmierten Broten und einigen Tafeln Schokolade. Der Parkplatz hinter dem Bahnhof ist wegen Überflutung gesperrt. Man kann trotzdem um die Absperrung herum fahren und irgendwo eine Insel suchen, die Packtaschen aufladen und Wasser Marsch zum Bahnhof. Das Auto wird Annika dann später abholen, wenn der Seegang auf dem Parkplatz des Braunschweiger Hauptbahnhofs sich beruhigt hat.

Welcome to the website for our cycling tour in France, including a bit of Germany. [We are] Ed James, Bob Parry[,] Greg James, Gayle Swan, Marty Cooperman and Bonnie Vargo.

We are all from Cleveland, Ohio, USA, and have enjoyed previous European bike tours so much that it appears to have become an annual event. We're sharing our experiences for all who enjoy travel, especially those on bicycles.

This year's journey begins in Heidelberg, Germany, where we traveled south through the Rhine Valley to Strasbourg, France. We explored the beautiful wine villages of the Alsace along the Route du Vin to Colmar. Entering the province of Franche-Comté at Montbéliard we followed the Doubs River to Besançon. Leaving the Doubs valley we biked to Arbois and eventually rejoined the river at Dole. Our journey ended in Beaune, the wine center of Burgundy.

My wife and I recently returned from our cycling trip through the UK, France, a bit of Germany, Switzerland and Italy, roughly 4,500kms. It would be of special interest to any Jewish readers, as we observed all the Kosher and Sabbath ``constraints'' while cycling.

In fünf Tagesetappen (130 km -160 km) führt die Radfernfahrt des ADFC Bayern von München an die sonnige Adriaküste. Gemeinsam mit 200 anderen Radbegeisterten erfahren die TeilnehmerInnen die atemberaubende Landschaft der Alpenwelt und Norditaliens. In Cesenatico, dem Zielort, locken drei weitere Tagestouren durch die Hügellandschaft der Emilia Romagna. Höhepunkt der zehntägigen Radfernfahrt ist die Teilnahme an der weltberühmten Radtouristikfahrt Nove Colli.

Von Hamburg-Blankenese nach Husum und Sylt - the German part of the North Sea Cycle Route.

In Waldenau, 7 km südlich von Pinneberg, beginnt meine Tour, die mich bis auf die Insel Sylt und zum nördlichsten Punkt Deutschlands führen soll. Das Wetter ist angenehm: trocken, etwa 15 Grad, es weht ein leichter Südwestwind, der mich bis hinauf nach Husum zum Teil kräftig anschieben, manchmal auch massiv am Vorwärtskommen hindern wird. [...]

Schon nach knapp zwei Kilometern treffe ich auf ein Gebäude, wie es so nur an den norddeutschen Küsten anzutreffen ist: einen Leuchtturm. Rot-weiß geringelt, steht er stolz am Ufer, als ob er nur darauf wartet, fotografiert zu werden - wie viele seiner Brüder auf dem weiteren Weg.

My wife and I recently returned from our cycling trip through the UK, France, a bit of Germany, Switzerland and Italy, roughly 4,500kms. It would be of special interest to any Jewish readers, as we observed all the Kosher and Sabbath ``constraints'' while cycling.

My wife and I recently returned from our cycling trip through the UK, France, a bit of Germany, Switzerland and Italy, roughly 4,500kms. It would be of special interest to any Jewish readers, as we observed all the Kosher and Sabbath ``constraints'' while cycling.

Tabular tour report along the Danube river. Beware the ad popups.

[Titus is the bike] - 12195 km in 8 months through France, Spain, Portugal, Morocco, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy and Greece - includes travelogue and many fine pictures

I've travelled quite a bit through the years, hiking on foot, by car, bus, plane... But cycling is just the right speed. Fast enough to actually get someplace, yet slow enough to smell the flowers as you go... Plus, it's the only mode of transportation where the engine actually improves with usage... Anyways, a friend lent me this book about a couple who spent a couple of years cycling around the world and I thought to myself that I wanted to do that ! So, off I went ! Well, I didn't quite make it... After 8 months on the road, I came back... Mostly due to homesickness, but I should have expected that, particularly on a solo trip...

