Main: Thrilling ride ahead

Look forward to seeing Bamberg's Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you arrive early, you will still have time for a worthwhile sightseeing tour. First visit the imperial cathedral of St. Peter and St. George and the New Residence before stopping off at one of Bamberg's many breweries to enjoy the end of the first day.

Passing the pilgrimage church of Maria Limbach, which is well worth seeing, you cycle along the asphalted Main cycle path almost by yourself without much effort to Haßfurt, which invites you to take a leisurely break. Now the first vineyards begin, as you have passed the border between beer and wine Franconia. Along the banks of the Main, you roll quickly to Schweinfurt in the heart of Main-Franconia. Stroll through the town and discover evidence of one of the oldest towns in Bavaria. In Schweinfurt you will walk in the footsteps of the old imperial city on the one hand and of industrial pioneers on the other.

Passing countless vineyards, you cycle via Fahr, the town of the Bocksbeutels, to Volkach - famous for its excellent wines! The wine town of Volkach lies idyllically in a wide loop of the Main. Take a break in the small old town and try out the gastronomy and wine world. Then cycle along the Main Canal to Schwarzach, whose Benedictine Abbey of Münsterschwarzach is visible from afar. You will soon reach the pretty town of Dettelbach. Dettelbach is one of those romantic places that make Main-Franconia so charming. Marvel at the late Gothic town hall from around 1500, at the town wall that has been preserved all around, at the two ancient town gates, at the winding half-timbered houses and Baroque buildings. Only a 10-minute walk from the old town is the pilgrimage church "Maria im Sand", a late Gothic and Renaissance building known throughout Europe. After a possible visit, cycle along the well-surfaced Main cycle path to Kitzingen with its historic market square and one of the oldest wine cellars in Germany.

A picture-perfect day: one wine town more beautiful than the next! Via Ochsenfurt, Sommerhausen and Eibelstadt you cycle to the residential town of Würzburg. Take a stroll through the town and marvel at the market square, the town hall and the old Main bridge. You may also have time to visit the old Residenz (UNESCO World Heritage Site), a major work of southern German Baroque architecture and one of the most important palaces in Europe. It was built between 1720 and 1744 according to plans by Balthasar Neumann. Shortly after Würzburg, the next cultural highlight awaits: Veitshöchheim with its prince-bishop summer residence and French rococo garden. The court garden is still considered one of the most beautiful of its kind in Germany. Then cycle along the flat Main cycle path to Karlstadt with its attractive town centre.

The three-river town of Gemünden at the confluence of the Main, Saale and Sinn rivers is your first small stopover today. Stroll through the alleys of the old fishing town up to the Scherenburg ruins. From up here you can enjoy a fantastic view of the Main valley, the Spessart and the Rhön. On the next few kilometres of cycling, the forested hills to the right and left of the Main come very close together. You cycle easily and comfortably through the narrow valley to Lohr, the gateway to the Spessart. Stroll through the small half-timbered old town and visit the Spessart Museum in the castle before getting back on your bike. Cycle past Rothenfels, whose castle guards the narrow valley, to your overnight stop in Marktheidenfeld. The charming old town with its historic half-timbered houses, romantic alleyways and pretty market square with fishing fountain is a tempting place for an evening stroll.

Today the Main cycle path runs close to the river bank. You cycle past Homburg Castle to Wertheim, idyllically situated where the Tauber flows into the Main. Karl Baedeker once praised Wertheim as the "most beautiful point on the entire journey" in his 1862 description of the Main. Overlooked by a mighty castle ruin, richly decorated half-timbered houses still characterise the medieval townscape today. Stroll through the town and let yourself be enchanted a little before you start pedalling again. You will quickly reach Miltenberg, which proudly presents itself with its half-timbered houses! The old town nestles tightly between the Main and Greinberg mountains and provides the perfect backdrop for spooky stories and legends. Enjoy the magnificent market square, also known as the "Schnatterloch", during a stroll through the town. Visit the Gasthaus zum Riesen in the old town. It was built in its present form in 1590 and is one of the oldest inns in Germany. For centuries it was the drinking place of the nobility, kings and electors. Clergymen and secular lords were accommodated here, so that the hotel still rightly bears the name Fürstenherberge.

Between the elevations of the Spessart and the Odenwald you cycle on the flat Main cycle path to Klingenberg, which lies idyllically in the protection of the castle ruins of Clingenburg and its flank walls reaching down into the valley. Take a break in the small red wine town on the Bavarian Lower Main. Stroll through the romantic alleyways and marvel at the 8000 square metre rose park. In terraced steep vineyards, the grapes grow in Klingenberg directly on the banks of the Main. The Klingenberg winegrowers produce excellent red wines every year, which even enjoy a world-wide reputation. After your break, you then master the last kilometres to the sandstone Johannisburg Castle in Aschaffenburg. The archbishops and electors of Mainz made Aschaffenburg their second residence and left behind this magnificent three-wing building of the late Renaissance. Not far from the castle on the high bank of the Main, you should also visit the Pompejanum. The Mediterranean-looking, eye-catching building is a replica of a Roman dwelling as it stood in the ancient Vesuvian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Instead of a visit to the city, you can visit the collegiate church and the theatre square with its sundial and lion apothecary, before finishing your last evening in a relaxed atmosphere.

Today your beautiful cycle tour ends in Aschaffenburg after breakfast. If you would like to return to your starting hotel in Bamberg, we recommend our practical return transfer service (departure every Wed, Sat and Sun at 9am, duration approx. 3 hours).