The Path through Müritz National Park is the longest hiking trail through a national park in Germany. Over half of the route winds across unpaved terrain, some of it along naturally sustained forests and country paths. Experience the landscape’s untouched, pristine nature that reveals its wilder side in many unspoilt forests and mysterious moors. The 175-kilometre route should ideally be completed in 9 days so that you can enjoy the varied and beautiful landscape. The route leads from Waren an der Müritz through the national park to Neustrelitz. From here, the route continues into the Serrahn part of the national park and then back to Müritz via Wesenberg. The route passes numerous lakes, which are particularly inviting for a swim in summer.
In the Rhododendron Park, more than 600 species and over 3,000 varieties of rhododendrons and azaleas transform the 46-hectare park into an extraordinary sea of colour between April and June. This collection of plants, unique in mainland Europe, has always been a major attraction. The months of May and June are traditionally regarded as the main flowering periods for rhododendrons.
The green heart of Bremen. Together with the neighbouring city forest, it covers an area of 202 hectares. The varied oasis offers plenty of opportunities to relax, go for a walk, eat ice cream, play or go rowing. In spring, with a bit of luck, the animal enclosures will be home to some cute offspring. There are little pigs, sheep and deer, for example, who are always happy to receive a visit.
The Lüneburg Heath offers a varied, multifaceted and exciting nature experience that is unique in Europe. If you like peace and quiet, one of the many heath villages is just the place for you. With rustic farms and historic farmsteads, in some places time seems to have stood still here. Experience the forest, moor and heathland on one of the many cycling and hiking trails or visit the famous Heidschnucken, a local breed of sheep, for example in the Schnuckendorf Neuenkirchen. For a stroll, Lüneburg and Celle are very close to the holiday resorts in the Heath.
The Weser metropolis of Bremen is known as the city of short distances, but few visitors realise that it is also one of the German cities with the most cycle paths. However, these are not the only reasons why cycling in Bremen is a real pleasure. The two-town state is a wonderful place to explore by bike. The city centre circuit in Bremen and the Bremerhaven circuit lead to the most important sights and the Weser Cycle Way also leads through the region, which could hardly be more diverse.
The Harz Mountains with their rugged cliffs and fragrant mountain meadows have enchanted people for centuries and have lost none of their magic. Harz myths about Rübezahl, Münchhausen and Walpurgisnacht can be relived. The Harz Mountains offer a charming mountain landscape characterised by deep forests, clear rivers and lakes, which are protected by a total of five national nature reserves and are a paradise for hikers.
A great and, above all, relaxed way to get to know Hamburg’s nature is a bike tour! The Vier- und Marschlande are rural districts in the south-east of Hamburg. What makes them special: The huge area is characterised by meadows, flowers and old half-timbered houses – a cosy idyll just a fifteen-minute drive from the city centre. Several nature reserves, including rare plant and animal species, can be found here, as well as true bathing paradises, for example in the form of the Boberger See, the Allermöher See or the Dove-Elbe. With the old villages and the former centre of Bergedorf, you will come across a unique cultural landscape that is best explored by bike.
Hamburg’s Elbe Beach is part of the city’s impressive coastline. Hamburg residents and their guests use the kilometre-long sandy beach in summer and winter to go for walks and watch the huge container ships in the harbour. Sports enthusiasts can be seen jogging and cycling, while sun-seekers enjoy a relaxing day on the Elbe beach. Beautiful captain’s cottages and elegant villas are lined up next to each other and offer views of beautiful country gardens. A visit to the picturesque district of Blankenese right on the Elbe is a must.
In the 19th century, the Ochsenweg (‘Ox Road’) was an important route between Denmark and northern Germany. It served merchants, farmers with livestock, soldiers and pilgrims as a direct route to the south. Today, the Ochsenweg is a well-developed 245 km cycle route. Along the tour, which passes through marshland and other areas, you will discover the history of Denmark and Germany. You cycle through attractive cities such as Neumünster and Rendsburg and get to know numerous villages and parishes along the way.
The Alster is located in the heart of the city and is a paradise for sailors, rowers and stand-up paddlers. The river with its lush meadows on the banks offers plenty of opportunities to relax or get active – in the public deckchairs, jogging, walking or in the many cafés around this incomparable natural beauty in the centre of the city. The white fleet of Alster boats also operates here, travelling from pier to pier every hour or on romantic tours through the cosy Alster canals.
The Viking-Frisian Route takes you from the North Sea to the Baltic Sea. Once across the country. Two routes take you along picturesque river landscapes and small towns, such as Friedrichstadt. Discover the trading centres of the Vikings and Frisians, be enchanted by river meadows and fjord regions and enjoy the cultural legacy of our ancestors.
The NOK Route has a total length of 325 kilometres along the Kiel Canal and runs from the state capital Kiel to Brunsbüttel on the North Sea. The route leads through meadow and forest landscapes along the Kiel Canal, the world’s busiest shipping route. Along the way, you will also pass estates and manor houses that are well worth discovering.
