Eurovelo 13 (Germany)

EuroVelo 13 in Germany runs from the Polish border on the island of Usedom west along the Baltic coast to Travemünde, then turns south and follows the former inner-German border to the tripoint with Czechia near Hof. Known as the Iron Curtain Trail, it traces the frontier that separated East and West Germany until reunification. Since June 2025, the German section has also been part of the national cycle network as D-Route 13.

No other stretch of EuroVelo 13 has as many memorials, border museums and preserved border installations as the German one. It is also a nature route. Decades of restricted access along the border strip left behind a chain of protected habitats, now known as the Green Belt (Grünes Band) and part of the wider European Green Belt. Expect a rural ride: on the inner-German border section, you can spend days without passing through a settlement of more than 1,000 people.

EuroVelo 13 Germany at a glance

• Start: German-Polish border between Ahlbeck and Świnoujście, Usedom
• End: border tripoint with Czechia east of Hof, Vogtland
• Official status: EuroVelo 13 and German D-Route 13; the Iron Curtain Trail has been a certified Cultural Route of the Council of Europe since 2019
• Difficulty: moderate on the Baltic coast and in the north, demanding from the Harz southwards
• Elevation profile: slightly hilly on the coast, easier north of the Harz, steep climbs in the Harz and hilliest along the Bavaria–Thuringia border and through the Rhön
• Surface: mixed, with asphalt, gravel and forest or field tracks, including significant unpaved sections
• Route type: cycle paths combined with quiet roads, which carry little traffic on most sections
• Recommended bike: touring bike or similar with wide tyres; narrow road tyres are not suitable for the unpaved sections

Where does EuroVelo 13 run in Germany

The German section combines two existing long-distance routes. From Usedom to the Priwall peninsula at Travemünde, EuroVelo 13 shares its course with the Baltic Sea Cycle Route (Ostseeküsten-Radweg), which is also EuroVelo 10. From Travemünde, it follows the German-German Border Trail south along the former inner-German border to Czechia.

On the coast, the route passes the imperial seaside resorts of Ahlbeck, Heringsdorf and Bansin, then the Hanseatic towns of Greifswald, Stralsund, Rostock and Wismar. South of Lübeck, it passes Lake Ratzeburg and Zarrentin to reach the Elbe at Lauenburg. It then crosses the Altmark and the Wendland, climbs over the Harz, follows the Werra valley past Eisenach, crosses the Rhön and runs along the Bavaria–Thuringia border to the Saale valley and the Vogtland.

Is EuroVelo 13 signposted in Germany

Signage on the German section is not continuous. On the Baltic coast, follow the Ostseeküsten-Radweg signs. Along the former inner-German border, waymarking was patchy until 2022. A joint project of 19 districts in five federal states then re-signed the route, and as of 2025, the section along the Thuringian state border from the southern Harz to the Vogtland is continuously signposted. Other sections still have gaps in waymarking.

Carry a navigation device or phone with the route loaded. The GPX track is available directly in VeloPlanner.

How to split EuroVelo 13 in Germany into sections

VeloPlanner shows the full route on the map rather than fixed stages. The route divides naturally into the following regions, each with its own terrain and character.

Usedom – Travemünde (Baltic coast)
The route stays close to the water, with some slightly hilly stretches. It crosses forests near Rostock, loops around the Darss peninsula and uses narrow asphalt paths near Stralsund. Between Boltenhagen and Travemünde, it reaches the old border on the Bay of Lübeck.

Lübeck – Schnackenburg (Elbe)
After Lake Ratzeburg, the route joins the Elbe Cycle Route (Elberadweg) at Lauenburg and Boizenburg. It follows the river through the UNESCO Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve via Hitzacker, Dömitz and Lenzen to Schnackenburg.

Schnackenburg – Hornburg (Altmark and Wendland)
This section passes Lake Arendsee, the medieval town of Salzwedel, Wustrow and Brome. Further south lie the former border crossing at Marienborn near Helmstedt and the old open-cast mine at Schöningen.

Ilsenburg – Duderstadt (Harz and Eichsfeld)
At Ilsenburg, the route climbs into the Harz, with steep ascents and descents around Hohegeiß before dropping to Ellrich. It continues through the Eichsfeld to Duderstadt, a town of half-timbered houses.

Bad Sooden-Allendorf – Vacha (Werra valley)
The route follows the Werra via Bad Sooden-Allendorf, Eschwege, Wanfried and Treffurt, where Normannstein castle stands above the town. Between Treffurt and Ifta, the route has steep climbs and descents. It then passes Eisenach and Herleshausen on the way to Vacha.

Vacha – Fladungen (Rhön)
This is the start of the hilliest part of the German section. Climbs on little-used roads lead past Point Alpha near Geisa, then over Tann and Frankenheim to Fladungen, with views over forested hills.

Fladungen – Hof (Bavaria–Thuringia border to the Vogtland)
The final section runs via Bad Rodach, Neustadt bei Coburg, Tettau, Lauenstein and Lehesten to Blankenstein in the Saale valley. From there it continues via Hirschberg and Mödlareuth to the Czech border.

Cold War sites and attractions along EuroVelo 13 in Germany

The German section is lined with border museums, memorials and preserved fortifications. Many sit directly on the route; some require a short detour.

