Saale, Ilm & Unstrut Cycle Path

A fabulous trio!

Historic castles and palaces, colourful wildflower meadows, deep green forests, tranquil vineyards and unspoilt rivers: experience unforgettable cycle tours along the Saale, Ilm and Unstrut rivers.

The Saale Cycle Route takes you to the university and optics city of Jena, the cathedral city of Naumburg and the Handel city of Halle. On the Ilm, you can experience ‘classical Weimar’ with Goethe and Schiller, as well as dreamy wine-growing areas along the river.

On the Unstrut, we recommend a visit to the Rotkäppchen sparkling wine cellars and the Nebra Ark. The visitor centre is dedicated to the Nebra Sky Disk, the first pictorial representation of the night sky.

Sights along the Oder-Neisse Cycle Path

Immerse yourself in the medieval history of the region on the Saale Cycle Route and enjoy the Mediterranean flair of the Saale-Unstrut wine region! Countless castles and palaces adorn the canyon that the Saale has carved into the slate mountains here. Romantic vineyards and steep terraces dominate the landscape.

On your Saale cycle tour, you will pass through the university and science city of Jena, the cathedral city of Naumburg and the Handel city of Halle, among others. If you follow the Saale Cycle Route through the ‘Lower Saale Valley’ nature park to Magdeburg, you will leave the Saale at Barby, where it flows into the Elbe.

More information about Saale, Ilm and Unstrut

• Location / Length: The Saale Cycle Route begins at the source of the Saale at the Großer Waldstein and runs for just over 400 kilometres through Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt to where the Saale flows into the Elbe at Barby. Here, the Saale Cycle Route merges into the Elbe Cycle Route. The Ilm and Unstrut rivers flow into the Saale one after the other.
• Route: The bike path, which has been excellently developed over long distances, often runs very close to the river. Starting from the Upper Lusatia in the south to the National Park Lower Oder Valley you can look forward to flat bike paths and other landscapes - a cycling pleasure for beginners and connoisseurs! North of the stage location Schwedt, the route of the Oder-Neisse cycle path becomes a little hilly, but all the more interesting.
• Difficulty level / track character: The cycle paths along the Saale, Ilm and Unstrut rivers are well signposted and in excellent condition. For cyclists, this means excellent rideability and detailed signage.
• Signage / Logo: The Saale Cycle Route logo shows a stylised cyclist against a white and blue background with the word ‘SAALE’ above it.
  The Ilmtal Cycle Route is marked with a white square logo with a stylised black cyclist in the middle against a green and blue wave. The blue represents the Ilm river and the green represents the Thuringian landscape. The words ‘ILMTAL’ are written above the image.
  The Unstrut Cycle Route is marked with a square logo showing a cyclist in a blue ‘U’. The word ‘UNSTRUT’ is displayed above it.