Elbe Cycle Path: Hamburg - Dresden

This 13-day self-guided tour covers the greater part of Germany's Elbe Cycle Path, over 800 km long, across eleven riding stages. From Hamburg, riders follow the Elbe through Lauenburg and the Elbe Floodplain UNESCO Biosphere Reserve to Hitzacker, then on through former border country to Wittenberge, Havelberg and Tangermünde, reaching Magdeburg via the "European water junction."

The route continues through the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve to Bauhaus-era Dessau, then to the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz and UNESCO-listed Lutherstadt Wittenberg. Riders press on to Torgau's Renaissance Schloss Hartenfels, then via Riesa's wine villages and Meissen's castle hill and porcelain factory to Dresden, the "Florence of the Elbe," with its Frauenkirche, Zwinger Palace and Brühl's Terrace.

The tour can also be ridden in reverse (Dresden to Hamburg), though Hamburg-start is recommended for prevailing winds; it can be extended to Cuxhaven or Bad Schandau.

Highlights:

• Elbe Floodplain and Middle Elbe UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, rich in birdlife
• Historic river towns Hitzacker, Havelberg, Tangermünde and Wittenberge
• Magdeburg's cathedral, Hundertwasser building and the European water junction
• Bauhaus Dessau and the UNESCO-listed Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz
• UNESCO-listed Lutherstadt Wittenberg and Torgau's Renaissance Schloss Hartenfels
• Meissen's castle hill and porcelain factory, finishing in Dresden's baroque old town

Surface and terrain:
Flat, well-signed Elbe Cycle Path riding throughout. Rated "average to demanding" difficulty, reflecting the tour's length. Not suitable for riders with mobility impairments.

Suitable for:
Riders of average to demanding fitness wanting a long, flat, self-guided end-to-end tour with daily distances of 38-84 km. Bookable from a single traveller.