Mid-morning after leaving Santillana [in Northern Spain], I take a break after a long cycle uphill and watch the progress of this little fellow... That's exactly how I felt... slow... but steady!

Elba hat eine wechselvolle Geschichte hinter sich: Griechen, Etrusker, Römer, Spanier, Engländer ständig wechselten die Herrscher. Mediterrane Flora und blau schimmernde Buchten erwarten uns. Aber auch für unsere Begriffe viel zu viel motorisierter Verkehr. Bei Aquaviva treffe ich meine Schwester, die hier ihren Urlaub verbringt und schon sind wir Tagesgespräch im Hotel. Wir nehmen unser erstes und letztes Bad im Meer und uns wird langsam bewußt, daß wir am Endpunkt unserer Reise angekommen sind. Wir wollen noch einmal die Ruhe und Stille genießen und fahren deshalb hoch in die Berge.

Eine erlebnisreiche Reise und 1750 Km mit dem Rad liegen hinter uns. Interessant auch die Tatsache, daß wir uns trotz des Altersunterschiedes (40 62) gut zusammen arrangiert haben. Ein gemeinsames Ziel verbindet eben und schweißt zusammen. Etwas, was in unserer heutigen Zeit zunehmend verloren zu gehen scheint.

Photos, a diary and information about their holiday riding by bicycle up the Danube and other rivers from Vienna to Salzkammergut. [...] We cycled some 560km up the Danube, Inn and Salzach Rivers, riding from Vienna to the Salzkammagut area just outside Salzburg. It was a brilliant way to see some great parts of Austria and Bavaria. [...]

We took our own bikes and managed some 40 to 60km a day. The bikepaths over there are fantastic, well maintained and usually dedicated cycle paths (ie no cars). So it was relatively safe riding. Accommodation was generally easy to get...when we were tired we rode into the nearest town or village to get a bed for the night. We stayed in hotels, pensions, B&B's (``Zimmer Frei's'') and Youth Hostels. Staying in the Youth Hostels was fun...but imagine having breakfast with 200 kids!!

Eine anspruchsvolle Radtour in 14 Tagesetappen über insgesamt 1281 km durch Deutschland, Österreich, Italien, die Schweiz und Frankreich; Tagesetappen zwischen 73 und 144 Kilometern. Die Radtour München - Provence führt von München über das Timmelsjoch nach Meran, dann weiter über den Gampenpaß und Passo del Tonale nach Edolo. Entlang an den oberitalienischen Seen geht nach Turin. Über den Montgenèvre erreichen wir Frankreich. Krönender Abschluß ist eine Umrundung der Gorge du Verdon. In Fayence in der Provence endet die Tour.

[This is] the web site for our 25-day cycling tour in Europe. We flew from Cleveland, Ohio, and Madison, Wisconsin, to Munich, Germany, taking our bikes and panniers. Our bike trip was a 600-mile (930 kilometers) loop from Bavaria to Switzerland, south to the Italian border, and returning to Munich by way of Austria. The following photo journal displays some of the highlights of our self-designed tour.

Our group of five friends biked about 40 miles per day and stayed in quaint, small hotels and youth hostels like this nearly 500-year old chalet in Brugg, Switzerland. [The cyclists were] Bonnie Vargo, Pam Galka, Ed James, Bob Parry and Russ Marx.

From Ellidshoej (DK) to Vysoke Myto (CZ), 4600km in total, by Holger C. Andersen. In June 2000 the trip is going to the Czech Republic. First of all it is a country I have not visited before and secondly I have got the opportunity to vist a good friend there. His name is Jaroslav Pechacek, and I met him in Oslo on my way home from the my first trip to North Cape.

The trip was an attemp to beat Fritz Hansens record from 1999. He did the trip in 20 dayes and nights, 3 hours and 12 minutes. I also went for his average of 289 km a day.

