Rückenwind

This centre-based tour explores Dresden and its surrounds while staying in the one hotel throughout. Riders base themselves at the 4-star Maritim Hotel on the Elbe, with day rides fanning out to nearby towns and returning each evening.

Rides take in Pirna's old town along the Elbe cycle path, the Karl May town of Radebeul (with a heritage railway trip to Moritzburg's moated castle) and Meißen, known for its porcelain manufacture and cathedral, with a boat return to Dresden. A rest day includes a Dresden city tour and a regional wine tasting, and an S-Bahn excursion reaches Saxon Switzerland National Park, taking in the Bastei rocks and Königstein Fortress.

Highlights:

• Dresden old town, Zwinger Palace and Semperoper, with a guided city tour
• Pirna's old town via the Elbe cycle path, plus a guided tour
• Radebeul and Moritzburg's moated castle, reached by heritage railway
• Meißen's porcelain manufacture, cathedral and Albrechtsburg castle, with a boat return
• Saxon Switzerland National Park, the Bastei rocks and Königstein Fortress

Surface and terrain:
Flat to slightly hilly. Mostly on the Elbe cycle path, with some smaller country roads and quiet paths through varied landscape.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting an easy, centre-based tour with short daily distances (20–50 km) and a comfortable single-hotel base.

This self-guided tour follows the Elbe Cycle Path from Magdeburg to the North Sea, through floodplain forests and wide meadows. The route passes medieval Tangermünde, the cathedral town of Havelberg at the Havel-Elbe confluence, and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe-Brandenburg, before reaching Hitzacker's half-timbered old town and historic Lauenburg.

From Lauenburg the route continues into Hamburg, Germany's great port city, then along the Elbe to Glückstadt's preserved old town, before a ferry crossing and a final ride through Cuxland's seaside resorts, heath and marshland to Cuxhaven, where the Elbe meets the North Sea.

Highlights:

• Medieval Tangermünde and its castle above the Elbe floodplain
• Havelberg, the cathedral town at the Havel-Elbe confluence
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe-Brandenburg
• Hitzacker's half-timbered old town and historic Lauenburg
• Hamburg's harbour and old town, and Glückstadt's preserved historic centre
• Cuxland's coastal landscapes, finishing where the Elbe meets the North Sea at Cuxhaven

Surface and terrain: Flat to slightly hilly, with one somewhat hilly stage into Lauenburg. Mostly on the Elbe Cycle Path and quiet country roads.

Suitable for: Riders wanting an easy, self-guided river-path tour all the way to the coast, comfortable with daily distances of 38–82 km.

This is a longer-stage variation of the Elbe Cycle Path, covering the same Dresden-to-Dessau route as the classic tour but in six days rather than eight. Riders start among Dresden's baroque landmarks before a full loop into Saxon Switzerland, taking in the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and Königstein Fortress.

The route then covers Meißen's porcelain heritage and the Saxon Wine Route to Riesa, on through Torgau and Mühlberg to Bad Schmiedeberg, then via Wittenberg's Luther heritage sites and the UNESCO-listed Wörlitzer Park to finish in Dessau, home to Bauhaus architecture.

The operator notes the route's flexibility, and can arrange custom offers for those wanting a longer stay along the Elbe.

Highlights:

• Dresden's baroque old town: Zwinger, Frauenkirche and Semperoper
• Saxon Switzerland's sandstone cliffs and Königstein Fortress
• Meißen's porcelain heritage and the Saxon Wine Route
• Torgau's Hartenfels Castle and Mühlberg's monastery heritage
• Wittenberg's UNESCO-listed Luther sites
• Wörlitzer Park (UNESCO World Heritage) and Dessau's Bauhaus architecture

Surface and terrain:
Flat to gently rolling, on traffic-free paths and quiet country roads with light traffic. Daily stages of 60–90 km.

Suitable for: Riders wanting a fitter-paced self-guided tour, comfortable with daily distances of 65–90 km.

This self-guided tour follows the Vltava and Elbe rivers from Prague to Dresden, crossing Czech Republic into Germany. Riders start in Prague, exploring the Hradschin and Charles Bridge, before cycling south to Melnik, where the Vltava meets the Elbe at the heart of the Bohemian wine region.

The route continues past Roudnice and the Terezin fortress to Litomerice, then on to Usti nad Labem, passing the Schreckenstein castle ruins, before crossing into Germany near Decin. Riders pass through the Elbe Sandstone Mountains and Königstein Fortress en route to Pirna.

The final stage runs past Pillnitz Palace into Dresden, finishing among the city's old town landmarks including the Zwinger Palace, Semperoper and Frauenkirche.

Highlights:

• Prague's historic old town, Hradschin castle and Charles Bridge
• Confluence of the Vltava and Elbe rivers at Melnik, in the Bohemian wine region
• Terezin fortress and Schreckenstein castle ruins
• Elbe Sandstone Mountains and Königstein Fortress
• Pillnitz Palace en route to Dresden's old town, Zwinger Palace and Frauenkirche

Surface and terrain:
Mostly easy, flat riverside cycle paths (Elbe cycle path), with some climbs between Prague and Melnik and some partly unpaved sections. Rated easy to moderate overall.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting an easy-to-moderate self-guided tour, comfortable with daily distances of 25–55 km on largely flat terrain with occasional climbs.

This centre-based tour explores the Elbe region from a single base at the Zollenspieker Fährhaus, on the river just outside Hamburg. Day rides fan out to Lauenburg's half-timbered old town and Elbe Shipping Museum, and to the old Hanseatic salt town of Lüneburg via the Ilmenau cycle path and its nature reserve.

