Elbe Cycle Route - Dresden Elbland Section - Right Bank of the Elbe
- 9:00 h
- 129.65 km
- 121 m
- 147 m
- 80 m
- 132 m
- 52 m
- Start: Pirna
- Destination: Torgau
Along the way, there are countless sights worth visiting. So be sure to set aside plenty of time to tackle this nearly 130-kilometer section of the 1,270-kilometer-long Elbe Cycle Route.
Pirna is the starting point of this route. The city is best known for its picturesque old town around the market square, featuring City Hall, St. Mary’s Church, and the Canaletto House (now the Tourist Information Center). Here, you hop on your bike and ride downstream along the Elbe toward the northwest. On the very well-maintained bike path, you’ll ride leisurely through the charming Elbe landscape all the way to the state capital, Dresden. Here, you’ll first encounter Pillnitz Palace and Park with its surrounding vineyards; then, in the Loschwitz district, you’ll cross the famous Blue Wonder Bridge and continue along the river, past the Elbe palaces, into downtown Dresden. On the opposite bank of the Elbe, the Baroque Old Town captivates visitors with the Frauenkirche, the Semper Opera House, and the Zwinger. On the right bank of the Elbe, Dresden’s Neustadt offers a striking contrast with its creative arts, culture, and a vibrant neighborhood full of clubs and pubs.
The route continues through the beautiful wine-growing region to Radebeul. Here, for example, you can visit the Hoflößnitz Winery with the Saxon Wine-Growing Museum, the historic village green of Altkötzschenbroda, or the Schloss Wackerbarth Wine Experience. In Radebeul, you’ll also find an ADAC bike service station along the Elbe Cycle Route, where you can use the provided tools to make minor repairs to your bike yourself or pump up your tires. The next town you’ll pass through is Coswig. Here, right on the Elbe Cycle Route, lies Kötitz Swimming Lake, where you can take a dip in the cool water during the summer. In the Coswig district of Sörnewitz, the Schuh Winery welcomes its guests. At this family-run business, winemaking craftsmanship and hospitality come together perfectly. Here, it’s all about discovering, experiencing, and enjoying. As you continue your ride along the Elbe, the view opens up to Saxony’s smallest mountain range, the Spaargebirge, with the Boselspitze peak. It’s worth taking a detour: you can stop for a break at the beer garden at the top, visit the biodiverse botanical garden of TU Dresden, and enjoy a wonderful view of the Elbe Valley. Once you’ve passed Coswig, you’ll enter the beautiful city of Meissen. Here, you can visit the Johanniskirche, a church accessible via bike paths. If you take a detour to the left bank of the Elbe, many sights await you, such as Meissen’s Old Town with its quaint alleys, the famous Albrechtsburg Meissen, Meissen Cathedral, or the HAUS MEISSEN interactive museum.
Even after that, you’ll continue to experience the beauty of the charming wine-growing and river landscape as you pass through the next town, Diesbar-Seußlitz. Here, Seußlitz Castle and Park, along with several cozy wineries, await your visit. If you take a short detour into the vineyards, you can enjoy the sweeping view across the Elbe Valley from the“Most Beautiful Wine View 2020.” There’s also an ADAC bike service station in Diesbar-Seußlitz that you can use if needed.
As you continue your ride toward northern Saxony, you’ll pass through the large steel city of Riesa, while the Elbe River continues to widen. You’ll cross the river’s floodplains time and again—a natural experience teeming with flora and fauna; you can even spot white-tailed eagles here. The next ADAC bike service station is located in Lorenzkirch, a district of Zeithain.
Before reaching Torgau, the route takes you through more natural scenery slightly away from the river’s course, passing through several towns such as Graditz, home to the Graditz State Stud —a destination worth visiting not just for horse lovers.
A few kilometers later, you reach your destination , Torgau. The town’s 1,000-year history is evident in every corner of the historic old town. From the Renaissance market square, it’s just a few minutes’ walk to Germany’s most significant surviving early Renaissance castle— Hartenfels Castle. From the Hausmann Tower, for example, you can enjoy a beautiful view over the rooftops of the old town and the Elbe meadows. Torgau thus provides a fitting conclusion to the Dresden Elbland stage of the Elbe Cycle Route.