Why alone? It gives you some satisfaction, to know you did the trip alone, and without any help. If you bike in a group, you have to adapt yourself to the groups choice of route and daily distance. When you are alone you are completely free to follow your own rhythm.

``The Bicycle Expedition Denmark 2000...'' it sounds quite serious... actually we just gathered ourselves together, packed our bikes and a few useful (as we thought then) things, and we started for our road. We had an ambitious plan to reach the most northern point of Denmark - Skagen, where the Baltic Sea mixes its waters with the North Sea, by the way going round the entire Denmark and a piece of Germany. The plan succeeded, the whole thing took us a bit more then two weeks, and gave us great memories and absolutely new experiences.

[...] the most amazing, the most unique and for us probably the most important thing in our expedition was the idea of such a trip. The fact that you drop everything, get on your bike and take free time from a common world for two weeks, you disappear. You eat too little, get wet, don't wash yourself, freeze, get stiff, sleep in bushes, but you are happy - you ride. This ride is incredible experience. The most fascinating fact is that everything you need for your life is on your bike's carrier.

Starting from a certain moment we stopped locking our bikes. They were left with all our possessions while we were shopping or sightseeing. An excellent example of the Danish safety is provided by the micro-shops situated in front of many countryside houses. Self-service includes not only choosing the goods one intends to buy but also paying!

Bericht über eine Fahrradtour von Dessau nach Bad Schandau im Sommer 2000.

Der Hunger quält uns schon seit Ewigkeiten und wir finden uns im Ratskeller ein. Ein Platz ist kaum zu bekommen, aber mit einer gewissen Penetranz ergattern wir einen Tisch und essen vorzüglich, laden Frank mit. ein. Am Ende werden wir ca. 60 Ostmark zahlen, ein Witz für das Gelage und die vielen Getränke. Wir erfahren unglaubliche Dinge über Arbeitsmoral. Bildung und Meinung vieler DDR-Bürger. Ich verlasse die Drei gegen 22,00 Uhr, um mich noch mit Annett zu treffen. Beim Gehen treffe ich noch zwei weitere BRD-Biker, die ich an unseren Tisch führe, auch für sie hat Frank noch zwei Betten über, Annett schlägt vor, ein bißchen spazieren zu gehen. Wir latschen zwei Stunden durch das wirklich wunderhübsche Städtchen und reden über alles, was es so gibt, hauptsächlich über Politik. Wieder erfahre ich Dinge, die man eigentlich wissen muß, um dieses Land und seine Menschen verstehen zu können. Gegen Mitternacht trennen wir uns wieder an dem Internat. Jan und Torsten liegen schon in der Falle, als ich eintreffe. Wir reden noch angeregt, über die vielen Eindrücke von heute und schlafen dann in unsere Schlafsäcke gekuschelt tief und fest!

Bericht über eine einwöchige Radtour im Bereich der Alten Salzstraße, des Elbe-Lübeck-Kanals und der Lauenburgischen Seen.

A tour through Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria by Bill Venners, from Autumn Leaf Cafe - an anthology of ideas and adventures.

From September 7th through October 8th, 1998, I rode my bicycle through the towns, forests, fields, hills and mountains of Europe. I was accompanied by my friend Matt, with whom I'd taken two previous bike trips.

This web site is a travelogue of my European bike tour. [...]

Table of Contents - Annotated links to all the pages; The Travelogue - Stories, data, and pictures from the trip; The Numbers - A table of bicycle and push-up data; The Not-Anal-Retentive Packing List - What to take (and where to put it).

Nicely illustrated. An Italian Version is also available. (Replace '%5C' in picture URLs with '/'.)

26 days from 26-6 to 21-7-1998 - Distance 4830 km. - Average speed 21,3 km.t.

