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Elbe bike path | Dresden-Dessau

The Elbe cycle path is always worth a trip

Cycle tour from Dresden via Saxon Switzerland to Dessau

Nowadays the region attracts many tourists to the river Elbe, the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and the Saxon Wine Route. Earlier it used to attract artistic builders. They created magnificent baroque buildings and palaces for August the Strong, which you can admire today on a bike tour along the Elbe. They designed the medieval ambience of the porcelain town of Meißen, and built the renaissance town of Torgau and the Luther town of Wittenberg bit by bit.

Your journey on the Elbe Cycle Path starts in Dresden. Buildings like the Frauenkirche, Dresden Zwinger, Semperoper and the castle reveal the aesthetics of high-class architecture. The tour through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains with their bizarre rocky structures, overhangs and crevices proves how magnificent an arcitect nature is. On your cycling trip down the Elbe, you will visit places such as Radebeul, the home of Karl May, and the wine villages near Meißen. You can choose where your journey on the Elbe Cycle Path ends: after six days in Wittenberg? After eight days in Dessau? Or after nine days in Magdeburg? Each of these cities makes a grand finale.

Note
You can also book this tour the other way around and cycle to Dresden. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us and we will be happy to help you plan your trip.

Easy
Bike tours
8 Days / 7 Nights
Self-guided tour

Itinerary

Individual arrival in Dresden, where your bike tour through the Elbe river landscapes begins. In the late afternoon we’ll distribute the bikes (if booked) as well as important information for your bike tour. Afterwards you’ll have the opportunity to stroll through the baroque old town of Dresden. Discover the world-famous sights of this city hast to offer such as the Zwinger, the church „Frauenkirche“, the castle and the opera house „Semperoper“.

The Elbe Cycle Path takes you along the river Elbe to the baroque Pillnitz Castle, an important testimony to human architecture from the 18th century with its impressive gardens. Your bike tour continues up the Elbe to the rugged sandstone cliffs of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. A unique ensemble of rocks, table mountains, plains and gorges. The short ascent to the Bastei rocks is certainly worthwhile. A stunning view of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and the course of the river rewards the little effort.

The return trip from Bad Schandau to Dresden takes place either by bike or by train  (optional).

On today's tour you‘ll experience the Elbe as a romantic river that flows through a picturesque valley surrounded by vineyards. You arrive at the town of Radebeul, which is closely linked to the name Karl May. The Elbe Cycle Path takes you to the city of Meissen, world-famous for its porcelain. The picturesque streets of the historic town centre are ideal for strolling and shopping. The Albrechtsburg or the world-famous Meissen porcelain manufactory are also worth a visit.

Today you cross several wine villages on the »Saxon Wine Route« and have several opportunities to taste Saxon cuisine and wines. The baroque castle Diesbar-Seusslitz with its baroque castle church and its park is worth seeing on your tour.

Your journey takes you to Torgau and it‘s Hartenfels Castle, which is considered the most important still existing early Renaissance castle in Germany. About 163 steps lead to the Hausmannsturm, which offers a wonderful view of the city. There are over 500 individual monuments in Torgau's old town and preserve the splendor of the former royal seat of the Electorate of Saxony!

The castles of Lichtenberg and Pretzsch mark the journey on the Elbe Cycle Path towards Wittenberg. When you arrive in the city where Martin Luther posted his theses to the church doors, it welcomes you with the traces of it’s medieval past. The Luther House contains the largest collection of Reformation history in the world. The old town of Wittenberg has been restored lovingly. Wittenberg's Castle Church, the City Church, the Luther House and the Melanchthon House are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in Wittenberg. The pretty shops and restaurants make an evening stroll a real pleasure.

From Wittenberg, your bike tour leads you downstream along the Elbe. After just a few kilometres on the Elbe Cycle Path, you’ll immerse yourself in the cultural heritage of the Wörlitz Garden Realm - a spacious and attractive park landscape from the 18th century. Dessau attracts with the Bauhaus buildings erected by Walter Gropius in the mid-1920s with their unmistakable functional style elements.

Individual departure after breakfast or the start of your optional extension if you want to continue your holiday for more days.

Tour character

Easy

Easy - the daily stages are between 25 and 65 kilometres on flat to slightly hilly terrain. The Elbe Cycle Path offers the opportunity to follow one of the most beautiful and important rivers in Germany without using a car. Other sections of the route take you along smaller country roads and paths with little traffic through the varied river landscape.

Prices & Dates

Prices per person in EUR

Our rental bikes

7-gear touring bike
Gear hub with coaster brake

Exclusive production by Velo de Ville for Rückenwind.

Excellent bicycle with a Shimano 7-gear Nexus hub with coaster brake.

45 cm
50 cm
55 cm
24-gear touring bike
Derailleur gears with freewheel

Exclusive production b< Velo de Ville for Rückenwind.

Excellent bike with Shimano 24-speed Acera derailleur gears with freewheel.

45 cm
50 cm
55 cm
30-gear bike premium
Derailleur gears with freewheel

Exclusive production by Velo de Ville for Rückenwind.

Excellent bike with Shimano 30-gear Deore/XT derailleur with freewheel, RST 60 mm suspension fork and hydraulic disc brakes. Equipped with an aluminium hybrid type.

45 cm
50 cm
55 cm
60 cm
Unisex-Elbectric bike 8-gear
Hub gear with pedal brake

Exclusive production by Velo de Ville for Rückenwind.

High-quality electric bike with a Shimano 8-gear Nexus hub with coaster brake, Bosch activeline plus motor 500 Wh battery. 

42 cm (26 "")
45 cm
50 cm
55 cm

Services & extras

Services

Included

  • 7 nights as described in the booked category
  • breakfast
  • Personal tour information on site (DE,EN)
  • Carefully prepared itinerary
  • Detailed travel documents, 1x per room (DE,EN)
  • Luggage transport from hotel to hotel
  • Navigation app and GPS data available
  • Rental bike insurance
  • 7-day service hotline

Not included

  • Arrival and departure
  • parking fees
  • Spa and local taxes where applicable
  • transfers
  • Optional sightseeing tours
  • city maps
  • travel insurance
  • Expenses for personal use
Extras

Arrival / parking

  • Underground car park in Dresden, payable on site, no reservation possible.
  • Hotel Cat. A: Daily rate approx. € 24,- per night.
  • Hotel Cat. B: approx. € 10 per day in the hotel car park and free parking spaces near the hotel.
  • Good train connections to Dresden and from Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Return transfer

  • By train to Dresden (approx. 3-4 hours). Return transfer by minibus every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, costs € 95 per person from Dessau. For the return transport of your own bike we charge € 39,- extra. Booking required, payable in advance with the invoice. 
  • or on your own: by train to Dresden (approx. 3 hours).
Hotels

Category A

You will stay in comfortable hotels and guesthouses, mostly in the 3- and 4-star category, mostly centrally located so that you can visit the sights directly from the hotel.

Category B

Well-maintained hotels, inns and guesthouses, mostly in the 3-star category, some located on the outskirts of the village. All rooms have a shower/WC or bath/WC.

Further information

Further important information in accordance with the "Pauschalreisegesetz" (Package Travel Act) can be found here!

"I look forward to making your vacation dreams come true."

Yasmine Rohlfs
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