Cycle tourism: from the Elbe to the piglet tax

Expansion plans in all states

The tourism organizations in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are focusing on expanding cycle tourism. In Saxony alone, cyclists generate more than 560 million euros in revenue each year, securing around 10,800 jobs, according to the state tourism association. The quality of cycling offers - such as signage and services - should therefore be constantly improved. A strategy is also being developed to better market cycle tourism.

Thüringer Tourismus GmbH is planning a campaign focusing on cycle tourism next year. Opportunities for mountain bikers are also to be expanded in the low mountain regions. Accessibility is also a major topic - for handbikers, for example.

Saxony-Anhalt, in cooperation with the ADAC automobile club, is focusing on more service stations along the 18 tourist cycle routes in the state. There, travelers can inflate their bikes or find tools for repairs. From the point of view of the state tourism association, it would be important to support businesses along the cycle routes if they want to set up secure parking facilities or charging stations for e-bikes.

How to find the right route for you

You can cover many thousands of kilometers on tourist cycle routes in the three states. The internet can help with planning - practically every major cycle route has its own website. The individual stages are explained there, possible accommodation is listed and you can often download data for route planning.

In general, you can choose between river cycle paths, themed tours and regional offers. Six examples:

The classic: Elbe Cycle Path

The most famous cycle path in the region runs along the Elbe through Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt: the Elbe Cycle Path was officially opened in 1995. If you want to cycle the entire route, you will cover around 1,300 kilometers from the Czech Giant Mountains to the North Sea. You will pass through several national parks along the way, as well as major cities such as Dresden, Magdeburg and Hamburg.

River cycle paths - often a relaxed ride

River cycle paths are particularly suitable for beginners and relaxed tours. They are often flat and without major inclines. Downstream, the route is usually slightly downhill. In Saxony, there is the Mulder Cycle Path and the Oder-Neisse Cycle Path, while the Unstrut Cycle Path and the Saaler Cycle Path lead through Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt. But you can also cycle along the Ilm, Bode or Gera, the Werra or the Elster.

Thuringian Chain of Cities: in the footsteps of Goethe, Schiller and Bach

Seven cities can be discovered on the Thuringian Chain of Cities long-distance cycle route. It stretches over 230 kilometers from Eisenach via Erfurt and Weimar to Altenburg. The AFDC has awarded the Thuringian Chain of Towns a seal of quality and is one of four routes in the state to be designated a "quality cycle route". The route is part of the German cycle network. This includes 13 so-called D-Routes that run right across the Federal Republic of Germany.

German history on the German Unity Cycle Route

The German Unity Cycle Route runs for around 1,100 kilometers from the former German capital of Bonn to Berlin. From Ilsenburg in the Harz Mountains to just above Lutherstadt Wittenberg, it also passes through Saxony-Anhalt - past towns such as Wernigerode, Blankenburg, Bernburg, Köthen and Dessau-Roßlau. In Marienborn, you can visit the German division memorial and in nearby Hötensleben, the inner-German border fortifications have been preserved as they were in 1989.

Through the habitat of predators: the wolf cycle path

Many wolves live in eastern Saxony. In keeping with this, the wolf cycle path was established in Lusatia. The almost 43-kilometre route branches off from the Oder-Neisse cycle path in Steinbach on the German-Polish border and leads through sparsely populated areas to the Nochten boulder park. In Rietschen, an exhibition in a settlement of boulder houses shows interesting facts about the protected animal species.

Piglet taxi cycle path on former railroad line

In future, the route will run for 28 kilometers from Eilsleben to Haldensleben on a former railroad line in the Magdeburger Börde. The route is called the Ferkeltaxenradweg, after a characteristic railcar of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. However, a little patience is still required for the cycle path with probably the most curious name: so far, only three of six sections have been officially completed.

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