Bicycle the Best of Bavaria Plus! Munich

Highlights: Rothenburg’s market square, the Town Hall and the Medieval town

Welcome to the fascinating Medieval village of Rothenburg. Perched high above the meanders of the Tauber River, surrounded by its 14th and 15th century walls, Rothenburg looks perfectly preserved although the town center was rebuilt after WWII. After fitting bikes this afternoon we’ll gather for introductions and dinner together.

Highlights: Loop ride to Creglingen, cellar visit, explore Rothenburg

Take your time to enjoy this fabulous medieval city and the views it offers of the Tauber valley. Today we have a relaxing ride towards Creglingen cycling our first miles on the famous Romantische Strasse along the Tauber River. Explore Creglingen with its half-timbered houses, before heading back through Bavaria’s picturesque countryside. After the ride, there is still plenty of time to enjoy the market center and the streets lined with Gothic and half-timber houses, and take a tour on the walls of the city, or explore them on your own. This afternoon we will visit a special cellar with a beautiful collection of rare varietals. Then we will continue our wine education and meet one of the last vintners in Rothenburg, who just so happens to own our hotel.

Highlights: Medieval towns of Feuchtwangen and Dinkelsbühl

We ride over undulating farmlands from one fairy tale village to another today. In contrast to Rothenburg on the Tauber, Dinkelsbühl is indeed nearly perfectly preserved from the middle ages. As early as the 11th century, the town was a major center at the intersection of two medieval trade routes. Tonight is another opportunity to enjoy the rewards of a good handcrafted German kitchen at our top rated hotel restaurant.

Highlights: Ries Basin meteor impact crater, medieval town of Donauwörth, Danube River, brewery visit

The landscape changes today as we pedal across the 12-17 mile wide, nearly circular Ries Basin. Unlike most of the areas we bike, which are a mixture of forests and farmlands, the geology of this area doesn’t allow rich forest lands. We are back in the “typical” landscape of Bavaria as we approach historic Donauwörth on the banks of the Danube, western Europe’s longest river. We will visit an award-winning brewery and taste some of their natural, local beers before suggesting some great restaurants for dinner on your own this evening.

Highlights: Lech River, the Cassian Way, Augsburg

Our ride today takes us up the Lech River valley to Augsburg, which was founded by the Roman emperor Augustus in 15 BC. Among the many things to see here, we recommend visiting the Augsburg cathedral and the Fuggerei. Established in 1516, the Fuggerei is the world’s oldest social housing project. You’ll want to see Augsburg’s famous watchtower as well. We’ll enjoy dinner together this evening.

Highlights: Landsberg, the “Bavarian Gate”

As we bicycle from Augsburg to Landsberg we are back in the forests and farmlands, which are densely settled with small villages and hamlets all along the way. Under the Holy Roman Empire in the medieval period, Landsberg was a fortified border town separating the duchy of Swabia from that of Bavaria. Historic walls, towers and gates define the architecture of the community, including one of the best town gates in Germany, the “Bavarian Gate.”

Highlights: The ancient Claudia Augusta Way, Rosshaupten

Today we continue to parallel the Lech River and the ancient Claudia Augusta Way, which eventually became the medieval trade route that gave its name to the “Romantic Way.” Our destination is Füssen. The town sits near King Ludwig’s most famous castle, Neuschwanstein, at the foot of the Austrian Alps. We’ll enjoy a special farewell dinner for those who end their bicycle journey of Bavaria here.

Highlights: Füssen, Neuschwanstein Castle, Alps and lakes views

The “faux” medieval Neuschwanstein Castle was built by “Fairy Tale” King Ludwig in the late 19th century and is one of the most famous attractions in southern Germany. A predecessor and inspiration for the Disney-style castles that have captured the imagination of children for a century and a half. We’ll pedal to the castle for a 35-minute guided visit. Afterwards, those who wish can continue along the loop for more spectacular views of the Alps while others can return to Füssen on a shorter ride.

Highlights: Authentic Bavarian countryside; bike paths; many lakes

We dive deep into authentic Bavaria today, pedaling through rural farmland and traditional Bavarian farm houses. We’ll be passing along lots of small lakes which dot the landscape, as we pedal on a mix of rural roads as well as bike paths. Our destination today was a retreat for the Munich-based “Blaue Reiter,” a short-lived (1911-1914) artistic movement founded by Expressionist painters Vassilli Kandinsky and Franz Marc. Their gathering location, the Russenhaus, hid many of the artists paintings during the Nazi era. Today their works are visible at the Enbachhaus Museum in Munich.

Highlights: Cycling along Starnberger Lake; entering Munich, capital of Bayern.

Following in the footsteps of the German Expressionists, our ride contours the Starnberger Lake and then the Isar River before entering the capital of Bavaria: Munich. The landscape will transition from rural countryside to increasingly residential areas before we take a bike path to enter the center of the city! This part of Upper Bavaria was also of inspiration to Nobel Prize winner Heisenberg, one of the founders of quantum mechanics. He said that reading Plato in the Bavarian Alps was one of his fonts of inspiration!

Highlights: Guided city walk of Munich

We’ll enjoy a guided city walk this morning before saying “auf Wiederschaun.”