Radrunde Oberfranken 3

In Upper Franconia, there is a well-developed network of cycling paths. The 'youngest child' of the cycling region is the Oberfranken bike loop, which runs between the Main bike path to the west and the Saale bike path to the east. The Oberfranken bike loop opens up the most beautiful and significant sights of the region. The starting point is in Bamberg - the city is known as the Franconian beer town with its 12 breweries and, with over 1,000 historical monuments, is a historical gem. On the way through Coburg Country, you will visit the picturesque timber-framed town of Seßlach and pass by the Tambach wildlife park. In the beautiful city of Coburg, it is worth climbing to the powerful fortress, also called the 'Franconian Crown'. After that, you reach the spa town of Bad Rodach and, with a view of the Thuringian Forest, head towards the still rather lonely region of the former East-West German border. The toy town of Neustadt near Coburg, the water castle of Mitwitz, and the timber-framed town of Kronach are interesting stops along the way. In the Franconian Forest Nature Park, you will tackle some steeper ascents. Soon after the old spa town of Bad Steben, you will travel through one of the most beautiful gorges in Germany, the Höllental. Along the Saale River, you will then reach Hof, where there is a wealth of cultural events and the oldest public park in Germany. Passing the Three-Country Point, the route leads to a center of porcelain production, where manufacturers like Rosenthal and Hutschenreuther have gained worldwide fame with their products. On former railway tracks, it starts quite flat towards the Fichtelgebirge mountains. In Wunsiedel, you can take a break in one of the many cafés among the historic architecture before you climb, passing the beautiful Fichtelsee, to the highest point of the entire cycling loop. At the Ochsenkopf, you find yourself at over 800 m above sea level. Then it descends into the city of the Richard Wagner Festivals, Bayreuth. Next to the Festspielhaus, the university town boasts an array of churches, castles, and museums. On the last section of the bike loop, you will arrive in Franconian Switzerland. Here, there is the highest density of breweries in the world, but the number of castles and fortresses is also impressive. After the old royal town of Forchheim with the imperial palace, a long section follows in the rich Ebrach valley. The magnificent Baroque castle Weissenstein, considered one of the largest castle complexes in Germany, is worth seeing. In the northern Aischgrund, you will pass many fish ponds and head towards the last major highlight of the bike loop: Ebrach Monastery. Level paths on old railway lines will then take you in the valley of the Middle Ebrach to Burgebrach. Soon after, you will reach Bamberg again, the largest town in Upper Franconia and the starting point of your cycling trip. Route characteristics The total length of the main cycling route is 552 kilometers. The variations and excursions are about 70 kilometers long. Path quality and traffic The route largely runs on quiet roads and separate cycling paths, most of which are paved. Almost 20 percent of the roads and paths have a split or gravel surface. Traffic load is very low along the entire cycling route. However, in the towns, you may sometimes encounter slightly heavier traffic. Otherwise, there is only one significant section on a busy road, which is located between Blankenstein and Joditz in the area of the Saale. Signage The entire Oberfranken bike loop is very well and uniformly marked with signs for distant and nearby destinations along with distance indications. However, at the time of publication, there was still no signage featuring the route logo. This is expected to be fully integrated into the existing signage by autumn 2018. Route planning Tourism 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 Franconia Tourism Service Center, Adolf-Kolping-Str. 1, 96317 Kronach, Tel. 09261/601517, Fax: 09261/601515, mail@frankenwald-tourismus.de, www.frankenwald-tourismus.de Tourism office Fichtelgebirge, Gablonzer Str. 11, 95686 Fichtelberg, Tel. 09272/969030, Fax: 09272/9690366, info@tz-fichtelgebirge.de, www.tz-fichtelgebirge.de Franconian Switzerland Tourism Office, Oberes Tor 1, 91320 Ebermannstadt, Tel. 09191/861054, Fax: 09191/861058, info@fraenkische-schweiz.com, www.fraenkische-schweiz.com