15 nice holiday routes in Germany
A great way to experience Germany with a motorhome or caravan is to follow Germany’s great holiday routes. Choose a route with a theme you like and wind your way through sights, charming resorts, campsites and rest area.
German holiday routes – a way to experience Germany
In Germany there are a total of around 150 different holiday routes, so there are plenty of routes and themes to choose from. Along each route, you get tips on sights and experiences that fit with the theme of the route. In addition, there are tips on accommodation, campsites and pitches. For those who want to experience Germany with a camping vehicle, this is perhaps the most perfect way to travel. Here we recommend 15 nice holiday routes in the country.
1. Romantic Road
Suitable for: Anyone who loves culture, romance and beautiful nature
The Romantic Road is perhaps the most popular holiday route in Germany. The theme is art, culture and romance, and the itinerary is filled with nature, culture and history. Some highlights that can be mentioned are the Residence in Würzburg, King Ludwig’s Castle in Schwangau, the romantic city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Hohes Castle in Füssen and the fairytale Neuschwanstein Castle, which was the model for the castle Disney uses in its logo.
- Name in German: Romantische Strasse
- Length: 400 kilometers
- Start: Würzburg
- Ends: Füssen
2. The Fairy Tale Road
Suitable for: Families with children and anyone with a child’s mind intact
The German Fairy Tale Route is perfect for those who want to be enchanted in the world of fairy tales. The theme of this route is fairy tales, myths and legends, and during the journey you will visit, among other things, the places where the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales take place. For example, you can visit Snow White’s hometown of Bad Wildungen, Bremen with the statue of the town musicians, the Brothers Grimm museum in Kassel and the Witch’s Tower in Schwalmstadt.
- Name in German: Deutsche Märchenstrasse
- Length: 600 kilometers
- Start: Hanau
- Ends: Bremen
3. Asparagus road in Niedersachsen
Suitable for: Gourmets with a taste for asparagus
The asparagus route in Lower Saxony is for those who love Germany’s “white gold” and is best experienced during harvest time, between the end of April and the end of June. The theme of this road is asparagus, asparagus and asparagus again. You travel on a gourmet tour through the asparagus regions of Braunschweig, Hanover and Umland, Lüneburgheden, Mittelweser and Oldenburg Münsterland. Along the way, you can buy asparagus and cook it yourself, or try it served in every imaginable way at the local restaurants. Also don’t miss the asparagus museum in Nienburg.
- Name in German: Die Niedersächsische Spargelstrasse
- Length: 750 kilometers
- Start: Burgdorf
- Ends: Burgdorf
4. Castle Road
Suitable for: Anyone who loves castles, architecture and history
The castle route is for those who love beautiful and grand castles and palaces. Along the route you will find countless charming medieval towns and over 70 stunning castles. In addition to admiring the buildings and going on tours, in many cases activities such as festivals, markets, ghost tours and other events are arranged. Some highlights that can be mentioned are Borgen Kaiserburg in Nürnberg, Hornberg Castle in Neckarzimmern, the town of Neckarsteinach with four castles and Plassenburg Castle in Kulmbach.
- Name in German: Burgenstrasse
- Length: 1200 kilometers
- Start: Mannheim
- Ends: Prague in the Czech Republic
5. The Swedish Road
Suitable for: For anyone who loves history
Did you know that large parts of northern Germany once belonged to Sweden? There is a lot of history with a connection to Sweden to discover here. The Swedish Route in the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern takes you through places that were important during the Swedish period between 1630 and 1815. The route tells about important historical events such as the 30-year war, Sweden’s rise and fall as a great power, Prussia, the social changes during the 1700s century and the upheavals during the Napoleonic Wars. Don’t miss the Swedish Museum in Schlatkow and the world heritage city of Stralsund.
- Name in German: Schwedenstrasse
- Length: 700 kilometers
- Start: Rügen
- Ends: Grossbeeren
6. Alley Road
Suitable for: Anyone who wants to drive a beautiful and varied route
The German Alley Road is a green and beautiful road that runs through no less than nine different federal states. The road is one of the country’s longest holiday roads and runs all the way from the Baltic Sea coast to Lake Untersee near the Swiss border. Along the way you experience long avenues with ancient trees, but also nature, culture and history. Sights along the way include, for example, the island of Rügen with its beautiful limestone cliffs, the Imperial Palace in Goslar and the mine in Goslar.
- Name in German: Deutsche Alleenstrasse
- Length: 2900 kilometers
- Start: Rügen
- Ends: Reichenau
7. Timber-Frame Road
Suitable for: Anyone who likes picturesque cities
Another really long holiday route is the road called “Timber-Frame Road”. If you follow the entire route, you travel through the federal states of Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. You pass over a hundred picturesque half-timbered towns filled with charming houses and alleys. Some highlights include the cities of Nienburg, Celle, Wernigerode, Quedlinburg, Hann. Münden and Miltenberg.
