Travel report: Altmühltal cycle path - the classic from Rothenburg to Regensburg
From our guests Sabine and Konrad
Danube breakthrough
Our journey to Rothenburg ob der Tauber was great. We arrived at our hotel around midday. We had enough time to look around this beautiful, romantic little town. The weather was fine and we explored the town. A walk along the town wall is also a must. Our hotel was great and after dinner, we started our tour with the night watchman.
Show more Show lessRothenburg - Ansbach
After a hearty breakfast, we set off on our first stage to Ansbach. We opted for the northern route and there was only a short climb to contend with. The landscape was beautiful and we passed the Altmühl spring. It's actually just a lake, but we had imagined it differently.
As the journey progressed, we came to Colmberg Castle. From up here we had a great view of the area. We later reached Ansbach. This is a larger town and there was plenty to see. Our hotel was great and we spent a lovely evening in Ansbach.
Ansbach - Wettelsheim
Today we had our longest route and the weather didn't quite play along. We took the Ansbach cycle path and joined the Altmühltal cycle path along the Altmühl. That was very nice.
We came to Muhr am See. There was a bird island to visit. We crossed a bridge and immersed ourselves in the world of birds. This was well worth seeing. We reached our next destination, Wettelsheim, along the Altmühl and on a beautiful cycle path. We stopped off at a cozy inn with a beer garden.
Wettelsheim - Wasserzell
Today's cycle route was the most beautiful of the whole tour for us. First, we visited Pappenheim Castle. Then the landscape changed. The Altmühl flowed through many bends in the narrow valley, with many limestone rocks to the right and left, including the "12 Apostles", a very impressive limestone formation.
Our hotel today was just before Eichstätt. However, we drove to Eichstätt because this university town is absolutely worth seeing. We spent a lovely afternoon. Unfortunately, the cathedral was closed for renovation work, but it was also well worth seeing from the outside. We then drove back to Wasserzell.
Pappenheim Castle
Wasserzell - Beilngries
After breakfast, we set off on the next route, which was also beautiful. We almost always cycled along the Altmühl and the cycle path was well signposted. There were lots of canoeists on the Altmühl
You could visit castles and museums and almost at the end of the route, we reached a beautiful swimming lake. Too bad it wasn't warm enough. We would have loved to take a swim there.
Now we reached Beilngries. The whole town was decorated with colorful balloons. These had been hung up to welcome the guests. The little town had been closed for so long due to coronavirus and still thrives on tourism. There was also a lot to see there and the sun was shining brightly from the sky.
Beilngries
Beilngries - Kelheim
The first stage took us to Dietfurt. The small town is also known as the "Chinese town". Now we could choose whether we wanted to cycle along the Altmühl or along the Main-Danube Canal. This stage was completely different again. We cycled as far as Riedenburg. There were several castles to visit. But they were high up on the mountain. The "Tatzlwurm" wooden bridge was very interesting and we were particularly impressed by the little village of Essing. The houses were built directly into the mountain and could be reached via a bridge. At the end of the tour, we drove to the Liberation Hall. There was a great view of the Danube, well worth seeing.
Eating
Liberation Hall Kelheim
Kelheim - Regensburg
We got up very early and were looking forward to the boat trip to the Danube Gorge and Weltenburg Abbey. The boat trip was very impressive and the ship wasn't too full in the morning. Weltenburg Abbey is a must-see on this trip and we really enjoyed it. After a short return trip by boat, we continued our journey by bike. Today's stage was the shortest.
We now cycled along the Danube cycle path. The Danube is much bigger than the Altmühl and so every route was different. We reached Regensburg in the early afternoon. The city is so big and there was so much to see. St. Peter's Cathedral is also well worth a visit. We could have easily stayed here for another day, but unfortunately, our cycle tour was now over.
After a good breakfast in the morning, we took the bus back to Rothenburg and continued by car home.
We would like to thank Radweg-Reisen for the excellent and, as always, professional organization of this cycle tour. It will not be our last trip.
Weltenburg Monastery
Regensburg
