Inspiring Germany
Off on an adventure, on a picturesque road trip!
Are you looking for a photogenic road trip? Shift down a gear and enjoy laid-back travel through Germany's most beautiful landscapes. Treetop trails, standing stones, silver mines or even a whole fish-route await you along the way!
Some say freedom is on the road. Pack what you like, set off after a lie-in and stop where you please. This is a very relaxing way to explore a country, especially for families. There are wonderful travel routes in Germany: you can drive on state highways or small side roads and decide for yourself how far you want to travel in one day. Do you want to go up high? Then you'll be sure to enjoy the breathtaking high altitude tours of the German Alpine Roads. Do you love winding roads? Then you'll love the Moselle Slate Road. Otherwise, head off in your campervan or car - and look: we have some route suggestions for you!
Tip: you can also experience many of these routes on foot or by bike.
Rhine-Romantic Route: from Cologne to Mainz
The Rhine is the longest river in Germany, and along its banks lie an extraordinary number of sights. Last but not least, it flows through four remarkably beautiful wine-growing regions of Germany: the Middle Rhine, the Rheingau, Rhinehessen and the Palatinate. Running from Cologne to Mainz, the Rhine-Romantic Route covers an impressive stretch across Germany. Along the Rhine you'll pass pretty towns, numerous castles, palaces and wine villages. The "Deutsches Eck" (German Corner) in Koblenz, the Marksburg, and the highest cold water geyser in the world, in Andernach, are worth stopping off for along this route. Between Koblenz and Bingen, the Rhine Valley runs deep and winds between high gorges. Can you find the Loreley rock?
The German Alpine Road: from Berchtesgaden to Lake Constance
Of course, this route is also a great experience going in the other direction. Plan your route however you like, but allow at least eight days so you can enjoy each stop. Because there is a lot to see and experience on this unique road trip along the German Alpine Road. An accessible treetop path with a view of the Alps and Lake Constance, alpine dairies where you can try delicious cheeses, a gondola ride up the Zugspitze, or a boat trip on the Königssee, with its world-famous pilgrimage church of St. Bartholomä. This route is particularly suitable for electric vehicles, as there are more than 300 public charging stations along the whole route.
Chasing silver on the Saxon-Bohemian Silver Road
Travel in the footsteps of more than 800 years of mining history! Experience the Ore Mountains along the Silver Road, connecting towns and key sites of the region's centuries-old silver mining industry across 275 kilometres. Don't be surprised if you hear a friendly "Glück auf" here and there: mining and everything that it traditionally entails are still deeply engrained in the Erzgebirge Ore Mountains even today. Immerse yourself in its special atmosphere and explore this underground world on a trip into one of the many show mines. There is plenty to admire above ground as well: magnificent towns such as Ehrenfriedersdorf, Marienberg, Freital and the mining town of Freiberg, which is considered the ultimate silver town. You should definitely allow plenty of time to explore the state capital Dresden at the end of your trip!
Coastal Route "Hanseatic Cities and Sea Breezes"
The coast is calling: with day trips from Hamburg, Lübeck and Stralsund, you can experience 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 9 days. Start your trip in Hamburg's Speicherstadt, combined with a walk along the Binnen- or Aussenalster lakes. Depending on your mood, the following day you can enjoy an excursion to the Wadden Sea National Park or to an old Viking village with a border wall in the Archaeological Border Complex Hedeby. The route will take you to the Hanseatic city of Bremen with its 10 metre high statue of Roland in front of the historic town hall, to Lübeck with its landmark the Holstentor, to Wismar and to Stralsund, with its multitude of impressive brick Gothic buildings and baroque architecture. Ending at Stralsund, the last section takes you along a charming coastal landscape and leads perfectly into another adventure, to the world-famous chalk cliffs of the Jasmund National Park on the island of Rügen in the Baltic Sea – a perfect end to this unique tour.
Tip: the day trips along this route are very easy to reach by sustainable transport, so you can leave your car or motorhome at the starting points in Hamburg, Lübeck and Stralsund and still travel in comfort.
Moselle Slate Route: circular route through the Eifel and along the Moselle river
The 110-kilometre-long Moselle Slate Route connects the Vulkaneifel Geopark with the Moselle holiday region. This route takes you through a diverse landscape: you'll travel through the distinctive Moselle vineyards, across the volcanic landscape with its volcano park, to the heights of the Eifel. The region's slate tradition is what links these landscapes, with shiny black slate roofs to the left and right of every road here. Slate has been mined here since Roman times, and was shipped all over the world via the Moselle. Of course, you can adapt this tour as you wish in one direction or another, and discover even more charming landscapes, impressive buildings and interesting destinations around the Moselle slate region. Otherwise, the tour starts and finishes in Mayen, in the Vulkaneifel (Volcanic Eifel).
Stones with stories: travel the road of megalithic culture through the Emsland region
This Ferienstrasse is about 330 kilometres long and leads through northwest Germany, with over 33 archaeological sites en route. Obelix might spring to mind when you visit these stone giants. You will find more than 70 megalithic tombs from the Neolithic period – from around 3500 to 2800 B.C. – along this road. It passes through Osnabrück, Oldenburg and many small towns and villages along the way. This route aims to give travellers a better understanding of the lives of the people who lived in northwest Germany more than 5000 years ago. 33 themed sites focus on the function or construction of their graves, their ideas of the afterlife, understanding of nature and their everyday life.
German Fish-Lovers Route: from Bremerhaven to St. Peter Ording, via Hamburg
On this tour you can enjoy delicious North Sea fish and plenty of special maritime moments. This adventure route runs along a dike from Bremerhaven, along the Elbe via Cuxhaven, to Cranz in the Altes Land. On the other side of the Elbe, it continues from Hamburg-Blankenese to St. Peter Ording on the North Sea, via Brunsbüttel. The "Cuxland" – the region between the North Sea, the Elbe and the Weser – is very scenic. Time seems to slow down in the little cutter boat harbours of the traditional "Wurster Nordseeküste". Here you can marvel at all kinds of ships – big boats, luxury cruise ships or sailboats. It's especially nice with a fish sandwich in hand, leaning against a waterfront bollard. But yes, at some point you'll have to return to your car or campervan and drive on, still heading north...