Millions of Germans have hopped into the saddle during the coronavirus pandemic. But that can be a problem in big cities, where there is often not enough room for all road users.
Good bicycle paths are needed to get even more Germans to swap their car for a bikeImage: Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa/picture-alliance
Advertisement
A few years ago, cyclists in Germany could only look enviously at cities such as Amsterdam or Copenhagen, where bicycles have long been an integral part of everyday life.
But now, from narrow city streets to wide country roads, bicycles are everywhere in Germany. The number has increased dramatically in recent years, and in some urban areas, bikes are even beginning to be the dominant mode of transport.
Germany's most popular cycling routes
A cycling vacation is inexpensive and environmentally friendly. Here are the 10 most popular routes that wind through Germany.
Image: Katja Kreder/DUMONT/picture-alliance
Weser River Cycle Route
According to the ADFC's (German Bicycle Association) 2022 bike tour analysis, the most popular bike path in Germany is The Weser Cycle Route. The long-distance cycle path runs about 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the Weser Uplands hills to the North Sea, passing through six regions along the way, including Bremen, Bremerhaven, and Cuxland in the north.
Image: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa/picture alliance
Elbe River Cycle Path
It's not necessary to go on a multi-day trip to have a great adventure on your bicycle. There are many great one-day tours around Germany. According to the ADFC the Elbe River Cycle Path ranks second. It runs from the Krkonose Mountains via Dresden (pictured) to Cuxhaven near Hamburg.
Image: Peter Zimmermann/dpa/picture-alliance
Baltic Coast Cycle Route
Following the scent of the sea and the sound of the waves, the Baltic Coast Cycle Route runs more than 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from Flensburg in the north to Usedom on the Polish border in the east. Cities and towns worth seeing alternate with secluded stretches of coastline and bustling resorts. One highlight lies at the beginning of the route — the moated castle of Glücksburg (pictured).
Image: Sabine Lubenow/DUMONT/picture alliance
River Main Cycle Route
The cycle path begins in Upper Franconia where the Main River emerges and runs 600 kilometers (372 mi) to Mainz, where the river flows into the Rhine. It passes notable cities such as the old episcopal town of Würzburg and the beer city of Bamberg, with tiny villages and varied landscapes in between. The banking metropolis of Frankfurt with its skyscrapers also lies along the route (pictured).
Image: Udo Bernhart/picture alliance
Danube Cycle Route
The Danube Cycle Route is 2,840 kilometers (1764 mi) long from the source of the German Danube to its delta in Tulcea, Romania. Austria's capital, Vienna, is a definite highlight of the route, which includes a total of eight countries. It is relatively flat and passes through the German cities of Ulm and Passau (pictured), idyllic countryside, vineyards and castles.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Kreder
Moselle Cycle Route
The Moselle Cycle Path begins in the French city of Metz and ends in Koblenz in Rhineland Palatinate. Between them, the bike path winds its way along the Moselle River for around 310 kilometers (192 mi). Castles, ruins, vineyards and idyllic winegrowing villages line the way. A picnic with a glass of wine overlooking the river and vineyards is not to be missed.
Image: Helmut Corneli/picture alliance
Lake Constance Cycle Path
In southern Germany lies Lake Constance, which shares its shores between Germany, Austria and Switzerland. A 260-kilometer (161 mi) bike path leads around the lake past vineyards, idyllic towns and harbors. In the city of Konstanz, you can make a stop and stroll through the old town.
Image: Patrick Seeger/dpa/picture alliance
Lake Constance-Königssee Cycle Path
Lake Constance is not only a center for bicycle tours, but also a starting point to cycle all the way to Berchtesgadener Land. Starting in Lindau, the Lake Constance-Königssee Cycle Path crosses 453 kilometers (281 mi) along the Bavarian Alps all the way to Lake Königssee in the Berchtesgaden National Park. Quiet and emerald green, it nestles between towering rock faces ― well worth visiting.
The Altmühl Cycle Path starts in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a small Bavarian town with medieval flair. Not far away is the source of the Altmühl River, which the bike path follows along its meandering course. It passes largely natural, wide meadows, juniper heaths, wooded hills and bizarre rocks. Picturesque towns and castles make the idyll perfect.
Image: picture-alliance/Dumont Bildarchiv/E. Wrba
Rhine Cycle Route
From the source of the Rhine in Switzerland to its estuary in the North Sea near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the EuroVelo 15 runs alongside one of the busiest waterways in the world. It extends over 1,230 kilometers (764 mi) past picturesque locations, such as the Rheinau harbor in Cologne (pictured).
Image: Horst Ossinger/dpa/picture alliance
10 images1 | 10
Boost from the pandemic
The pandemic has given bicycles a further boost. In 2020, around a million more bikes were sold than the year before, an increase of around 35%, according to the German Bicycle Industry Association.
On average, people spent almost €1,000 ($1,217) on a new bicycle, more than twice as much as in 2010 (€460). This increase can partly be explained by the increased number of more expensive e-bikes.
During the restrictions brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, many people switched to bicycles, especially to avoid public transport. And while gyms, theaters and restaurants were closed and group sports were banned, a bike ride was always possible.
Electric Bikes Instead of Cars
05:07
This browser does not support the video element.
Transport minister backs bikes
Ahead of World Bicycle Day on June 3, German Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer presented his "Cycling Plan 3.0."
"We want to make Germany a cycling country," he said in April. "Coronavirus does not have many positives, but we do see one: a boom in cycling."
Scheuer now plans to provide tax incentives for the purchase of expensive bikes or e-bikes, just like train tickets. The minister from the Bavarian center-right CSU party has been criticized during his tenure for promoting more car traffic — but now he wants to double the number of cyclists in Germany by 2030. That would mean people cycling an average of around 3 kilometers a day, compared with 1 1/2 kilometers at the moment. The government plans to invest €1.46 billion in cycling infrastructure by 2023.
Bike boom on back of pandemic
02:05
This browser does not support the video element.
Conflicts between cars, pedestrians and cyclists
But if cars are forced to share the roads with even more bicycles, it could lead to problems. Pedestrians also often suffer when more cyclists use the sidewalks.
Many cities and municipalities are planning separate but expensive bike lanes, with large bike parking garages at stations, like the one that already exists in the city of Münster.
In addition, many bicycle bridges are planned to go over busy roads. And there are even bicycle highways in the works, such as in the western Ruhr region. Ultimately, this bicycle highway with wide cycleways in both directions will connect around 10 cities and be over 100 kilometers (62 miles) long.
Advertisement
'Shared mobility'
For renowned mobility researcher Andreas Knie, improved bike infrastructure is only part of the answer. Building expensive new bicycle lanes from the suburbs into the city center, as the city of Berlin is planning, will not address all the issues. Instead, the future is a model that Knie calls "shared mobility."
Knie himself owns neither a bicycle nor a car and believes that bike and car-sharing schemes need to be expanded.
"We'll have a lot more mobile work, and we'll have to learn to share cars, even in rural areas," he told DW. "And to rent bikes instead of owning them."
City dwellers take to their bikes because of coronavirus
03:30
This browser does not support the video element.
Accidents at traffic hubs
But until that happens, bike enthusiasts will continue to fight with car drivers over space on the road and places to park. And accidents occur primarily at busy traffic junctions, as a study by the Insurer's Organization of Accident Research shows.
According to the study, some 66% of all accidents that injure or kill cyclists in Germany take place at major road junctions. It could be a long time before Germany is truly bicycle-friendly.
This article has been translated from German.
While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society, with an eye toward understanding this year’s elections and beyond. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter Berlin Briefing, to stay on top of developments as Germany enters the post-Merkel era.
