10 Highlights on the Elbe Cycle Route

The first scenic highlight in Germany is the section that runs through the area of uplands known as Saxon Switzerland. While the route along the Elbe is largely level, cyclists here between Bad Schandau and Pirna are surrounded by sandstone outcrops and table-topped hills.

In addition to its Baroque architecture, its location on the Elbe has shaped the Saxon state capital. Because of its unique skyline with the Elbe in the foreground and buildings as a backdrop, cyclists should pedal along the northern bank of the river here. That way they can enjoy the most beautiful view of the city once known as "Florence on the Elbe."

Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on All Saints' Church in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. The act is seen as the start of the Protestant reformation. Alongside the celebrations and exhibitions on the 500th anniversary of the occasion, cyclists can explore many places where the reformer was active in this small town on the north bank of the Elbe.

A special section of the route awaits cyclists at the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm in the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve. Created as an English landscape garden in the late 18th century by Leopold III Friedrich Franz, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, the Garden Realm with its buildings and parks has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2000.

Magdeburg Cathedral, the main landmark of Saxony-Anhalt's state capital, is absolutely unmissable from the Elbe. The cathedral, where Otto I, the first emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, is buried, is an early example of Gothic church architecture and was consecrated in 1363.

The Hanseatic town at the point where the Tanger River flows into the Elbe may be small, but it has a long history. In the 14th century Tangermünde Castle was periodically the residence of Emperor Charles IV. The old town center with its castle complex and timber-framed houses is considered an especially well-preserved example of its kind.

This meadowland area between the small towns of Lenzen and Dömitz is part of the Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve, and is one of the most scenically appealing stretches of the route: solitary old farmhouses behind the dykes, no road noise - just the sound of the wind and a sweeping view over the largely flat countryside.

The southernmost town in Schleswig-Holstein is more than 750 years old and was an important trading center in the Middle Ages. In addition to the picturesque old town, where it's easier to push your bike than ride over the bumpy cobblestones, there's an Elbe shipping museum whose highlight is the "Kaiser Wilhelm," a paddle steamer that is still regularly fired up for sightseeing tours.

On the signposted Elbe Cycle Route, you can reach the center of this Hanseatic city almost entirely without having to travel on busy streets. On the way there are plenty of sights to see, from the warehouse district to the Elbphilharmonie (pictured here).

About 120 kilometers downriver from Hamburg you reach Cuxhaven. Here at the town's main landmark, the Kugelbake, the Elbe ends and the North Sea and Wadden Sea begin. If you want to, you can cross over to the islands - but that's another journey.