The Elbe Cycle Route

Mike Wells has been a keen long-distance walker and cyclist for over 25 years. He has walked all the major British trails, the GR5 through the Alps from Lake Geneva to the Mediterranean and has explored the Italian Dolomites' Alta Via routes. He has also walked in Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Norway and Chilean Patagonia. Mike has cycled the C2C route across northern England and Lon Las Cymru in Wales, as well as the Camino and Ruta de la Plata to Santiago de la Compostela. He has completed an end to end traverse of Cuba, a circumnavigation of Iceland and a trip across Lapland to the North Cape.

Map key

Overview map

Route summary table

Suggested schedules

Introduction

Historical background

Natural environment

The route

Preparation

Getting there and back

Navigation

Accommodation

Food and drink

Amenities and services

What to take

Safety and emergencies

Using this guide

The route

Bohemia

Prologue Vrchlabí to Elbe spring

Stage 1 Elbe spring to Hostinn&##xe9;

Stage 2 Hostinn&##xe9; to Jarom??

Stage 3 Jarom?? to Pardubice

Stage 4 Pardubice to Kolín

Stage 5 Kolín to Nymburk

Stage 6 Nymburk to Prague

Stage 7 Prague to M?lník

Stage 7A L&##xe1;zn? Touše? to M?lník (avoiding Prague)

Stage 8 M?lník to Litom??ice

Stage 9 Litom??ice to D??ín

Stage 10 D??ín to Bad Schandau

Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt

Stage 11 Bad Schandau to Dresden

Stage 12 Dresden to Meissen

Stage 13 Meissen to Riesa

Stage 14 Riesa to Torgau

Stage 15 Torgau to Wittenberg

Stage 16 Wittenberg to Dessau

Stage 17 Dessau to Barby

Stage 18 Barby to Magdeburg

Stage 19 Magdeburg to Rogätz

Stage 20 Rogätz to Tangermünde

Stage 21 Tangermünde to Havelberg

Stage 22 Havelberg to Wittenberge

Stage 23 Wittenberge to Dömitz

Lower Saxony

Stage 24 Dömitz to Bleckede

Stage 25 Bleckede to Geesthacht

Stage 26 Geesthacht to Hamburg

Stage 27 Hamburg to Stade

Stage 28 Stade to Freiburg

Stage 29 Freiburg to Cuxhaven

Appendix A Facilities summary

Appendix B Tourist information offices

Appendix C Youth hostels

Appendix D Ferries, lifting bridges and chairlifts

Appendix E Useful contacts

Appendix F Language glossary