Following the route along the left bank of the Elbe for this section will take you back to Pirna: Elbe Cycle Route – Dresden Elbland Section (Pirna – Torgau)
You can find all the latest information on detours along the bike path on the official Elbe Cycle Route website:
https://www.elberadweg.de/news-service/aktuelle-informationen-und-news/
Waypoints
Good to know
Pavements
- Unknown (99%)Street (1%)
Best to visit
- suitableDepends on weather
Directions
The route starts in Pirna on the opposite side of the Old Town. You can reach the starting point on the right bank of the Elbe at Postaer Straße/Hauptplatz via the Elbe ferry or the Pirna City Bridge. Much of the route runs directly along the Elbe and is very well signposted with the “Elberadweg” symbol.
At the start, follow Pratzschwitzer Straße westward. Before reaching the village of Pratzschwitz, turn left onto the path “Am Steingärtchen,” then continue along Pratzschwitzer Straße past the large gravel lake and ride straight through the next villages, Birkwitz and Sönrigen. This brings you to Dresden-Pillnitz; here, you’ll go around the castle and park on your right and then return to Pillnitzer Landstraße, where you’ll turn left again in Wachwitz to join the paved Elbe Cycle Path right along the Elbe.
Follow this path to the “Blaues Wunder” bridge, pass under it, and turn left onto Körnerweg via Loschwitzer Wiesenweg. Continue straight ahead along the Elbe and pass under the Waldschlößchen Bridge. At the Diakonissenweg intersection, leave Körnerweg and continue straight ahead on the signposted Elbe Cycle Path right along the Elbe.
In the Dresden neighborhood of Pieschen, ride across the peninsula and over the Mole Bridge. From there, continue along Kötzschenbrodaer Straße and then follow Böcklinstraße straight ahead. After about 1 km, turn right onto Scharfenberger Straße; at the next roundabout, go straight onto Overbeckstraße until you reach the large intersection with Washingtonstraße. Turn left there, follow Washingtonstraße for about 200 m, then turn right again onto Scharfenberger Straße. Continue straight ahead here and after 800 m, turn right to return to the Elbe. In Altkaditz, ride through the historic town center and turn left onto Serkowitzer Straße. Before reaching the village of Serkowitz, turn left again to return to the Elbe.
Follow the Elbe to Radebeul-Kötzschenbroda, and here, at the Elbe Sports Hall, turn left onto “An der Festwiese”; leave this path after about 300 m and continue straight ahead onto Uferstraße. Now continue along the Elbe toward Coswig, past the Kötitz swimming lake to Sörnewitz, and from there, below the Spaargebirge mountains on the towpath, you’ll finally arrive in Meissen.
In Meissen, continue directly along the Elbe, straight ahead on the Dammweg, and then parallel to Elbtalstraße all the way to Zadel. In Zadel, keep left toward the “Zum Zuessenhaus” RV park; there, turn right again onto the Elbe Cycle Path and follow it through Diera-Zehren, Nieschütz, and Bößgen all the way to Diesbar-Seußlitz. Here, at the parking lot, turn right and then immediately left onto Merschwitzer Straße. Before entering Merschwitz, turn left toward the Elbe and follow the bike path through Nünchritz to Grödel. At the entrance to the town, turn right and after about 100 m, turn left onto Grödeler Straße. From there, continue straight onto Elbstraße. At the town limits, continue straight ahead parallel to Grödeler Weg toward Moritz. In Moritz, turn left onto Dorfstraße, ride through the town, and then turn right again onto the bike path toward the Elbe.
