Virtual Countries Travel Blog

Cycling Tours – A Great Way to Explore Germany

Whether you are a leisure cyclist or a cycling pro, cycling is a great way to explore Germany. There are a number of cycling routes that visitors can make use of, either with or without a guide. The relatively slow pace of a cycling tour allows visitors to appreciate the beautiful German countryside and the warm hospitality of its people.

Germany is really geared up to ensuring that cycling is a safe past-time as well promoting it as a means of transport for its citizens. The government has put into place the German National Cycling Plan, which started in 2002 and runs through to 2012. The objective of the cycling plan (Nationaler Radverkehrsplan) is to increase bicycle use in Germany as part of an integrated, sustainable transport policy while promoting a healthy and environmentally friendly means of transport.

If you are a mountain bike enthusiast, there are a number of well marked routes of varying levels of difficulty specifically designed for mountain bikers. The Sankt Wendeler Land region and the Solling-Vogler Nature Reserve in Northern Germany have everything that a mountain biker’s heart could desire. The Bavarian Forest and the Franconia region are popular in mountain biking circles, and if you want a long-distance route you can explore Rennsteig.

Germany offers a host of cycling tour options to keep everyone in the family happy. It is highly unlikely that parents will hear the age-old refrain of “Are we there yet?” from their children, as each journey is an adventure in itself, and the stop-off points have plenty to keep energetic kiddies busy. Children who are not yet old enough to handle their own bike can be accommodated in a trailer or child seat. One example of a family-friendly tour is the Sea Route, which starts off in Neustadt am Rubenberge, passing the largest lake Ice Age in northwest Germany before heading west past a spa resort and Loccum Abbey, which was founded in 1163. The next stop is the fascinating open-air dinosaur museum in Mün¬che¬hagen. The route then travels along through the Dümmer Lake nature re¬serve, which is a bird-watchers paradise, before heading for Wildeshauser Geest Nature Reserve, an area rich in natural beauty and history, with ancient megalithic tombs dotted along the route. After passing the town of Oldenburg and the Zwischenahner Meer, the Sea Route eventually ends in Wilhelmshaven where six maritime adventure centers reveal remarkable facts about the undersea world.

Culture tours take cyclists along routes specifically designed to incorporate museums, art galleries and other culture-related attractions. For example, the 132 kilometer Vechte Valley Route takes cyclists past more than 60 interesting sculptures. There are also a number of themed routes for cyclists to enjoy, including the German Wine Route, Industrial Heritage Route and the Teutoburg Forest Wellness Route.

There are so many exciting options available to cyclists in Germany that making a decision on where to go and what to see may present your greatest challenge. Whatever you choose, you can be sure that a cycling holiday in Germany will be both rewarding and a whole lot of fun.

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