The All-German Cycling Club (ADFC) is a German public organization with around 160,000 members. Every year, this club conducts a study to determine the country’s most popular multi-day cycling routes – based on the number of trips and the results of a special survey.
In 2021, around 3.9 million of these multi-day tours were done in Germany, around 500,000 more than the year before. However, the numbers remain lower than before the start of the pandemic: 5.4 million in 2019. At the same time, according to the ADFC, there has been a significant increase in the number of one-day bicycle tours in Germany, with 41 million people taking at least one of these short trips in 2021, that is, 11 million more than in 2021, the first year of the pandemic.
Cyclists on the Baltic Peninsula Fischland-Darss-Zingst
Most popular routes – by number of trips
In 2021, the most popular multi-day cycling routes along the Weser, Elbe and Main rivers (Weser-Radweg, Elbe-Radweg, Main-Radweg) turned out to be the most popular in terms of tourist numbers. Furthermore, these ten included the Baltic route (Ostseeküsten-Radweg), the Ruhr route (Ruhrtal-Radweg), the Altmühltal route (Altmühltal-Radweg), the Danube route (Donau-Radweg), the Rhine route ( Rhein-Radweg), the Moselle route (Mosel-Radweg) and the Five Rivers Route (Fünf-Flüsse-Radweg).
With the exception of the last route, they all also entered the second rank, but in a different sequence. The 320-kilometer Five Rivers Route crosses Bavaria between the cities of Nuremberg and Regensburg and runs partially along the Danube, Altmühl, Pegnitz, Fils and Nab rivers.
The most favorite routes – according to search results
Let’s take a look at the second ranking – the top ten favorite multi-day routes. The research participants, among other things, evaluate the attractiveness of the route in terms of sights, landscapes, quality of the paths, presence of special information signs and signs, equipped rest areas, night search system with parking spaces for bicycles, etc. . about.
In 2021, in this ranking, the routes in first and second place were reversed, the third place was divided between two routes – in fact, one of them is new in this ten: the Ruhr route. The Altmühltal-Radweg route between the Bavarian cities of Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Regensburg, which ranked ninth in 2020, did not enter the top ten.
1. Weser Route
River Weser in Lower Saxony
Weser Route (Weser-Radweg). Length: 515 km. It begins in Lower Saxony, in the city of Hannoversch-Münden, at the confluence of the rivers Werra and Fulda, forming the Weser. It leads to the place where it flows into the North Sea near Bremerhaven and then goes to Cuxhaven. Sights and cities: architectural monuments of the Weser Renaissance; Hameln, Bad Oeynhausen, Porta Westfalica, Minden, Bremen.
2. Elbe Route
“Blue Wonder” Bridge over the Elbe in Dresden
Elbe Route (Elba-Radweg). Length: 1220 km. It starts at the Spindleruv Mlyn resort in the Czech Republic. It ends in the German city of Cuxhaven, where the Elbe flows into the North Sea. Landmarks and cities: Saxon Switzerland; Dresden, Meissen, Torgau, Wittenberg, Dessau, Magdeburg, Hamburg.
3. Danube Route
City of Passau in Lower Bavaria
Danube Route (Donau-Radweg). Length: 2850 km, of which in Germany – about 600 km. It starts in the German city of Donaueschingen in Baden-Württemberg, also passes through Bavaria and ends in the Danube Delta in Romania. Sights and cities in Germany: Sigmaringen Castle, Swabian Alb biosphere reserve; Donauwörth, Ingolstadt, Regensburg, Passau.
3. Ruhr Route
Villa Hügel in Essen – former family residence of the Krupp dynasty
Ruhr Route (Ruhrtal-Radweg). Length: 240 km. It starts near the source of the Ruhr River, near the town of Winterberg, in North Rhine – Westphalia, ends in the same German land – in Duisburg, at the confluence of the Ruhr with the Rhine. Sights and cities: Villa Hügel, the Zollverein mine, the Gasholder in Oberhausen, several other industrial monuments in the Ruhr region; Dortmund, Bochum, Essen, Oberhausen.
4. Baltic Route
Fischland-Darss-Zingst Peninsula
The Baltic Route (Ostseeküsten-Radweg), also known as the Hanseatic route. Length: 7980 km passing through nine Baltic Sea countries, Germany – 1095 km. In Germany, the route starts in Flensburg on the Danish border and leads to the Polish border – the resort of Ahlbeck in Usedom. Landmarks and Cities: World Heritage Sites in Wismar and Stralsund, Rügen; Kiel, Travemünde, Greifswald.
5. Main route
Main embankment in Frankfurt
Main road (Main-Radweg). Extension: about 600 km. It starts in Bavaria’s Bischofsgrün, near the source of the river Weiser Main – the right component of the Main. It ends in Mainz, where this river flows into the Rhine. Landmarks and Cities: World Heritage Sites in Bayreuth, Bamberg and Würzburg; Aschaffenburg, Hanau, Frankfurt am Main.
6. Route of Constance
City of Meersburg on Lake Constance
Constance Route (Bodensee-Radweg). Extension: about 260 km. Placed around Lake Constance in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Starts and ends in Constanta. Sights and cities in Germany: World Heritage Sites in Unteruhldingen and on the island of Reichenau, the flower island of Mainau, numerous baroque monuments; Lindau, Friedrichshafen, Moersburg.
7. Mosel Route
Imperial castle in Cochem on the Moselle
Mosel Route (Mosel-Radweg). Length: 239 km. Part of the international Velo Tour Moselle route. It starts at the French border in the commune of Perl. It ends in Koblenz at the confluence of the Moselle and the Rhine. Sights and cities: World Heritage in Trier, wine-growing villages, castle in Cochem; Bernkastel-Kues – the birthplace of philosopher Nicholas of Cusa, Traben-Trarbach.
8. Bavarian Lake Route
St. Bartholomew’s Pilgrimage Church on Lake Königssee
Bavarian Lake Route (Bodensee-Königssee-Radweg). Length: 418 km. It starts in Lindau on Lake Constance. It ends at Berchtesgaden on Lake Königssee. It passes lakes along the foothills of the Alps. Sights, cities and communities: castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, Church of St. Bartholomew in Königssee, house-museum of Kandinsky and Münter in Murnau; Füssen, Bernau am Chiemse, Traunstein.
9. Route of the Rhine
Pfalzgrafenstein and Gutenfels castles on the Rhine
Rhine Route (Rheinradweg). Length: about 1230 km. This transcontinental cycling route starts near the source of the Rhine in Switzerland and passes through several European states – Austria, Germany and France – to its mouth in the Netherlands. Sights and cities in Germany: Speyer, Worms, Karlsruhe, Koblenz, Bonn, Cologne, Dusseldorf, Xanten.
Source: DW
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.