More and more cyclists are succumbing to the freedom that bikepacking offers. The principle is as simple as it is ingenious: Choose an interesting bikepacking route – or not, "just follow your nose" has its own charm when it comes to bikepacking! Grab your bike, a tent, and off you go!
For inspiration, we reveal our favorite paths away from the busy roads here, and we've put together some of the most beautiful bikepacking routes and events in Germany for you.
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Germany is made for bikepacking – it offers wonderful bike areas and, above all, a lot of scenic variety! Mountains, flatlands, forests, hills, or river valleys... there is a suitable bikepacking route for every taste. |
So – pack the bare essentials on your bike and head out into nature.
Thanks to Komoot, planning a bikepacking trip is a breeze today!
You have various options when planning your bikepacking route:
- Time: Overnighter, weekender, or even two weeks in the gravel saddle... there are a variety of routes.
- Sweat or pleasure: In the south, Germany tempts with alpine climbs, in the north with a good headwind. In between, there are many wonderful pleasure routes!
- Nature or culture: You can enjoy the solitude between sticks and stones or be enchanted by typical German towns with half-timbered houses, baroque gardens, and sights.
- Camping stove or gourmet: There are bikepacking routes that lead you from one gourmet restaurant to the next. But you can also roast astronaut food over a small fire.
- Organized or on your own: Especially for the first bikepacking tours, many like to leave the planning to the old hands.
→ If you would like to ride a completely pre-planned bikepacking tour, you can book an event for a fixed date.
→ You can follow a pre-made route at your own pace.
→ But you can also just set off on your own!
Whether you take an extended home loop with an overnight stay in a tent or choose a long stage ride with a distant destination, it doesn't matter. Bikepacking is what you make of it. Above all, bikepacking is about reducing to the essentials: having a fantastic time in the midst of nature.
Bikepacking Extreme: Bikepacking Trans Germany
We start directly with the bikepacking classic for the tough ones: The Bikepacking Trans Germany runs from the southwest of the country to the far northeast – more precisely from Basel to Rügen – and takes you through various landscapes you may never have heard of.
If you want to get to know Germany from a completely different side and bring enough time and stamina to ride 1,652 kilometers and many, many meters of elevation, this tour is perfect for you.
This bikepacking tour is NOT a long-distance cycling route and not an organized event! You can buy a travel guide, access the route on Komoot, and there is also a Facebook group and numerous experience reports to help you plan.
The Bikepacking Route “Trans Germany” at a glance:
- 1652 km, 20,000 meters of elevation
- Self-supported tour
- Duration: at least 12 days
- Bike recommendation: Gravel bike, a light mountain bike hardtail also works
- Info: https://www.baselona.de/de/
Germany has many beautiful corners for bikepacking tours at all levels to offer. Image © Ralf Schanze
Gravel Destination Haßberge
An entire region awaits kilometer-hungry bikepackers here! It impresses right at first glance with its gravel tracks, idyllic mixed forests, gentle hilly landscapes, and nature-friendly forest paths with rapid descents as well as challenging climbs to countless castles and castle ruins.
Gravel Routes for Every Taste
The entire essence of the region has been captured by the gravel enthusiasts of the Haßberge in ten highlight loops to follow. Tours such as "Castles, Beer, and Biking" have been created, where you gravel over 43.9 kilometers to eight different castles and castle ruins. Several inns and beer gardens, where you can reward yourself with typical Franconian cold drinks, are also on the tour, as the name already promises.
Information about the Gravel Region Hassberge:
- There are many different gravel routes in the region
- Information on Komoot
- Information from the Tourism Association
Gravel fun in the cultural landscape of the Haßberge Nature Park © Ralf Schanze
HanseGravel – In the Footsteps of the Hanseatics
The journey is the destination – for no other mode of transport is this as true as for cycling. For the HanseGravel this is even more true, as the route mostly follows the beautiful Hanseatic Trail, which connects the two Hanseatic cities of Hamburg and Szczecin. You will be repeatedly amazed at how lonely, remote, and beautiful the path between two major cities can be.
It is also advisable to complete the route in a few stages or take your time. The most important thing is the route, and you can find it, for example at Komoot.
Information about the bikepacking route:
- Self-supported tour
- 605 km
- Route: Hamburg – Szczecin
- 7 sections are recommended
- The sections end in cities, so you can head to a hotel or campsite
- Information: https://hansegravel.com/
You can take your tent with you or stay overnight in hotels or guesthouses along the way.
