Bike Tour to Pillnitz
Along the Elbe Cycle Route past the Elbe castles and the Blue Wonder to the summer palace of Pillnitz.
The classic tour from the hotel — upstream on the Elbe Cycle Route through the Dresden Elbe valley, past castles and villa quarters to the royal summer palace of Pillnitz.
Stops along the way
Seven stopping points from Dresden’s old town to the boatmen’s church of Maria am Wasser.
Hotel Am Terrassenufer
You set off directly from the hotel door on the old town side. The Elbe Cycle Route begins right outside the hotel — the tour heads upstream, against the flow of the Elbe.
On the Elbe Cycle Route
Across the open Elbe meadows
The Elbe Cycle Route runs traffic-free across the broad Elbe meadows. Over the first few kilometres the view opens out across the river — meadows and vine-covered slopes to the left, the city skyline slowly falling away to the right.
The three Elbe castles
Albrechtsberg, Lingnerschloss & Eckberg
Three magnificent castles line up on the right-hand slope of the Elbe: Schloss Albrechtsberg, the Lingnerschloss and Schloss Eckberg, all built in the mid-19th century as aristocratic estates. The cycle path offers the finest view of the ensemble above the river.
Blaues Wunder
Dresden's famous steel bridge
The Loschwitz Bridge, popularly known as the “Blue Wonder”, has spanned the Elbe since 1893 — a stiffened suspension bridge with no piers in the river, regarded as an engineering masterpiece of its day.
Tip: beneath the bridge, the long-established Schillergarten beer garden makes an inviting first break.
Funicular railway to Weißer Hirsch
Up into the villa quarter
From Körnerplatz, the historic funicular railway has been climbing to the elegant villa quarter of Weißer Hirsch since 1895. If you fancy the detour, you can be carried uphill together with your bike — a rewarding diversion above the rooftops of the Elbe valley.
The view from the Luisenhof
The “balcony of Dresden”
The Luisenhof sits beside the top station — a panorama restaurant that fully lives up to its nickname, the “balcony of Dresden”. From the terrace the view stretches far across the Elbe valley and, on clear days, as far as the Ore Mountains. Afterwards it is back down again and on along the Elbe Cycle Route.
Ferry at Kleinzschachwitz
Across the Elbe by bike
At Kleinzschachwitz the Schlossfähre crosses the Elbe — the only car ferry within the Dresden city area, in service since 1721. The landing stage on the far bank lies directly beside the park of Pillnitz Palace, and from the water there is a striking view of the Wasserpalais (Water Palace).
Maria am Wasser church
A final detour leads to the boatmen's church of Maria am Wasser in Hosterwitz — a baroque gem on the edge of the Elbe meadows whose origins reach back to the 15th century. From there it is a leisurely ride back to Dresden along the Elbe Cycle Route.
Certified by the ADFC
Our hotel is an official Bett+Bike host — with a lockable bike room, repair tools, a laundry service for cycling clothing and packed lunches on request. So you can start your day on the Elbe Cycle Route with nothing to worry about.
Fancy this tour?
Reserve your room and we will arrange bikes, maps and packed lunches for you.