Hello everyone!
I’m planning a ~2week trip from Copenhagen in July, heading south (credit card touring with a gravel bike). I haven’t cycled there before, so I’m asking you guys for help. I have thought about two routes (see pictures) but I’m open for other suggestions.
Thank you in advance:)
by Octopuzzey
4 Comments
The route to Amsterdam really doesn’t offer much to see. It’s by and large very flat land with lots of agriculture and small settlements. Hamburg, Bremen, Amsterdam should be the highlights, in my opinion.
The route to Prague should have a more varied landscape and perhaps also more interesting cities along the way.
Some other ideas:
Copenhagen to Berlin is a popular route, as is following the Elbe river (which I guess you’d already be doing partially on the route to Prague. The former inner-German border is also being developed as a cycling route, which has its charm. I don’t know how good any of these are for gravel cycling specifically.
If you intend to ride from Copenhagen to Prague, you may consider riding the cycle route along the Elbe from Hamburg almost the entire way to Prague instead of the route you have drawn there. It’s sign-posted reasonably well (in some regions better than in others) and even without those signs it’s almost impossible to get lost because you are just following the Elbe upstream. Don’t even need navigation or anything.
Following the cycle route has the advantage of finding pubs, accomodation and camping sites along the way a lot easier, some of which are specifically oriented towards bicycle travellers. Note that camping in the wilderness in Germany is generally unwelcome in most federal states.
I rode a part of the Elbe route last week on my first big bike tour and the parts that weren’t construction sites were really nice.
In July I’m doing exactly the opposite trip. I’m heading directly North from Prague up the Oder-Neisse cycle route, then taking the Swinoujscie-Trelleborg ferry and then a train from Malmo.
I recommend you to go along the Elbe in Germany.
In Denmark i did this part between Kopenhagen and Rödby several times. It’s pretty boring.