Hello! We are buying bikes this week and are looking to plan some trips through cities, countryside, etc. What are the best bike trails you'd suggest? We live 30 minutes south of Frankfurt and will take our bikes within a 3-4 hour radius by car. (we'll rent in other cities where we bus or train). I've heard the Rhine is great for biking - but what else? We are interested in seeing beautiful countryside, vineyards, towns, villages, etc that you won't normally see or hear of when just visiting a main city/ reading a guide book. Thanks for the help!
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
There is a bike fair at the Saalbau Bornheim in Frankfurt on 18 March from 11:00-17:00. There you will find a ton of information for routes, bike-friendly hotels, equipment for bikes, group bike rides, etc. I have been to this before and they offer a truly amazing amount of material for biking around not only Germany, but the rest of Europe too. Biking along the Main to places like Seligenstadt or Aschaffenuburg is pretty popular as is the 75 km. Green Belt that surrounds Frankfurt. The Nidda is also popular and I imagine the Neckar too.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Go to the bookstore at the Rhein-Neckar Zentrum (the mall in Viernheim). They have many books and maps for hiking and biking options in the local area and throughout Germany. I'm assuming by now you've noticed the bike route signs that you see everywhere in Germany? In our area, the trails along the east bank of the Rhine are only sporadic, but I believe there is a continuous trail along the west bank. For a starter, perhaps follow the bike signs along the Bergstraße to Heidelberg?
Posted by
Nederland, CO
1530 posts
Courtney, I'm a little confused about how far you want to venture. Have you checked out the website: www.bodensee-radweg.com They have several suggested itineries throughout western Europe.
Posted by
San Diego, CA
638 posts
Hi Courtney, my first trip to Europe and it was a cycling trip. Since you're near Frankfurt I highly recommend cycling through the Mosel River Valley, depending on how much time you have you could travel by train to Trier and cycle east back toward the Rhine. I took roughly a week if I remember correctly to go from Trier to Koblenz, it will be less crowded than the Rhine, which is still a great ride, but you'll travel through some great small villages and vineyards, and there was a very good bike path along the river. If you google Mosel River cycling it will bring up a bunch of companies that lead tours in this area, since you're doing this on your own (or maybe you want at tour) you can simply see their itenerary and use it as a guide to plan your own trip.
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2588 posts
See if the book stores have maps by ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club). They are 1:150,000 scale maps with all sorts of bike routes marked. They might be able to be ordered from their website www.adfc.de but their shop doesn't seem to operate on my computer.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17435 posts
Check out www.remstal-route.de. This is a lovely wine-growing valley just east of Stuttgart, filled with small villages (Str0252mpfelbach, Schnait, Weinstadt, etc.) and half-timbered houses. There are various designated walking and biking routes. You can order brochures for free from the website.
Posted by
Salt Lake City
1528 posts
When I was stationed in Germany (years ago), I rode everywhere I lived. Now there are many posted routes. You can buy several books and maps on Amazon.de. Just search "Radfernwege". I had luck selecting secondary routes on the ADAC Straßen Atlas. As long as the road lead no place important, it usually was quiet enough. Some bike routes, Radfernwege's (Rfw.), are posted on the ADAC atlas. The editor of "Bentrider Online" used to live along the Mosel and said that the Mosel Radweg was great. It is posted on the ADAC atlas. Good luck, Gary
Posted by
San Diego, CA
638 posts
I found out about a long route (6000 km) called the North Sea Cycling Route that would be interesting to do, though you may not have time to do it all you could do segments whenever you have time. It covers England, Belguim, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Scotland. It's on my list of things to do in life. http://www.northsea-cycle.com/
Posted by
OP
Heppenheim, Germany
8 posts
Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm definitely looking into taking the bikes to Trier and the Mosel - exploring the wine valleys of the Mosel sound perfect. Tom- yes I've noticed the signs around the area. There seem to be bikes paths everywhere! I will be exploring the Bergstrasse paths as well. Jo, I'll try to make it to the fair - it sounds like the perfect place to be for any info that I may need. Thanks again!
Posted by
Greeley, co, usa
2588 posts
You can also check with the local Tourist Information Office. They may have free maps or low cost ones. I recently got an excellent one for the Allgäu area at the TIO in Füssen for 5 euro