A full day is spent cycling into Hamburg itself, taking in the historic town hall, Speicherstadt warehouse district and Elbphilharmonie, and riding through the century-old Old Elbe Tunnel beneath the river. A final day takes in castles and windmills in the Billetal, riding through marshland and the Sachsenwald forest.

Highlights: Reinbek and Bergedorf Castles, and the Riepenburg windmill in the Billetal

Surface and terrain:
Flat to slightly hilly, on the Elbe Cycle Path and quiet country roads. Daily stages of 31–68 km.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting an easy, centre-based tour from a comfortable single hotel, with daily distances of 31–68 km.

This circular, self-guided tour loops out from Dresden through the Dresden Heath and Lusatia's lake district, a landscape of 23 lakes and bilingual German-Sorbian villages. The route reaches Bad Muskau, home to the UNESCO-listed Muskauer Park, before following the Oder-Neisse trail to Görlitz, noted for its well-preserved old town spanning Gothic to Jugendstil architecture.

From Görlitz the route crosses rural Upper Lusatia to the historic town of Bautzen, then through Saxon Switzerland National Park, with a stop at the Bastei rock bridge, before finishing back in Dresden past the baroque castles of the Elbe valley.

Highlights:

• Dresden Heath and Radeberg's brewing heritage
• The Lusatian Lake District, Europe's largest artificial water landscape, and Sorbian villages
• Bad Muskau's UNESCO World Heritage Muskauer Park
• Görlitz's well-preserved old town, spanning Gothic to Jugendstil styles
• Historic Bautzen and the Saxon Switzerland National Park, including the Bastei rock bridge

Surface and terrain:
Easy to moderate, with climbing in the Dresden Highlands and rolling terrain on other stages; little climbing along the Elbe and Neisse. Mostly on quiet, minor roads.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting a culturally rich, easy-to-moderate self-guided tour, comfortable with daily distances of 25–65 km and some hillier stages.

This self-guided "stroll tour" is a shorter-stage variation of the Elbe Cycle Path, running from Dresden to Wittenberg with gentler daily distances than the classic route. Riders start among Dresden's baroque landmarks before a day trip into Saxon Switzerland, with a boat return from Pirna.

The route then follows the Elbe through Meißen's porcelain heritage and Saxon vineyards to Riesa, Mühlberg and Torgau, with its Hartenfels Castle, before finishing through Bad Schmiedeberg to Wittenberg, the Luther town and UNESCO World Heritage site.

Highlights:

• Dresden's baroque old town, with a boat trip and excursion into Saxon Switzerland
• Meißen's porcelain manufactory and Albrechtsburg Castle
• Saxon vineyards and the baroque castle at Diesbar-Seußlitz
• Mühlberg's former Cistercian monastery and Treblitz Tree Park
• Torgau's Hartenfels Castle and Renaissance old town
• Wittenberg's Luther Hall and Reformation heritage

Surface and terrain:
Flat to slightly hilly throughout, on the Elbe Cycle Path and quiet country roads. Short daily stages of 25–38 km.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting an easy, relaxed self-guided tour with shorter daily distances than the standard Elbe route.

This self-guided tour follows the Elbe Cycle Path from Dresden downstream to Dessau, tracing a route once shaped by the baroque ambitions of August the Strong. Riders start among Dresden's baroque landmarks (the Frauenkirche, Zwinger and Semperoper) before heading into the Elbe Sandstone Mountains, with an optional climb to the Bastei rocks.

The route continues through Meißen's porcelain heritage and the Saxon Wine Route to Torgau's Renaissance-era Hartenfels Castle, then on to Wittenberg, the Luther town and UNESCO World Heritage site, before finishing in Dessau among its Bauhaus architecture.

Riders can choose to finish earlier, in Wittenberg after six days, or continue on to Magdeburg after nine, and the tour can also be booked in reverse.

Highlights:

• Dresden's baroque old town: Frauenkirche, Zwinger and Semperoper
• Elbe Sandstone Mountains and the Bastei rocks
• Meißen's porcelain heritage and the Saxon Wine Route
• Torgau's Hartenfels Castle, an important early Renaissance castle
• Wittenberg's UNESCO-listed Luther heritage sites
• Dessau's Bauhaus architecture and the Wörlitz Garden Realm

Surface and terrain:
Flat to slightly hilly throughout, on the Elbe Cycle Path with some smaller country roads and quiet paths. Daily stages of 25–65 km.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting an easy, self-guided river-path tour with a flexible finish point and daily distances of 25–65 km.

This self-guided tour follows the Elbe Cycle Path from Magdeburg towards the North Sea, riding through floodplain forests, wide meadows and quiet river landscapes. The route passes medieval Tangermünde and its castle, the cathedral town of Havelberg at the Havel-Elbe confluence, and the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe-Brandenburg.

Further stages follow the river's meanders past Hitzacker's half-timbered old town, through the hillier stretch into Lauenburg, and on to Hamburg, Germany's great port city. An optional extension continues to Cuxhaven, where the Elbe meets the North Sea.

Highlights:

• Medieval Tangermünde and its castle above the Elbe floodplain
• Havelberg, the cathedral town at the Havel-Elbe confluence
• UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Elbe-Brandenburg
• Hitzacker's half-timbered old town on the "German Half-Timbered House Road"
• Historic Lauenburg, with its castle and Fürstengarten
• Arrival in Hamburg, with an optional extension to Cuxhaven and the North Sea

Surface and terrain: Flat to slightly hilly, with one somewhat hilly stage into Lauenburg. Mostly on the Elbe Cycle Path and quiet country roads.

Suitable for:
Riders wanting an easy, self-guided river-path tour, comfortable with daily distances ranging 38–82 km depending on chosen stage option.