Those who have had enough of wide sandy beaches, cliffs and piers will find variety in the gently undulating region between Kiel and Lübeck, the Holstein Switzerland Nature Park. However, you don’t have to miss out on water here, as more than 200 small and large lakes and the 55-kilometre-long Schwentine invite you to swim, sail, canoe and stand-up paddle. And there is also plenty to do on land: Hiking, cycling tours, visiting historic castles and estates or simply enjoying a delicious piece of cake in a cozy farm café – here the cake still tastes like grandma’s, here the vegetables are still fresh from the field.
The Aller-Radweg cycle route is an insider tip between the Weser and Elbe rivers. The route takes you 328 kilometres through idyllic landscapes along the Aller from its mouth in the Weser near Verden to its source in Eggenstedt near Magdeburg. Along the way, you can find peace and quiet amidst meadows, pastures and pine forests. Small villages, old farms, half-timbered houses and mills line the route.
In the Jasmund National Park on the island of Rügen, the famous chalk cliffs shine white down onto the Baltic Sea. The mighty cliffs with their bizarre formations inspired the famous Romantic artist Caspar David Friedrich. Today, holidaymakers on the island of Rügen can hike along the 12-kilometre-long high coastal path from Sassnitz to Lohme and enjoy the ancient beech forests, some of which are protected by UNESCO, and the impressive views of the chalk coast and the Baltic Sea. The National Park Centre on the famous chalk cliff “Königsstuhl” also tells the history and formation of the chalk coast in a lively and exciting way. The World Heritage Forum not far from the Wissower Klinken cliffs focuses on the UNESCO World Heritage Old Beech Forests.
Between Travemünde and the island of Usedom, the Baltic Sea Cycle Route runs along the coast for 670 kilometres. The crashing waves and the wide horizon accompany cyclists through proud Hanseatic towns and sophisticated seaside resorts, cosy fishing villages and extensive forests. On the Fischland-Darß-Zingst peninsula, you cycle a particularly beautiful section along the Bodden coast. From Althagen to Wieck with the endless view over the Bodden, where the traditional Zeesboote boats sail or the cranes make their rounds in autumn and spring.
The Mecklenburg Lake District is the largest contiguous lake district in Central Europe. The Müritz, Germany’s largest inland lake (112 km²), lies at the centre of this water paradise. Whether by houseboat or canoe through the unique lake landscape, by bike past yellow rapeseed fields or through the Müritz National Park or the nature parks – holidays in the Mecklenburg Lake District offer something for everyone. North German brick Gothic architecture, lovingly reconstructed town centres, baroque parks and beautiful churches invite you to linger.
Get out of the metropolis and into nature. If city dwellers have a craving for lakes, they can hop on the saddle and cycle along well-developed cycle paths past forests, lakes and fields not only to the Baltic Sea, but even beyond to Copenhagen. The route leads through the beautiful landscapes of the Mecklenburg Lake District across Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to the Baltic Sea. The ferry takes you from Rostock to Gedser in southern Denmark and from there on to Copenhagen.
Blue water, idyllic reed-lined shores, wide meadows and wild beaches – coastal landscapes of unique beauty and unspoilt nature characterise Germany’s largest national park on the Baltic Sea coast. The protected area includes the land areas of Darß, Zingst, Hiddensee, Westrügen and a number of smaller islands. The lagoons separated from the Baltic Sea, the so-called Bodden, are the hallmark of the national park, where tens of thousands of cranes rest every spring and autumn.
With a total area of 632 km², the Island Usedom encompasses a wide variety of habitats. Here you will find Baltic Sea beaches and inland coasts, cliffs and dunes, lakes and moors, alder swamps, dune pine and beech forests, meadows and fields, small villages and seaside resorts. You can enjoy the marvellous and varied nature, for example, on one of the many different guided adventure tours or an island safari on land and water.
Between Lauenburg and Stormarn, the north is excitingly different. Here you don’t go by cutter, but rather by canoe. Here you don’t walk through the mudflats but through the forest. Here the wind doesn’t blow across the sea, but over wild and romantic lakes. The trail leads through enchanted nature, past nature parks, protected areas, rustic farm cafés and lookout towers. Historic towns invite you to travel back in time and meet Till Eulenspiegel in the Duchy of Lauenburg. Among the most famous places in Stormarn is the town of Ahrensburg with its castle.
One of the most beautiful hiking trails in Germany runs where the Heidschnucken graze. Along the 223-kilometre-long Heidschnuckenweg from Hamburg-Fischbek to Celle, the heathlands of Lüneburg Heath are strung together like a string of pearls. Each one more beautiful than the next, each unique in its own way with its own cultural history. Mountains with steep heather slopes, overgrown valleys and clear heath streams await you here. Isolated pine trees with sweeping branches and extensive juniper forests with spiky bushes in the most peculiar shapes provide you with idyllic shady spots along the way.
The Rügen chalk coast is certainly a highlight among the sights for many island holidaymakers. In addition to a visit to the Königsstuhl, the most famous chalk cliff, a hike along the high shore from Sassnitz to Lohme with picturesque views of the chalk coast and the Baltic Sea is a unique active experience. The play of colours between the blue Baltic Sea, white chalk and green beech forests is particularly magnificent in spring. The World Heritage Forum halfway along the route and the Königsstuhl National Park Centre provide lots of background information on the formation of the chalk coast and the history of the UNESCO-protected ancient beech forests in interactive exhibitions. The tour is around 12 kilometres long and can easily be done as a day trip.