- Name in German: Deutsche Fachwerkstrasse
- Length: 3000 kilometers
- Start: Bleckede
- Ends: Bodensjön
8. Alpine Road
Suitable for: The nature lover
The Alpine route is for those who want to experience southern Germany, with its magnificent nature and high alpine peaks. One of the highlights is the popular and beautiful Lake Constance. Along the way you can also experience winter sports resorts such as Garmisch-Partenkirchen and beautiful Bavarian castles such as Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. In addition, you pass the town of Oberammergau, which is best known for holding so-called “passion games” every ten years – a tradition that has been maintained since 1633.
- Name in German: Alpenstrasse
- Length: 480 kilometers
- Start: Lindau
- Ends: Schönau am Königsee
9. Rhine-Romantic Route
Suitable for: Anyone who loves culture, romance and beautiful nature
The romantic Rhine Road offers a fairytale landscape with picturesque villages, rolling vineyards and more than 60 castles. Here you can see, among other things, the 132 meter high Lorelei rock, which is described in German literature. According to the stories, countless sailors have drowned here, after being enchanted by the fairy Lorelei’s beautiful songs. Further highlights along the route are the cities of Cologne, Koblenz and Mainz/Wiesbaden, as well as the towns of Reichenstein, Sooneck and Katz.
- Name in German: Route der Rheinromantik
- Length: 360 kilometers
- Start: Köln
- Ends: Mainz/Wiesbaden
10. Saxon Wine Route
Suitable for: The wine lover
The Saxon Wine Route is for those who love wine, and who want a slightly shorter driving distance. This holiday route goes through one of Germany’s smallest wine regions, and here it’s all about wine. You can, for example, visit restaurants and traditional “Weinstuben”, or join one of the wine parties that are usually organized in the area. You can also vary the wine tasting with castle visits and hikes in beautiful nature.
- Name in German: Sächsische Weinstrasse
- Length: 60 kilometers
- Start: Pirna
- Ends: Diesbar-Seusslitz
11. Romanesque Road
Suitable for: The history lover
The Romanesque Way focuses on Romanesque architecture and history. The most examples of this are found in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt, near the Harz mountain range. Under Germany’s first emperor, Otto the Great, this region was of great importance. During a journey along the Roman road, you pass around 70 cities filled with Romanesque art and architecture. Here you can see cathedrals, monasteries, castles and other ancient buildings, often with almost a thousand years behind them.
- Name in German: Strasse der Romanik
- Length: 1200 kilometers
- Start: Magdeburg
- Ends: Zeitz
12. The Wine Route
Suitable for: The wine lover
The wine route is suitable for those who want to enjoy good German wines and at the same time experience the sunny southern parts of Germany. Along the route, which starts at the German wine gate of Schweigen-Rechtenbach, you can visit vineyards and taste wines. During the autumn, you can also take part in various wine festivals.
- Name in German: Weinstrasse
- Length: 85 kilometers
- Start: Schweigeb-Rechtenbach
- Ends: Bickenheim
13. German Fen Route
Suitable for: Anyone who likes nature and picturesque places
You can find the German Fen road in the federal state of Lower Saxony, not far from the border with the Netherlands. The road offers a beautiful route through a green plain landscape, filled with marshes and canals. You mostly travel along the canals and look out over meadows, moors, waterways, bridges and windmills.
- Name in German: Deutsche Fehnroute
- Length: 170 kilometers
- Start: Papenburg
- Ends: Papenburg
14. German Limes Road
Suitable for: The history lover
Did you know that the Roman Empire once stretched all the way into present-day Germany? The Roman border road is for those interested in Roman history. Along the route you can see remains of forts, watchtowers, border ramparts and Roman baths, several of which are protected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. In addition, you can expect several museums that tell about the Roman era.
- Name in German: Deutsche Limes-strasse
- Length: 820 kilometers
- Start: Koblenz
- Ends: Passau
15. The Silver Route
Suitable for: Anyone who likes to discover mines
The Silver Road is like a large open-air museum, where you can visit around 30 mines including museums and other historical sites. Here, the history of mining in the Erzgebirge mountain range is told. In addition to visiting mines and museums, you can take part in various events and see handicrafts from the area.
- Name in German: Silberstrasse
- Length: 275 kilometers
- Start: Zwickau
- Ends: Dresden
Campsites and rest a reas along Germany’s holiday routes
There are plenty of campsites and rest areas along the German holiday routes. In several cases, proposals are listed on the roads’ own websites. Many times it is still easiest to use an app to find places to stay overnight, such as Park4Night, CamperContact or Stellplatz-Radar von PROMOBIL. If you prefer a physical catalogue, you can for example use “Reisemobil Bordatlas” for rest areas or “CampingCard ACSI” for campsites.
More information for those who want to travel along the holiday routes in Germany
You will find more information about the German holiday routes on the website of the German Tourist Board (in English). In the following article, you can read more about traveling to Germany with a motorhome or caravan.
Your ride to adventure. Rent it.