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Neckar cycle path

A bike tour flanked with impressive mountains

From Donaueschingen to Heidelberg.

This Neckar cycling holiday takes you from Donaueschingen to Heidelberg, straight through the whole county of Baden-Württemberg. On this trip, discover the variety of the countryside – the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb for example. On your route, you will also visit the well-known towns of Rottweil, Tübingen or Stuttgart. The Neckar river is your trusty companion all the way! First a small stream, it soon develops into a major river, which is navigable from Plochingen. Expansive riverside meadowland and narrow curving valleys, vineyards, castles and forts – the wonderful mixture of countryside and culture is the particular charm of this tour.
Germany
Easy to moderate
  • 10 Days / 9 Nights
  • Self-guided tour
Olga Prieb
+49 (0)441 485 97 41 Contact
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Olga Prieb
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Itinerary

"Brigach und Breg bringen die Donau zuweg" is the phrase people say here meaning that the Brigach and Breg rivers jointly form the river Danube. The Romans considered the spring in the parkland of Castle Fürstenberg to be the start of the Danube. The castle, in the style of the Belle Epoque, is an impressive testimony to Fürstenberg Family’s former significance. Reserved rental bicycles are parked at the hotel ready for you.

Up on the high Baar plateau you cycle through beautiful rural scenes between the Black Forest and the Swabian Alb to Bad Next, you continue on to Schwenningen, where you reach the narrow stream waters of the Neckar. You follow the river to Rottweil, Baden-Württemberg's oldest town. It developed from a Roman settlement to a charming town with a medieval centre.

You follow the river north, the Neckar now carving its way deeply through the valley and widening considerably. The few villages along the way are idyllically situated. Of the former majestic Neckar Castle – now only ruins remain. In Oberndorf, you reach the midpoint of today's section. After this town, which is regarded as the capital of the Swabian-Alemanni carnival festivities, you pedal on to Sulz.

You can take your first break in Horb, the gate to the Black Forest, and visit the Schurkenturm tower. And then cycle on to Rottenburg. The town suffered many city fires, which is why its townscape is Baroque rather than Medieval. Now it's not much further to today's destination ‒ Tübingen. It is one of the prettiest towns on the Neckar cycle path and its medieval historic quarter is particularly enchanting.

Leaving the busy university town behind you, you now cycle downstream. You will come across of number of bathing pools you might like to stop at and have a swim. You go past Nürtingen, where the poet, Hölderlin, used to go to School. In Plochingen, we recommend visiting the tower by Hundertwasser. Esslingen is one of the towns that wasn't destroyed during the war, enabling you to enjoy its historic flair.

Today you can try the healing waters in the mineral spa resort in Stuttgart-Canstatt and take a break. Further down the river you cycle past lovely terraced vineyards and the royal summer residence at Ludwigsburg. The Neckar valley as home to poets and philosophers is felt most in Marbach, where Friedrich Schiller was born. In the newly renovated Schiller museum you can find out all about the poet.

Cycling past picturesque vineyards, you follow the bends of the river to Lauffen, where you can allow yourself a little sip of the delicious Katzenbeißer wine (cat biter!). Another important wine-growing and wine-trading centre is Heilbronn. The large town is shaped by a mixture of historic and modern buildings. You continue along romantic roads past castles to Neckarsulm.

Worthy of a visit is the NSU museum featuring exhibits of historic bicycles and cars. As you approach Bad Wimpfen you will be amazed by the breath-taking views of the town with its many towers and alcoves. Pedaling past terraced vineyards and wooded slopes, you can catch a glimpse of Hornberg Fort. The Staufer town of Eberbach used to be known for its handicraft professions.

The Neckar winds its way through Odenwald forest and depending on which side of the river you're cycling on, either through the county of Baden-Württemberg or Hessen. In Neckargemünd, you are able to see glimpses of medieval architecture. The famous university town of Heidelberg awaits you with its famous castle ruin, Baroque buildings in the old part of town and a lively cultural scene.

The route

The bike route is not always next to the river, some stages cannot be avoided. Stronger stages are seldom. The well sign-posted path leads you on side roads and bike paths to your hotel. Some stages are on streets with more traffic, e.g. when you enter a city.

Prices and events

All data for 2024 at a glance
Place of arrival: Donaueschingen
  Season 1
31.03.2024 - 19.04.2024
06.10.2024 - 19.10.2024

daily
Season 2
20.04.2024 - 30.04.2024
15.09.2024 - 05.10.2024

daily
Season 3
01.05.2024 - 06.05.2024
12.05.2024 - 14.05.2024
20.05.2024 - 25.05.2024
02.06.2024 - 29.06.2024
18.08.2024 - 14.09.2024

daily
Season 4
07.05.2024 - 11.05.2024
15.05.2024 - 19.05.2024
26.05.2024 - 01.06.2024
30.06.2024 - 17.08.2024

