Radrunde Oberfranken

In Oberfranken, there is a well-developed network of cycling paths. 'The youngest child' of the cycling region is the Radrunde Oberfranken, which runs between the Main cycle path in the west and the Saale cycle path in the east. The Radrunde Oberfranken unveils the most beautiful and significant sights of the region. The starting point is in Bamberg – the city is known as the Franconian beer city with its 12 breweries and over 1,000 historical monuments as a historical jewel. On the way through the Coburg land, you will visit the picturesque timber-framed town of Seßlach and pass the Tambach wildlife park. In the beautiful city of Coburg, a climb to the mighty fortress, also known as the 'Franconian Crown', is worthwhile. Afterward, you will reach the spa town of Bad Rodach and head towards the still quite lonely region of the former German-German border with views of the Thuringian Forest. The toy city of Neustadt near Coburg, the water castle of Mitwitz, and the half-timbered town of Kronach are interesting stops. In the Frankenwald Nature Park, you will tackle some steeper climbs. Shortly after the old spa town of Bad Steben, you will drive through one of the most beautiful gorges in Germany, the Höllental. Along the Saale, you will then arrive in Hof, where there is a rich array of cultural events and the oldest citizen park in Germany. Passing by the three-border point, the route leads to a center of porcelain production, where manufacturers like Rosenthal and Hutschenreuther have gained worldwide fame with their products. On old railway tracks, you will initially travel through rather flat terrain towards the Fichtelgebirge. In Wunsiedel, you can rest in one of the many cafes amid the historical architecture before climbing to the highest peak of the entire Radrunde, located next to the Fichtelsee lake. At Ochsenkopf, you will find yourself at over 800 m above sea level. Then you will descend to the city of the Richard Wagner Festival, Bayreuth. Besides the festival hall, the university city boasts a variety of churches, castles, and museums. On the last section of the Radrunde, you will reach Franconian Switzerland. Here, the brewery density is the highest in the world, but the number of castles and fortresses is also impressive. After the ancient royal city of Forchheim with its imperial palace, a long stretch in the valley of the Rich Ebrach follows. Worth seeing is the splendid Baroque castle of Weissenstein, which is considered one of the largest palace complexes in Germany. In the northern Aischgrund, you will pass many fish ponds and head towards the Ebrach Monastery to reach the last great highlight of the Radrunde. Level paths on old railway tracks will then take you in the valley of the Mittlere Ebrach to Burgebrach. Soon after, you will reach Bamberg, the largest city in Oberfranken and the starting point of your cycling trip. Route characteristicsThe total length of the main route is 552 kilometers. The variants and excursions are approximately 70 kilometers long. Path quality and trafficThe route mainly runs on quiet streets and separate bike paths, most of which are paved. Almost 20 percent of the streets and paths have a split or gravel surface. Traffic load along the entire Radrunde is very low. However, in the cities, you sometimes have to expect a bit more traffic. Otherwise, there is only one notable section on a busy road, which is located between Blankenstein and Joditz in the Saale area. SignageThe entire Radrunde Oberfranken is very well and uniformly marked with signs for long and short destinations with distance indications. However, at the time of editorial closure, there was still no signage with the route logo. This is expected to be fully integrated into the existing signage by autumn 2018. Tour planningTourism region Obermain·Jura, Kronacher Str. 28-30, 96215 Lichtenfels, Tel. 09571/18283, Fax: 09571/18288, info@obermainjura.de, www.obermain-jura.de Tourism region Coburg.Rennsteig, Herrngasse 4, 96450 Coburg, Tel. 09561/898102, Fax: 09561/898037, info@coburg-rennsteig.de, www.coburg-rennsteig.de Frankenwald Tourism Service Center, Adolf-Kolping-Str. 1, 96317 Kronach, Tel. 09261/601517, Fax: 09261/601515, mail@frankenwald-tourismus.de, www.frankenwald-tourismus.de Fichtelgebirge Tourism Center, Gablonzer Str. 11, 95686 Fichtelberg, Tel. 09272/969030, Fax: 09272/9690366, info@tz-fichtelgebirge.de, www.tz-fichtelgebirge.de Franconian Switzerland Tourism Center, Oberes Tor 1, 91320 Ebermannstadt, Tel. 09191/861054, Fax: 09191/861058, info@fraenkische-schweiz.com, www.fraenkische-schweiz.com