Middle of June 1998, we [...] started the trip we had dreamed of for a long time: by bicycle from top to bottom through Europe. A view on the map shows that this journey covers 36 degrees of latitude and in total has a length of 7200 km. The trip started in Norway and from there led us through Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and finally to Gibraltar. Not the shortest route, but also an exploration of the better parts of Europe. This on-line trip-report was built up while cycling.

Includes Impressions and Suggestions for Bodensee Bike Tourists. A very good story, illustrated with very nice pictures. Provides also useful information, among which is a link to the Bodensee Web Site.

From Minko Oh's cycling site.

My name is Louis Tousignant, a Canadian in his mid-fifties, living in Nova Scotia, on the Atlantic shore. I am always on the look out for riding partners, as I plan one major trip every year, up till now in Europe, but New Zealand and South East Asia are in the wings. All my recent trips have included the following parameters: 100 km/day (give or take 20%) on average; hotels, B&B's or pensions, no camping; most meals in restaurants; start in one country, exit in another, to maximize coverage; 5 to 6 week duration (participation in one leg of the trip is of course possible for those who can't spare the time). [...]

This was my first major trip without time constraints. My last touring experience dated back to the mid-80's. In this context, I did not plan properly, beyond defining the broad outline of the itinerary: Denmark, shortest possible time in Germany therefore Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Northern Italy to Rome. I had no maps for long stretches of the trip, except for France and Italy (Michelin 1:200,000 or 400,000), and no computer on my bike. For a variety of business reasons, I had not trained to any significant degree before the trip, in fact I was green. Finally, I wrote sketchy notes as I went along and here I am, writing a trip report 4 years after the fact...

Theft Incidents:

• Muesli and milk (fox suspected); Germany
• Dog chewing Glenn's dinner plate; France
• Cat burgler..feline attempt at food in tent vestibule; Spain

From Glenn and Sheila Ord's Home Page: On the Road to Nowhere - Nowhere is the Place. With an emphasis on budget travelling - Our experiences and advice for cycling in Europe. This guide is entirely based on our 7 1/2 months (12,000 km) in 1998 across (and back) Europe: staying almost entirely in campgrounds (185 tent nights). This was supplemented by our time in Italy (April-May 1999).

Touring Italia 1998 started in Linköping (about 200 km south of Stockholm). We then went to the most southern point of Sweden (Smygehuk), before taking a ferry to Rostock in former East Germany. After a short visit to Leipzig we continued through the Chech Republic before reaching Munich. Thereafter we passed the Alps via Brennerpass, Passo Costalunga (Karerpass) and Passo Rolle at 1984 slm. In Italy we passed Venice, Bologna, Florence, Pisa and Siena before reaching Rome after some 3 100 kilometres.

A family goes cyclo-camping and brings back valuable experience, great stories and beautiful pictures. The Isle of Rügen lies 70km East of Rostock, in the Land Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Travel Notes:

• Thumbs up to: French friendliness, secondary road system, campsites, the bread, wine cheese, pate, supermarkets.
• Thumbs down to: the April weather, birds that chirp all night long.
• Most bizarre sight: we spotted 3 English train spotters on holiday watching the trains go by.
• The gift for the person who has everything: a waterproof baguette holder

A five weeks, 2700km tour in August/September 1997, from Germany to Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia. I enjoyed this unforgettable trip thoroughly. Scenery, people, food etc. changed continuously.

Nur 10 Tage Urlaub könnten wir 1997 für eine Radtour zusammenkratzen. Dabei lernten wir ein touristisch noch recht unerschlossenes Stück Österreich kennen. Dieses Reisetagebuch schildert unsere Erlebnisse und Eindrücke.

Berlin is an island in Brandenburg, one of the sixteen Länder that make up Germany. Brandenburg is part of former East Germany, while two thirds of Berlin were part of West Germany. Both were separated by the Berlin Wall, which ensured that urban development was limited. Today the wall is gone, and Berlin enjoys an almost complete absence of urban sprawl. Although the first part of this tour skirts the Berlin/Potsdam area, which is more heavily built up than most of the rest of the Berlin border, the change from city environment to countryside seems almost abrupt.