German Cycling Tours has self-guided and group bicycle tours throughout Germany. Each route last between six and nine days, and 30 to 40 miles are ridden each day, though longer routes can be planned for those seeking more of a challenge. Group tours use the services of a local, English-speaking guide and a support van. All tours include bed and breakfast and route maps. Luggage transfers and bike rentals can be arranged.
The Upper Bavaria tour is one of the more challenging routes because it includes hilly areas. A highlight of the trip is a view of the Neuschwanstein Castle. The Elbe River Valley tour is one of the easier trips, with mostly flat rides. The journey begins in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, the town where the Reformation began and which is now designated as a World Heritage site. Other stops include Pillnitz Castle, numerous Saxon villages and Grossedlitz Baroque Garden.
German Cycling Tours
Gabelsbergerstr. 2
Zwickau 08064
Germany
+49-375-79289-77
germancyclingtours.com
A deluxe, nine-night Historic Romantic Road bike tour takes you along a historic road through a well-developed network of cycling paths. Rococo churches, monasteries, palaces and classic cities such as Wurzburg and Rothenburg are among the destinations. At Shillingsfurst castle, the group is treated to a falconry exhibition and the opportunity to see the night watchman making his rounds. It is a moderate level of riding difficulty, mostly on paths. A Trek hybrid bike rental is included, as are most dinners.
Classic Adventures
(800) 777-8090
classicadventures.com
For those who want the opportunity to tour Germany by bike but do not want to spend their entire vacation riding, Fat Tire Bike Tours offers day tours from its Berlin base. The popular Berlin Wall and Cold War tour is an 8-mile ride that visits sites from recent history and recounts tales of espionage and escape attempts. The Third Reich/Nazi Germany tour helps tourists understand how Hitler came to power and what life was like during the Holocaust era. Stops include the Neue Synagogue, the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church and a visit to the city’s last remaining air-raid shelters. The 10-mile Gardens and Palaces of Potsdam tour is a day trip outside the city that starts with the group hopping on a train with its bikes to travel to a city with more than 20 palaces and numerous parks that are ideal for cycling. Independent bike rentals are available.
Fat Tire Bike Tours
Panorama Str. 1a
10178 Berlin
Germany
+ 49-30-24-04 -79-91
fattirebiketours.com
Andiamo Adventours specializes in active vacations, including biking and walking tours. The Germany into Austria Biking tour features traditional Bavarian hospitality. Stops include a visit to the Benedictine Abbey, a brewery tour and tasting, a tour of alpine salt-producing centers and Hitler’s infamous Eagles’ Nest. The tour also spends a couple of days in the German-speaking Austrian region known for its musical connections. Rentals of 27-speed bikes and most dinners are included.
Andiamo Adventours
1510 Jennifer Dr.
Aptos, CA 95003
(800) 549-2363
andiamoadventours.com
