1. Donauried and Zusamtal
The route leads through the Zusamtal valley and into the Staufer town of Wertingen. After so much nature, we can devote some time to culture and take a look at the pretty half-timbered houses, Wertingen Castle from the 14th century and the baroque St Martin's Church. The architecture in the form of the Mäckler Chapel in the open countryside near Oberthürheim is much more modern. This unusual wooden church is part of the new 7-chapel circular route. In Höchstädt an der Donau, culture fans can look forward to the faience museum in the 16th century castle.
2. floodplains of the Danube and banks of the Mindel
Although the Danube in Günzburg offers support and orientation to the forests and floodplains, the tributaries and lakes all around, it has retained a certain playfulness - rescued, so to speak, from its upper reaches, where it is still small and carefree. Here in its nursery, it still meanders from one bend to the next. Anyone travelling by bike will notice how the natural lightness of the Danube has rubbed off on the surrounding countryside as far as Ichenhausen, Waldstetten and Autenried. From the Mindeltal cycle path, our combined tour leads downhill to the Danube. The low gradient route follows the River Mindel through pretty villages and small towns. Once you reach the banks of the Danube, the splendour of unspoilt nature is revealed.
3rd Stork Nest Tour through the Kammeltal and Mindeltal valleys
The stork takes centre stage. And there is a good chance that cyclists will get to see some of these proud birds. This is because pairs of storks now live in the region around Burgau and Offingen almost all year round. The route is designed so that the cycle route passes around twenty "inhabited" nests. However, their number can change from year to year. The locations of the nests vary greatly. Sometimes they are stuck on radio masts and chimneys, sometimes on large advertising boards or on church roofs. A tip: you can observe the storks even better with binoculars or a good telephoto lens. The 45-kilometre circular tour is mostly flat and family-friendly through the Kammel and Mindel valleys.
4th energy quiz tour around Lauingen
The Swabian Danube Valley has organised a very contemporary quiz rally for cyclists - mobile and multimedia-based. The topic: the energy transition. It's very simple: download the Danube Valley quiz tour app onto your smartphone and set off on your bike. You can get on your bike anywhere along the signposted circular route between Lauingen, Gundremmingen, Offingen and Gundelfingen. The quiz points are also located there, where knowledge is imparted and quizzed again - in a playful way, with humour and nice stories. And because it is usually not possible to look inside a nuclear power plant or a biogas plant, there are short clips on site about the technology and function of the companies. Incidentally, the winner is the first person to answer all the questions correctly, not the one who cycles the fastest.
5. on the trail of history in the district of Dillingen
"Around Swabian Rome" is the name of a historic cycle tour from Dillingen to the northern Danube valley. The town of Dillingen was once known as the "Swabian Rome". From the 15th to the 18th century, it was also the residence of the bishops of Augsburg. As well as churches worth seeing in Donaualtheim, Mörslingen and Wittislingen, it is also worth taking a look at Haunsheim Castle and the Roman temple of Apollo Granus in Faimingen. The temple, of which only remains exist today, is one of the largest Roman temples north of the Alps.
6. lake, soul and bliss - a round trip from Krumbach
This 66-kilometre circular tour from Krumbach has a lot to offer for young and old, so if you want to see and experience a lot, you need to plan your day well. From the starting point in Krumbach, there is an interesting listening tour via app from the River Kammel through the Jewish quarter to the Krumbad spa. Even for non-believers, the rococo-style Maria Vesperbild pilgrimage church near Ziemetshausen is well worth a visit. But there are other magnificent buildings along the way, such as Edelstetten Castle and Monastery near Neuburg and the former moated castle of Hürben in a district of Krumbach. If you are travelling with children in summer, you will hardly be able to avoid the popular Turncable water park in Thannhausen
7th Via Danubia listening tour
The ancient Romans are at the centre of this 55-kilometre signposted cycle route. In the 400 years they spent here in the province of Raetia, they left behind many surprising traces, not just the Via Danubia, the Roman road through the Danube valley. We cycle clockwise from Lauingen or Günzburg. The small towns of Gundelfingen, Offingen and Aislingen are well worth a visit along the way. If you want to delve a little deeper into the history of the Via Danubia, download the app on your smartphone. The app with all audios, maps and photos can be downloaded free of charge from the App Store and Google Play Store - keyword "Bayerisch-Schwaben-Lauschtour". In addition, programmed Lauschtour iPods including speakers can be borrowed free of charge from four hire stations.
You can find the complete Swabian Danube Valley holiday planner with all the information as a PDF download below the article.
GPX data
You can download the GPX tracks for the 7 tour tips in the Swabian Danube Valley download here for free:
or find them in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
You can find the complete Swabian Danube Valley holiday planner with all the information as a PDF download below the article.