Border museums and memorials

• Point Alpha (Hesse–Thuringia border, near Geisa): the best-known Iron Curtain site in Germany. The former US observation post overlooked the Ulster valley and the Fulda Gap, where NATO expected a possible Warsaw Pact attack. US and Soviet-bloc forces stood only 200 m apart here. Today there is a museum, a reconstructed section of the border with a former East German watchtower, an exhibition of tanks and helicopters, and e-bike charging.
• Marienborn Memorial to German Division (near Helmstedt): the former Helmstedt/Marienborn border crossing, known as Checkpoint Alpha, with exhibits on border controls and surveillance.
• Mödlareuth open-air museum (Bavaria–Thuringia border): preserved border installations near the southern end of the German section.
• Schifflersgrund border museum (near Bad Sooden-Allendorf): preserved fortifications plus a collection of vehicles and helicopters used for border security.
• Border museums at Bad Sachsa, Teistungen, Behrungen and Bad Königshofen: all linked to the signposted route along the Thuringian border.
• Point India (near Ifta) and the Vacha border memorial park (Grenzgedächtnispark): smaller memorial sites in the Werra valley.
• Schöningen open-cast mine: a former lignite mine that lay directly on the border, with resources split between the two states. An information point explains its history.
• Border viewer between Travemünde and Boltenhagen: a lens on the coastal route shows the area as it looked when it was part of the fortified border. At night, the beach at Boltenhagen was closed to the public to prevent escapes across the Bay of Lübeck.

Nature

• Green Belt (Grünes Band): the former border strip, now a chain of protected habitats; the conservation group BUND has worked to preserve it since 1989.
• Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve (UNESCO): the river stretch between Boizenburg and Schnackenburg. The Elbe was one of the most heavily guarded parts of the border, fortified with fences, watchtowers and even underwater obstacles.
• Harz: mountain crossing between Ilsenburg and Ellrich.
• Rhön: upland forest and far views on the Hesse–Thuringia–Bavaria border.
• Usedom Island Nature Park and the Darss peninsula: forest and coastline at the start of the route.

Towns

• Stralsund and Wismar: Hanseatic old towns listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• Greifswald and Rostock: Hanseatic towns on the Baltic section.
• Salzwedel: medieval townscape in the Altmark.
• Duderstadt and Eschwege: old towns built around half-timbered houses.
• Treffurt: small town below Normannstein castle on the Werra.

For a geology detour from the Rhön, the Vulkanradweg (part of the Hessian BahnRadweg) crosses the Vogelsberg, the largest volcanic area in central Europe. The Vogelsberg Geopark has around 50 sites with traces of volcanic activity, including basalt columns.

Accommodation on EuroVelo 13 in Germany

On the Baltic coast and along the Elbe, EuroVelo 13 shares its course with two established long-distance cycle routes, and cyclist-certified accommodation is listed by route. Along much of the inner-German border, the route passes through thinly populated countryside, so plan overnight stops ahead.

• Bett+Bike: the ADFC certification for cyclist-friendly hotels, guesthouses, youth hostels and campsites. The Bett+Bike website lets you filter hosts by cycle route.
• "radfreundlich" label: cyclist-friendly accommodation and pubs along the Elberadweg, certified using ADFC criteria.
• Booked tours: official EuroVelo 13 Booking Centres opened in early 2026 and sell Good Impact Cycling tours, which estimate and offset each trip's environmental and social impact. As of 2026, the listed packages cover Czechia, Austria and Slovakia, not the German section.

How to get to and from EuroVelo 13 in Germany

Getting there

The route starts at the German-Polish border between Ahlbeck and Świnoujście. Arriving by train is the most practical option for a linear route of this length. From Berlin, the Radfernweg Berlin–Usedom cycle route leads to Ahlbeck.

Joining mid-route

• From Hamburg: follow the Elbe Cycle Route upstream to Lauenburg, where it meets EuroVelo 13.
• From Wolfsburg: the long-distance train station lies 18 km off the route. The Aller-Radweg connects to EuroVelo 13 at Oebisfelde.

Getting back

The German section ends at the tripoint east of Hof, and Hof station is the natural departure point. Bike spaces on German long-distance trains require a reservation and sell out months ahead in peak season, so book early.

Practical considerations for EuroVelo 13 in Germany

The border setting shapes the practical side of this route. Towns are small and far apart, and the terrain gets harder the further south you ride.

The southern half is physically demanding. The Harz crossing, the Werra valley around Treffurt and the Rhön all include steep climbs and descents.

The route does not always follow the old border patrol track. The former patrol road (Kolonnenweg) no longer exists everywhere, and cycling is banned in some wildlife protection areas along the old border strip. In these places, the route uses detours away from the border line.

Services are sparse on the inner-German border section. Stock up on food and water in larger towns, as some stretches pass only villages.

• E-bike charging at Point Alpha
• Bett+Bike accommodation across all federal states on the route
• Long-distance train stations at Hof and Wolfsburg

Where does EuroVelo 13 continue after Germany

From the tripoint near Hof, EuroVelo 13 enters Czechia via Aš and Cheb and returns to Bavaria at Waldsassen. In the Upper Palatine Forest, it crosses the border several times: into Czechia near Rozvadov, where a monument marks the opening of the Iron Curtain, back to Germany at Waidhaus and along the Bockl-Radweg to Eslarn, then into Czechia again at Friedrichshäng. To the east, the route continues from Usedom along the Polish Baltic coast as a shared EuroVelo 10/13 route.

You don't have to ride the whole German section at once. Open the route in the VeloPlanner planner to split it into your own sections, whether that is the Baltic coast, the Elbe or the border museums of the Rhön.