The most beautiful gravel bike tours in Germany

Gravel biking is so "in". This may have to do with the freedom to whiz over gravelly ground in road bike mode and still sit almost comfortably in the saddle. Have you also discovered gravel for yourself? To help you plan your next cycling holiday, we have put together 10 of the most beautiful gravel bike tours in Germany for you. These gravel bike routes are spread almost all over Germany and offer the ideal opportunity to get to know our country from a new perspective. These include gravel road tours that you can complete in one day and those that you should take two to three days or more to complete. Have fun planning your gravel bike route!

Gravel is very popular in Germany

Based on a well-known advertising slogan, we could ask you: Are you still cycling or are you already gravelling? Because gravel biking, or in short: gravel has developed into an outdoor trend sport overnight. Many two-wheelers in Germany are now gravel bikes with their typical wide tires, disc brakes, shock-proof suspension elements and comfortable seating position. The sporty all-rounder can be considered a cross between cyclocross and road bike. The eponymous English term "gravel" stands for gravel. And so it is gravel roads, bumpy forest paths, but also asphalt roads on which you can really let off steam while gravel biking. Many regions have now been opened up for gravel and offer exciting themed routes or package bike tours for off-road racing bikes. We present the 10 most beautiful gravale bike tours in Germany below. Maybe you will also find worthwhile gravel bike routes for your next cycling holiday.

The 10 most beautiful gravel bike tours in Germany:

Gravel road tours in the Ruhr area

The slag heaps in the Ruhr area, which are not particularly attractive for some contemporaries, offer the perfect gravel bike adventure. The Ruhr area is full of such gravel roads of montane origin, which also include asphalt roads and forest paths. Highly recommended is gravel biking over the slag heaps of northern Germany, Pattberg and Rheinpreußen on the Haldencross Tour (49 kilometres) - in addition to the 53-kilometre route through the Kirchgelder Heide, gravel bike tours through the Hohe Mark (50 kilometres), through the district of Recklinghausen (50 kilometres) and the Ennepe circuit (45 kilometres) as a first-class temptation for off-road cycling.

Bikepacking routes in southern Germany

Gravel bike tours as overnight adventures have a special appeal when they lead from one city to the next over two or three days. First the gravel road, then the enjoyment of a romantic city tour. For example, from Heidelberg to Pforzheim, from Karlsruhe to Heilbronn or from Mannheim to Stuttgart. These gravel bike tours in the south of Germany include an overnight stay and are about 130 to 170 kilometers long. Because you have to gravel for around six hours a day on all kinds of terrain and climb a total of up to 2,000 metres in altitude, you should already have experience with off-road bike tours.

Outdoor cycling in the river valley

The Altmühl Valley is a peaceful and idyllic landscape in Bavaria. Along the Danube and Altmühl rise the heights of the Jura, where gravel bike tours in picturesque river landscapes await you. Over a distance of around 240 kilometres, it takes three to four days past old castles and enchanted villages. And while you enjoy downhill passages, the gentle Altmühl always murmurs down in the valley. You can gravel here the bikepacker way or spend the night in a rustic country inn with more comfort. Caution: What looks so smooth on the map can turn out to be one or two sweaty climbs off-road.

Gravel biking through the low mountain range forest

For the ancient Romans, the Teutoburg Forest was not a good address. Modern outdoot fans, however, can explore a total of 140 kilometers of nature trails on a gravel bike on the TransTeuto Trail and have fun. This should be feasible in three days. The requirements are far from alpine, but still not for beginners. The low mountain range offers gravel bike tours with crisp inclines that reward you with magnificent views. The most important sights include the Dörenther Klippen, the charming Bad Iburg, the majestic Externsteine near Horn-Bad Meinberg and of course the imposing Hermann Monument near Detmold.

Gravel along the Baltic Sea coast

Let's take a leap to the coast: The Hanse Gravel Trail between Hamburg and Szczecin is a really long tour. The gravel adventure stretches over 605 kilometers and runs along the historic coastal trade route of the old Hanseatic cities. Because Szczecin is now part of the Republic of Poland, not all stages of these gravel bike tours are in Germany. You are on the road for a maximum of seven days, even have to overcome gradients of 16 percent on the coast and can look forward to a lot of sandy soil and plenty of gravel roads - the real pleasure of gravel biking.

Gravel biking in the Ore Mountains

What is considered an Eldorado for mountain bikers can't be wrong for gravel either. The best example is the Stoneman Trail in the Saxon Ore Mountains. The 162-kilometre route begins at Germany's highest spa town of Oberwiesenthal. Gravel biking takes you through a fascinating landscape that has been shaped by silver mining for centuries. There are no gravelly slag heaps here like in the Ruhr area. To do this, you have to master a stately ascent, which will lead you to the summit of the panoramic Keilberg, among other things. You should definitely bring some driving skills and stamina with you!

Gravel between rivers and lakes

The gravel bike tours marketed by regional tourism associations also include the gravel road tours of the Inn-Salzach region. There, they have thought about creating varied themed routes beyond the pure nature experience. These include the Ice Age Tour (34 kilometres), the Inn Joyride (34 kilometres) or the Three Lakes Tour (55 kilometres). These gravel bike routes were designed as day tours that appeal more to pleasure bikers than uncompromisingly performance-oriented gravel fans. What counts here is the experience in the dreamlike landscape. The pace is less important.

Off-road bike tours on lonely paths

If you don't live there, you've probably never or rarely heard of the Rothaar Mountains. It is located in the Sauerland region and offers surprising scenic highlights not only for gravel biking. Here you have it more relaxed and contemplative when gravel skiing, you can unwind and still exhaust yourself in fragrant mountain forests or mysterious swamps. The trail through the Rothaargebirge is 154 kilometreslong and can be completed in up to five days, depending on your ability and good will. Good to know: Mass crowds are not to be expected there.

The gravel festival in the foothills of the Alps

Do you want to gravel with like-minded people, celebrate and have a good time? Numerous gravel bike festivals are ideal for this. A particularly beautiful one is held in summer in Bad Kohlgrub at the foot of the Alps. On this spectacle, called "The Gravel Fest", guests from all over Germany embark on up to 150-kilometre-long gravel bike tours across the foothills of the Alps, around the Staffelsee and deep into the Ammergau Alps Nature Park. You can be sure that the organizers have chosen daring gravel roads, crunching river gravel and root-strewn forest floors to their heart's content. In the evening, you can relax around the campfire and experience the colorful festival program.

Outdoor cycling on the outskirts of Berlin

One of the most beautiful gravel bike tours in Germany is also a route that serves the motto: "Get out of the big city, into nature". It leads through the Grunewald forest just outside the gates of the metropolis of Berlin and is a moderate 42 kilometres long. The destination of this gravel road tour is the Wannsee, where you can dive into the cool water on hot summer days after extensive gravel. Excursion restaurants are just as much a matter of course as the possibility of a car-free journey to the starting point from Berlin.