daily
Neckar Cycle Path Donaueschingen - Tübingen, 10 days, DE-BYRDH-10X
Base price
999.00
1,099.00
1,199.00
1,299.00
Surcharge single room 349.00 349.00 349.00 349.00
Season 1
Mar 31, 2024 - Apr 19, 2024
Oct 6, 2024 - Oct 19, 2024
daily
Season 2
Apr 20, 2024 - Apr 30, 2024
Sep 15, 2024 - Oct 5, 2024
daily
Season 3
May 1, 2024 - May 6, 2024
May 12, 2024 - May 14, 2024
May 20, 2024 - May 25, 2024
Jun 2, 2024 - Jun 29, 2024
Aug 18, 2024 - Sep 14, 2024
daily
Season 4
May 7, 2024 - May 11, 2024
May 15, 2024 - May 19, 2024
May 26, 2024 - Jun 1, 2024
Jun 30, 2024 - Aug 17, 2024
daily
Neckar Cycle Path Donaueschingen - Tübingen, 10 days, DE-BYRDH-10X
Base price
Surcharge single room
999.00
349.00
1,099.00
349.00
1,199.00
349.00
1,299.00
349.00
Season 1
Mar 31, 2024 - Apr 19, 2024
Oct 6, 2024 - Oct 19, 2024
Season 2
Apr 20, 2024 - Apr 30, 2024
Sep 15, 2024 - Oct 5, 2024
Season 3
May 1, 2024 - May 6, 2024
May 12, 2024 - May 14, 2024
May 20, 2024 - May 25, 2024
Jun 2, 2024 - Jun 29, 2024
Aug 18, 2024 - Sep 14, 2024
Season 4
May 7, 2024 - May 11, 2024
May 15, 2024 - May 19, 2024
May 26, 2024 - Jun 1, 2024
Jun 30, 2024 - Aug 17, 2024
Donaueschingen
Double room p. P.
Surcharge single room
Heidelberg
Double room p. P.
Surcharge single room
55.00
30.00
89.00
36.00
55.00
30.00
89.00
36.00
55.00
30.00
89.00
36.00
55.00
30.00
89.00
36.00
Additional nights
Place of arrival: Donaueschingen
  Season 1
Mar 31, 2024 - Apr 19, 2024
Oct 6, 2024 - Oct 19, 2024

daily
Season 2
Apr 20, 2024 - Apr 30, 2024
Sep 15, 2024 - Oct 5, 2024

daily
Season 3
May 1, 2024 - May 6, 2024
May 12, 2024 - May 14, 2024
May 20, 2024 - May 25, 2024
Jun 2, 2024 - Jun 29, 2024
Aug 18, 2024 - Sep 14, 2024

daily
Season 4
May 7, 2024 - May 11, 2024
May 15, 2024 - May 19, 2024
May 26, 2024 - Jun 1, 2024
Jun 30, 2024 - Aug 17, 2024

daily
Donaueschingen
Double room p. P. 55.00 55.00 55.00 55.00
Surcharge single room 30.00 30.00 30.00 30.00
Heidelberg
Double room p. P. 89.00 89.00 89.00 89.00
Surcharge single room 36.00 36.00 36.00 36.00
Filter
27-gears unisex
27-gears gents
Electric bike
99.00
99.00
259.00
Prices per person in EUR

Services & Extras

Services
  • 9 Overnights as described
  • Breakfast
  • Detailed travel documents, 1x per room (GER, ENG, DUTCH, FR)
  • Navigation app and GPS-Tracks available
  • Luggage transport from hotel to hotel (max. 20 kg / piece)
  • service-hotline

Not included

  • Arrival and departure
  • costs for parking
  • city tax
  • transfers
  • optional sightseeing’s
  • city maps
  • Travel Insurance
  • costs of the private requirements
Extras

Arrival/departure and parking information

  • Car parks in Donaueschingen:
  • Free parking at the Stadtmühle, Realschule and Fürstenberg-Gymnasium.
  • Hotel parking spaces (available in individual hotels, chargeable).
  • Train station: Donaueschingen.
  • Airports: Zurich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt.
  • Return transfer on Saturdays between 09:00 and 10:00 hrs in a minibus from Heidelberg to Donaueschingen € 89,- per person. We charge an additional € 40,- for the return transport of your own bike. Reservation required.
Important notes

Further important information according to the package travel law can be found here!

Hotels

3***-stars hotels

Ratings

4.5 of 5 Stars (2 Ratings)
5 stars
Dieter Ahrens DE | 30.09.2023
Neckar Radweg von Donaueschingen nach Heidelberg
Besonders gefielen uns die ersten Kilometer am Rande des Schwarzwaldes, die Städte Rottweil (mit dem Testturm Rottweil Neue Horizonte), Tübingen, Esslingen, Neckarsulm und Bad Wimpfen. Auch die Strecke von Marbach bis Heilbronn war toll. Die Fahrräder und das Wetter waren super.
Anke Tammen
Anke Tammen answered:
Vielen Dank für Ihre 5-Sterne-Bewertung. Wie schön, dass Ihnen die Tour so gut gefallen hat🚴!
4 stars
Elvira B. DE | 28.09.2022
Gut
Allgemein gut, nur durch Umleitungen speziell in den Städten etwas unübersichtlich.