The length of the Lahn Valley Cycle Route from the source of the Lahn near Feudingen to the mouth of the Rhine near Lahnstein is 244 kilometres. The cycle route is well signposted and leads along cycle paths, low-traffic roads and unsurfaced but easily passable country lanes. There are only a few ascents.
In addition to the beautiful riverside landscapes, the highlights of the cycle route include castles, palaces and pretty towns such as Marburg, Wetzlar and Limburg.
GPS data
You can find the GPX track for this tour in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
Journey:
Feudingen near the source of the Lahn and Marburg are easy to reach by train. The railway stations in Niederlahnstein or Koblenz are ideal for the return journey. Information at www.db.de. If you are travelling by car from Frankfurt or the Ruhr area, take the A 45 motorway, then the B 253 or the B 62 to Bad Laasphe-Feudingen.
Information:
Lahntal Tourismus Verband e.V., Brückenstraße 2, 35576 Wetzlar, Tel. 06441-30 99 80, www.daslahntal.de
Accommodation:
Hotel Restaurant Carle, Ronhäuser Str. 8, 35043 Marburg-Cappel, Tel. 06421/94930, www.hotel-carle.de
Hotel Wetzlarer Hof, Obertorstr. 3, Tel. 06441/9080, www.wetzlarerhof.de
Hotel Nassauer Hof, Brückengasse 1, 65549 Limburg, Tel. 06431/9960, www.hotel-nassauerhof-limburg.de
Aktivhotel Alter Kaiser, Koblenzerstraße 36, 56130 Bad Ems, Tel. 02603/94080, www.aktivhotel-alterkaiser.de
Hotel im Auerbachtal in Bad Laasphe-Feudingen, www.auerbachtal.de
Hotel Lahneck in Bad Ems-Nievern, www.hotel-lahneck.de
Bella Citta Vecchia in Limburg, www.bella-citta-vecchia.de
Hotel Zum Kreuzhof in Diez, www.kreuzhof-diez.de
Worth seeing
Braunfels Castle (museum and castle tours), Tel. 06442/5002, www.schloss-braunfels.de
Bad Laasphe, a charming little town on the edge of the Rothaargebirge. www.tourismus-badlaasphe.de
Ship tunnel in Weilburg, the only ship tunnel in Germany, built in 1847 by Duke Adolph von Nassau. www.weilburg.de
University town of Marburg - the historic old town, the castle and St Elisabeth's Church are in the foreground. www.marburg.de
Goethe town of Wetzlar, historic old town with half-timbered houses, the cathedral and the old Lahn bridge. www.wetzlar.de
Limburg an der Lahn, especially worth seeing are the cathedral, the castle and the old Lahn bridge. www.limburg.de
Diez, the Diez Castle and the baroque Oranienstein Castle are well worth a visit. www.urlaub-in-diez.de
Bad Ems - Tips include the Kurhaus, the Karlsburg spa castle, the Balmoral Castle artists' centre and the Russian Orthodox church. www.bad-ems.info
Cycle path alternative on the water:
The steeper Lahn Valley cycle path stages between Aumenau and Runkel and between Diez and Laurenburg can be easily bypassed by canoe. For information call 06482/911022 or 06426/92800 (Lahntours-Aktivreisen), www.lahntours.de
A beautiful excursion into the Middle Ages: Runkel Castle, www.burg-runkel.de
Tour combinations
Rhine Cycle Route, Rhineland-Palatinate Cycle Route, Limes Cycle Route, Westerwald Loop, Orange Cycle Route
Literature/Maps:
Bikeline cycle tour book "Lahntal-Radweg - Von der Quelle zum Rhein", published by Esterbauer, with lots of tips, precise route descriptions and detailed maps at a scale of 1:50,000, 92 pages, 12.90 euros.
We also recommend the "Lahntalradweg" cycle guide published by Bruckmann Verlag with precise route descriptions and detailed maps at a scale of 1:75,000 for 14.95 euros.
The complete article was published in Trekkingbike issue 4/2011. You can read the entire issue in the Trekkingbike app (iTunes and Google Play) or order the issue in the DK shop.
You can download the individual articles as PDF files here.
