Thuringia is considered the heart of Germany. It offers the core of German history, impressive cities and breathtaking landscapes. An ideal occasion to saddle up the bike and explore the area intensively. In seven daily stages, I will guide you through this beautiful and centrally located state.
You'll find information on bike routes, attractions, restaurants, and places to stay.





Thüringen, Deutschland

Erfurt, Deutschland

Jena, Deutschland

Weimar, Deutschland

Eisenach, Deutschland

Gotha, Deutschland

Gera, Deutschland

Thuringia: Cycling through Germany's cultural history in 7 days

Wonderful trip! About 37 kilometers, I recommend to do  it in the morning, so you have time enough to visit Gotha in the afternoon. 

Here you can find a detailled description of the tour:

What a wonderful starting point. Eisenach is very easy to reach by train.

The city is closely associated with Martin Luther, who represents the reformation of the church in the 16th century.

Be sure to check out the Wartburg Castle, located high above the city. Luther remained there until March 1, 1522, translating the New Testament from the original Greek into German; it was published in September 1522.

It is best to combine the visit with a hike through the "Dragon Gorge".

And: Don't forget to take a walking tour of the charming old town.

Etappe 1: Von Eisenach nach Gotha – Thüringer Städtekette | Fahrradtour | Komoot

Gotha also has about 40.000 inhabitants. Dominated by Friedenstein Castle and the enchanting old town with the old town hall.

I recommend a visit to both places. Friedenstein Castle also offers a tour of the underground defenses "Casemates".

42 kilometers on beautiful paths and in between a beautiful place called Mühlberg with 3 castles, the so-called "Drei Gleichen". So let's start with some pictures of Mühlberg. The entrance to Erfurt is beautiful, mostly downhill.

Etappe 2: Von Gotha nach Erfurt – Thüringer Städtekette | Fahrradtour | Komoot

Self guided tours through the heart of the city of Eisenach:

Self guided tour through the city of Erfurt:

Stadtführung, Schnitzeljagd & Stadtrallye - lialo

Very entertaining!! The routes are easy to follow, along the way you can solve puzzles and get a lot of information. In German but easy to understand:

Easy to follow, very interesting. Including puzzles and a lot of information:

Etappe 4: Von Weimar nach Jena – Thüringer Städtekette | Fahrradtour | Komoot

It is only a short stage, but you can enjoy it very nicely. Shortly before Jena you reach some hills and the beautiful Saale valley.

 Jena is the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a population of about 110,000.   Jena is a centre of education and research; the university (now Friedrich Schiller University) was founded in 1558 and had 18,000 students in 2017[4] and the Ernst-Abbe-Fachhochschule Jena counts another 5,000 students. Furthermore, there are many institutes of the leading German research societies.  

 It is only about 25 km from Erfurt to Weimar. Nevertheless, I took the train between the two cities and added an extra day to have more time for sightseeing. 

Of course you can stay a day longer or two in Jena - so did I. It is quite useful to take a break, because the last stage from Jena to Gera is the queen stage. Since a detour to Eisenberg is worthwhile here, you get a daily stage of 75 km. You should be rested.

Etappe 5: Von Jena nach Gera – Thüringer Städtekette | Fahrradtour | Komoot

Of course: Bratwurst!! You can find bratwurst stands all over the streets. Simply delicious!

Weimar is closely associated with Goethe and Schiller, two of Germany's greatest poets. In the inner city area there are also numerous historic buildings.The city was a focal point of the German Enlightenment and home of the leading literary figures of Weimar Classicism, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller. In the 19th century, composers such as Franz Liszt made Weimar a music centre. Later, artists and architects such as Henry van de Velde, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Lyonel Feininger, and Walter Gropius came to the city and founded the Bauhaus movement, the most important German design school of the interwar period.  

From Gera you have good connections by train and so you can think about Follow-up activities, e.g.:

Leipzig has been dreaming of the big sea for a long time. This sounds almost unbelievable, since the city is inland and several hundred kilometers from the coast. 
But Leipzigs dream can be seen in various places in the city.
I will show you some special passages and will be happy to give you historical information about them. You will be amazed and spend some unforgettable moments by the water in Leipzig.



Thuringia: Cycling through Germany's cultural history in 7 days

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