Odenwald-Madonnen-Radweg – 4 days along chapels and nature

On the Odenwald-Madonnen-Radweg, variety is a top priority. In just four days, you will visit the Madonnenländle with its numerous chapels and Madonna portraits, follow the Wanderbahntrasse (the hiking train route) through the southern Odenwald forest, cycle along the banks of the river through the Neckar valley and enjoy the vastness of the Rhine plain. Along the way, very special cultural Highlights await you, such as the Chapel of the Holy Blood, the Heidelberg Castle, the old half-timbered towns in the Neckar Valley and, at the very end, the impressive Speyer Cathedral. So it's no wonder that the magnificent cycle path was awarded four stars by the ADFC.

On the four stages of the Odenwald-Madonnen-Radweg, you'll cover a total distance of 105 miles (170 kilometers) from Tauberbischofsheim via Heidelberg to Speyer. The individual stages are between around 25 and 30 miles (40 and 50 kilometers) long, leaving enough time for a stroll through the small towns and visits to the venerable churches and chapels. As you'll ride, you'll cycle along quiet roads and along well-kept cycle paths through the picturesque nature of the southern Odenwald. The landscape is quite hilly, but since the ascents and descents are evenly distributed over the entire route, no strenuous mountain sections await you. The stage destinations are small, cozy towns where you can find nice accommodation and easily buy provisions for the next day. Since all the stages have a train station, you can also plan your journey easily by bus and train. You can also shorten your ride if bad weather surprises you.

If you would like to include a real mountain stage in your ride, then the alternative of the second stage over the Katzenbuckel is just right for you. This ride is one for ambitious cyclists, taking you uphill from Mudau and steeply back down into the Neckar valley. Here, the ride meets the third stage and runs along the banks of the river to the third stage destination Neckargemünd. As this alternative combines the second with the third stage, your full ride will be shortened to a total of three days.