Rothaarsteig
The Sauerland is especially known among bikers for its bike parks. But enduring nature lovers also get their money's worth here – bikepacking is perfectly possible in the Sauerland. For example, on the Rothaarsteig. The approximately 154-kilometer-long route offers enough material for a three-day trail adventure with great views, picturesque reservoirs, refreshing springs, and real highlights like the bike park in Winterberg or the high heath near Willingen.
Along the way, you will definitely find the right accommodation, from campsites to comfortable hotels, so you can plan your overnight stays according to your taste.
Information about the route:
- 154 km, 3400 meters of elevation
- approximately 3 days
- various accommodation options along the route
- Information about the bikepacking route is available on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/collection/565/3-tage-trail-action-auf-dem-rothaarsteig
Bikepacking with the Mountain Bike
Bikepacking is, of course, not tied to a specific type of bike, but there are logically tours that are perfect for gravel bikes, road bikes, or even mountain bikes. Germany has a lot of elevation to offer, and when the terrain gets rougher and the climbs more challenging, a hardtail is just the right vehicle for bikepacking tours. We have tested MTB bikepacking routes for you that promise pure adventure, from long weekends to complete bike trips. We've put together a few particularly beautiful ones for you here.
Alone in Wald or in a group... Germany is an excellent spot for bikepacking tours!
The Stoneman Trail in the Ore Mountains
The Stoneman Trail is almost a classic. It takes you through the beautiful Ore Mountains, and the special thing about this bikepacking tour in eastern Germany is that a proper "biker infrastructure" has developed around the route. So, in all the places you pass through, you will find hosts who have specifically catered to the needs of Stoneman riders and can offer you, for example, a bike wash, a workshop, a particularly sumptuous biker breakfast, and above all, complete understanding for you and your hobby.
You can already see: The Stoneman is particularly suitable for you if you don't necessarily want to camp but prefer to sleep with a roof over your head. With light luggage, you can especially enjoy the trails along the way.
The route is 162 kilometers long – whether you take it as a non-stop challenge or prefer to plan it as a relaxed multi-day tour is entirely up to you.
Information about the bikepacking route:
- 162 km, 4400 meters of elevation
- the route passes through Germany and the Czech Republic
- a single trail park is part of the route
- there are dates for guided tours on the route
- Information: https://www.stoneman-miriquidi.com/
- Route on Komoot: https://www.komoot.com/de-de/collection/501/der-stoneman-trail-im-erzgebirge
Trans Bayerwald
It doesn't always have to be an Alpine crossing – the Bavarian Wald, for example, also has everything to offer that even demanding bikepackers need to be happy: breathtaking landscapes, magnificent views, total seclusion, plenty of elevation, and of course, great trails and paths. The "Trans Bayerwald" brings all this together in two challenging bikepacking routes that you can optimally plan as 7-day tours.
There is a southern route and a northern route – if you can't get enough, you can of course also tackle them as a round trip. A special treat for all gravity fans: Along the way, you pass the legendary MTB Zone Bikepark Geißkopf – it's worth pitching your tent a little longer here.
Information about this bikepacking region:
- 13 tour suggestions between Furth im Wald and Passau
- can be ridden consecutively as a loop
- 13 days are estimated for all
- 699 km, 14,990 meters of elevation
- You can order a starter package that helps with the organization of the tours
- Information about the Trans-Bayerwald routes can be found on Komoot
Trans Teuto
Who would have thought: Even in the far north of Germany, a quite hilly bikepacking adventure is no problem. This is ensured by the Teutoburg Wald, one of the northernmost low mountain ranges in Germany. The "Teuto" bikepacking route is not particularly long and high, but so hilly that you can really exert yourself on the approximately 140-kilometer-long tour.
If you don't want to camp, you can almost always quickly reach a town with accommodation options by simply making a small detour "down from the ridge." The Teutoburg Wald is thus perfect for all northerners and those who want to get a taste of the bikepacking business.
Overview information:
- 147 km, 3060 meters of elevation
- trained bikers can complete the tour in one go, for a "leisurely" pace you should plan about 3 days
- further information: The Trans-Teuto on Komoot
If you push yourself, the "Trans Teuto" is perfect for a long weekend.
Bikepacking Events in Germany: Organized Tours
Whether mountain or gravel bike – bikepacking means freedom. But if you don't want to dive into the adventure completely alone, we recommend a group tour. Germany is densely populated, so you're never too far from civilization, but going completely solo isn't for everyone! At a bikepacking event, you'll meet like-minded people and you can be sure that someone has put a lot of thought into the route. There are more and more well-organized bikepacking events, and we'd like to briefly recommend a few here:
