"Meißner 8" - northern route

35.79 km long

Round trip

Difficulty: easy

Condition: very easy

Great panorama

Cycling

Beschilderung Radroute "Meißner 8" — © Stephan Böhlig, Dresden Elbland, Stephan Boehlig | CC0

Blick auf die Meißner Altstadt — © Stephan Böhlig, Dresden Elbland, Stephan Boehlig | CC0

Kirche St. Benno Meißen — © Stephan Böhlig, Dresden Elbland, Stephan Boehlig | CC-BY-SA

3:00 h
35.79 km
183 m
183 m
96 m
224 m
128 m
Start: Meissen
Destination: Meissen

ATTENTION! IMPORTANT NOTICE!

Complete closure of the S 85 between K 8080 and Mettelwitz

As part of the construction project "S 85 - expansion south of Lommatzsch, construction section 3.2 (Mertitz through road)", the S 85 between K 8080 and Mettelwitz is fully closed. This closure area is expected to remain in place until 07.10.2026.

Subsequently, work will continue on the S 85 in sections between the junction with the K 8080 and the entrance to Mertitz from the direction of Lommatzsch. We recommend driving around the construction section as follows: At the end of Käbschütz (after the bus loop), turn left onto the dirt road to Leuben. Cross the S 85 and take Hanno-Günther-Straße and Leubener Bahnhostraße to Leuben. There you then follow the route of the Elbe-Mulde cycle path to the right via Lommatzscher Straße . The route continues via Neumühle and Wahnwitz to Mertitz, where you return to the original route of the "Meißner 8 - Nordroute" and cycle to Zöthain.

The northern route of the Meissen 8 leads along the former narrow-gauge railroad line through picturesque villages in the district of Meissen and the Lommatzscher Pflege.

The cycle tour leads along both asphalted and natural paths, some of which were still used by the local narrow-gauge railroad until the 1970s, but were then converted into a scenic cycle path.

The tour starts in Meissen city center on the right bank of the Elbe near the train station and offers a panoramic view of the historic city of Meissen with Albrechtsburg Castle and the cathedral as you cross the railroad bridge. On the rest of the journey, we are accompanied by three churches: Nicolai Church, St. Benno's Church and Luther Church.

A detour to the world-famous porcelain factory is also possible on the way out of the city.

As you pass through the Triebischtal valley, you can see the Götterfelsen rock, which has a viewing platform for a short hike. The route continues past the valley's mills, which can also be visited by bike on the southern route of Meißner 8.

The first relics of the railroad line are visible here - remains of the former viaduct in Robschütz with old concrete supports bear witness to the history of the railroad line. On the next few kilometers of the route, you can explore it through some preserved station buildings and even a small railway museum in Löthain.

However, the tour also delights with natural paths through forests and across the fields of the southern Lommatzscher Pflege, which also offers small villages and sights worth seeing, for example at the Zöthain double bridge and the Prositz Germanic burial ground. If you deviate from the route a little in Mauna, you will discover the "Cambium Compagnie" winery - a nice place for a break and a glass of Saxon wine (seasonally limited offer).

On the way back towards Meißen, you have a wonderful view of the remains of the Renaissance castle in Schieritz before the Elbe cycle path leads back towards Meißen. Here you will find another highlight - the ruins of the "Heilig Kreuz" monastery, which was built in 1217 and today invites you to stop for a bite to eat in the inner courtyard (monastery rest: Thu-Sun 12-5pm).

There are numerous other places to stop for refreshments in Meissen itself.

Start

Meissen

Church

Destination

Meissen

Pavements

Unknown (97%)

Gravel (1%)

Trail (2%)

Best to visit

suitable

Depends on weather

Directions

The tour starts on the right bank of the Elbe near Meißen railroad station. From there, the route follows the yellow symbol of the "Meißen 8" - first over the railroad bridge, which leads to the other side of the Elbe as far as Obergasse.At the next junction, turn left onto the main road and follow it past the church at the traffic lights and over the Triebisch river, then turn sharp left onto Wettinstraße. Follow this road along the river until it finally joins the main road after a short right-left combination.

It now continues out of town along the Triebisch valley until it turns left over a small bridge in Garsebach. Turn right at the cemetery and follow the path until you reach the main road again.

The S 83 is only used briefly, as the route turns right uphill in Robschütz. After the underpass, continue straight on to Löthain, where you turn right into Canitzer Straße at the Kleinbahnmuseum. At the next junction, the tour turns right onto the small forest path towards Mauna. The village is only touched on, followed by a few more meters on natural tracks to Leutewitz. There the route crosses the Obermühle mill and then turns right at the lake onto the small forest path and then follows the forest path to the village of Kabschütz. Keep right here and climb the next hills to Mettelwitz via the Plattenweg.

Continue along the main road until you reach the junction to the right towards Zöthain. Here you leave the double bridge on the right and follow the road straight on to Daubnitz, where you turn right at the crossroads in the village. The route then continues straight on through the villages of Wachtnitz, Prositz and Piskowitz.

From there, you cycle along cycle paths with views of Schieritz Castle back to the Elbe cycle path, which you then follow eastwards to Meißen. Cross the first bridge, the Elbe Valley Bridge, to cross the river and return to the starting point.

Tour information