©
Monastery Gardens Route, © I. Jansen, Kulturland Kreis Höxter

In­sider tips - Cyc­ling

On a cyc­ling tour of dis­cov­ery

We have some more sur­prises on of­fer: our in­sider tips for cyc­lists of­fer new views and in­sights - in­to Ro­man his­tory, in­dus­tri­al cul­ture amd rur­al idylls. Simply get on your bike and cycle off - the tours are there wait­ing for you!

Have you already cycled the Vennbahn route from Aachen to Belgium and Luxembourg via Monschau, and do you know every palace along the 100 Palaces Route in the Münsterland region like the back of your hand? Then it's time for our insider tips for cyclists in Your NRW. The Water Palaces Route, for example, travels along the edge of the Eifel region and the “Kölner Bucht” through the region that boasts the largest number of water palaces and castles in Europe. The 470-kilometre route passes 120 castles and palaces, as well as various historic town centres, monasteries and mills.

Flamingos in the wild

During the spring and summer, the Flamingo Route in the Münsterland region is a special insider tip for cyclists. Even if newcomers might not believe it, the tour really does lead to flamingos. These long-legged birds have made the Zwillbrocker Venn fenlands their home, making them Europe’s northernmost flamingo breeding colony. Usually they can be seem from March to July, and in successful breeding years until September, and can be observed particularly well from turrets specially built for the purpose. The entire round cycling route extends over 450 kilometres, and like all cycle paths in the Münsterland region passes almost solely through the plains, making it easy for less well-trained cyclists. As well as the flamingos, the route also offers attractive towns and villages, palaces and stately homes.

www.muensterland-tourismus.de

A great destination for nature fans is the Bislicher Insel island near Xanten. The nature reserve is one of the last water meadow landscapes in Germany, offering a home to numerous kinds of birds and rare water plants. Cyclists can follow the 2.5 kilometre-long trail across the island. A bicycle ferry also stops close by, allowing the tour to be combined with other tours on the Lower Rhine.

By bike through the city

For people who prefer an urban environment, one option is the Bundesviertel-Route, or governmental district route, through Bonn. With its 20-kilometre length, it is ideal for a day trip - particularly since there’s still enough time to visit one of the many museums or simply enjoy the cosy flair of this beautiful city on the Rhine. The route itself connects numerous interesting, historic locations that have played a part in the Federal Republic of Germany past and present, such as the official Bonn residence of the Federal Chancellor and the President, the Palais Schaumburg and the Villa Hammerschmidt.

www.bonn-international.org

Here, you’ll find more insider tips for cyclists. Choose your route and explore Your NRW by bike.
 

Balkan­trasse Cycle Path

On the tracks of the Balkan Ex­press rail­way

A con­veni­ent way to see the sights: the Balkan­trasse leads cyc­lists to the Rhine low­lands along a dis­used rail­way line.

Level of difficulty: intermediate

Read more

Möhne Val­ley Cycle Path

Flat cyc­ling ter­rain through Sauer­land

While cyc­ling through Sauer­land is gen­er­ally de­mand­ing, the flat Möh­net­al-Rad­weg (Möhne Val­ley Cycle Path), which fol­lows a for-mer rail­way track, is not so.

Level of difficulty: easy

Read more

Mon­as­tery Gar­dens Route

A tour of mon­as­tery gar­dens in­clud­ing Schloss Cor­vey

Dis­cov­er me­di­ev­al secrets on a cyc­ling tour of mon­as­tery gar­dens in­clud­ing Schloss Cor­vey and the Wil­low Palace in Rheder.

Level of difficulty: intermediate

Read more

River Eder Cycle Path

The en­tire length of the Eder from the source in the Rothaarge­birge

With no ma­jor as­cents, the River Eder Cycle Path is ideal for fam­il­ies and leis­ure cyc­lists.

Level of difficulty: easy

Read more

Wa­ter Quin­tet Cycle Path

Five reser­voirs on one cycle route

Low-gradi­ent rail­way lines al­low cyc­lists to dis­cov­er Ber­gisches Land at a leis­urely pace. The Wa­ter Quin­tet Cycle Path re­wards cy-clists with beau­ti­ful views.

Level of difficulty: intermediate

Read more

Dis­cov­er Rat­in­gen by bike

Tex­tile mu­seum, palaces and castles

Palaces and castles, his­tor­ic old towns and tran­quil nat­ur­al land-scapes – Rat­in­gen has it all. Cyc­lists al­ways have something new to dis­cov­er on a choice of themed routes.

Read more

Re­laxed cyc­ling in Mün­ster­land

A cyc­ling net­work of paths and zones

Cyc­ling by num­bers in Mün­ster­land: this mostly flat net­work of cycle paths of­fers good sign­post­ing, a wide range of places to eat and many in­ter­est­ing sights.

Read more

River Niers Cycle Path

A re­lax­ing route for leis­ure cyc­lists and fam­il­ies

An ideal cycle route for fam­il­ies and leis­ure cyc­lists: ex­plor­ing the en­tire length of the River Niers as it winds through the Lower Rhine re­gion.

Read more