Thuringian City Chain

You should come early to have enough time for sightseeing in the historic city of Eisenach. Famous persons like Johann Sebastian Bach or Martin Luther King have lived here.

Following the course of the Hörsel, today you cycle mostly on small roads through the Thuringian basin. Wide fields line the route before you reach the well-preserved Art Nouveau complex of the Boxberg racecourse with its famous restaurant, just in time for lunch. From there, it is not far to the royal seat of Gotha, so you will have plenty of time in the afternoon to visit Friedenstein Palace with its built-in Ekhof Theatre and stroll around the main market square, which is well worth seeing.

New destinations lure you into the saddle today: in the morning you reach the village of Wechmar, which was voted ‘Thuringia's most beautiful village’ in 2003 and is famous for its Bach ancestral home (museum). Soon afterwards, the striking trio of castles, Wachsenburg, Mühlburg and Gleichen Castle, known as the Drei Gleichen, lie before you on the edge of the road. Not far from this castle ensemble, one of the oldest restaurants in Thuringia invites you to take a break before you follow the course of the Gera in the afternoon and are led through the most beautiful parks directly into the centre of the old trading town of Erfurt. The striking cathedral with the Severi church stands out from this medieval jewel and the Krämerbrücke (Merchants' Bridge) is the landmark of this city, which is well worth seeing.

The Thuringian Chain of Cities delivers what it promises! After a rather short day's stage, you roll into the classic city of Weimar and can follow in the footsteps of Goethe and Schiller, visit the Residential Palace and Bauhaus Museum, the National Theatre or relax in the park on the Ilm. One thing is certain: you won't be bored!