Continue straight along the Elbe toward Promnitz. Ride through the town on the street “Am Elbdamm,” and at the town’s edge, turn left again to follow the Elbe Bike Path. Pass under the B 169 and enter the next town, Bobersen, via Elbwiesenstraße. Pass through Bobersen via Lessaer Straße, Wiesenstraße, and Lindenallee, then continue straight ahead to the next town, Gohlis. There, turn left onto Lindenstraße at “Windmühlenberg” and follow the path straight ahead through the towns of Zschepa and Lorenzkirch. In Lorenzkirch, turn right onto Cottewitzer Straße; pass Cottewitz on the right heading toward Kreinitz, and there turn left onto “Zum Elbbick.” Follow the road for 350 m, then turn right again onto Rote Gasse. Here, turn left onto Straße der Freundschaft and leave the town via Schulstraße.
In Gaitzschhäuser, the route follows Elbstraße away from the Elbe toward Borschütz. Ride through this town via Berliner Straße to reach Mühlberg. There, take Breitscheidstraße to Roßmarkt and ride along the harbor before turning right onto Straße der Jugend and “Am Sportplatz” to leave the village. Cycle along the paths through the Elbe floodplain to Martinskirchen, ride through the village on Teichstraße, and at the end of the village—at the cemetery on the left—turn onto Elbstraße to return to the Elbe and head toward Stehla.
Ride through Stehla via Koßdorfer and Packische Straße, then turn left toward Tauschwitz. From there, cycle back toward the Elbe via Fährstraße and, before the ferry terminal, turn right onto the path running parallel to the Elbe toward Köllitsch. Ride through the village via Belgeraner Straße and, after about 1 km, turn left onto Ritterstraße toward Kathewitz. There, turn right next to the old riverbed toward Pülswerda. Ride through this village via the streets “Am Schlosspark” and “Graditzer Weg.” Then keep left toward the Elbe and follow the trail all the way to Graditz.
In Graditz, ride along Gestütstraße/Dorfstraße first toward Beilrode, then turn left at the dairy farm to reach Werdau. Ride through Werdau on the B183 and, at the town’s edge, turn left onto Alte Werdauer Straße. Follow the road to Torgau and, after a loop, turn right onto the large Elbe Bridge. On the other side of the Elbe, continue straight ahead along “Fischerdörfchen” and then turn right onto Fischerstraße to reach the center of Torgau—and thus the destination of this stage of the Elbe Cycle Route.
Tour information
Cultural Interesting
Stop at an Inn
Equipment
The route is well-suited for touring bikes, e-bikes, and gravel bikes. With the exception of a few meters, it’s also rideable on a road bike.
Directions & Parking facilities
- Getting there
Pirna
From the A 4, heading toward Bautzen or Chemnitz, continue to the Dresden-West interchange, then follow the A 17 (toward Prague) to the Pirna junction.
ParkingPirna
The closest free parking lot to the starting point is located in Pirna Copitz on the Elbe (P7 in the Pirna city parking guidance system).
Public transportationBy train:
Pirna Station
S1 from Meissen, Schöna
S2 from Dresden Airport
RB71 from Sebnitz and Neustadt
RE20 Litoměřice and DresdenBy bus:
Pirna Bus Station
204 from Liebstadt
207a from Breitenau and Bad Gottleuba
209 from Ottendorf
218 and 219 from Bahratal
226 from Dresden Bühlau
234 from Neustadt or Stolpen
236 and 237 from Sebnitz or Hohnstein
238 from the town of Wehlen
241 from Hinterhermsdorf, Bad Schandau
245 from Rosenthal, Bad Gottleuba-Berggießhübel
246 from KönigsteinH/S from Dresden Prohlis
P from Dresden Pillnitz
Additional information
Route along the left bank of the Elbe for the Dresden Elbland section (Torgau–Pirna):
Literature
Official Elbe Cycle Route website:
Official Elbe Cycle Route Guide:
https://www.elberadweg.de/news-service/elberadweg-handbuch/
Further readingand cycling maps for the Elbe Cycle Route:
https://www.elberadweg.de/planen-buchen/literatur-und-radkarten-zum-elberadweg/
Additional Elbe Cycle Route brochures and informational materials:
https://www.elberadweg.de/news-service/prospekte-und-infomaterial/
Author
Dresden Elbland Redaktion
Organization
Dresden Elbland
License (master data)
Dresden Elbland Redaktion
Map
