Weser – Romantic Route ( D-route 9 )

D-Route 9, the Weser – Romantic Route (German: Weser-Romantische Straße), runs from Bremerhaven on the North Sea coast to Füssen at the foot of the Alps. It crosses six German federal states: Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. It is Germany's classic north–south cycling axis, linking the North German Plain, the central uplands, the Lech valley and the Alpine foothills.

The route stitches together several established long-distance cycle paths: the Weser Cycle Route (Weser-Radweg), the Hessian long-distance routes R1 and R2, the Main Cycle Route (Main-Radweg) and the Romantic Road cycle route (Radweg Romantische Straße) into the Allgäu. In the north you ride the wide, flat Weser valley through Bremen and the Weserbergland. Further south the terrain turns hilly, and the towns change from Weser half-timbering to Franconian old towns, Würzburg, Augsburg and finally the castles of King Ludwig II near Füssen.

D-Route 9 at a glance

• Start and finish: Bremerhaven (North Sea coast) to Füssen (Allgäu, Bavaria)
• Typical duration: 19–20 days
• Difficulty: moderate
• Elevation profile: flat or gently rolling along the Weser; hillier towards the south, with the most demanding riding from the Rhön onwards
• Direction: described north to south, from the coast to the Alps
• Federal states: Bremen, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria
• Network: one of the national D-Routes of Radnetz Deutschland, coordinated by the Federal Logistics and Mobility Office (BALM)

How is D-Route 9 signposted?

The route is signposted continuously from end to end with the D-Route 9 logo. Because D-Route 9 runs along existing long-distance routes for most of its course, you will also be following the Weser Cycle Route, the Hessian R1 and R2, the Main Cycle Route and the Romantic Road cycle route as you move south. Knowing which of these you are on helps when a junction offers several signed options.

The GPX track for D-Route 9 is available directly in VeloPlanner, so you can load it onto your device or open it in the planner before you set off.

Main sections of the Weser – Romantic Route

The route divides naturally into sections that follow its component cycle paths. A common way to ride it is in 19–20 daily stages, but the breakdown below follows geography rather than day lengths.

Bremerhaven – Bremen
The route starts at the mouth of the Weser in Bremerhaven, where the Museum Harbour and Old Harbour set the maritime tone. From there it follows the river inland across flat, open country to the city of Bremen.

Bremen – Hann. Münden
This is the Weser Cycle Route stretch, heading upstream via Hoya, Minden, Hamelin (Hameln) and Höxter. South of Minden the valley narrows into the Weserbergland, where the riding becomes more varied but stays mostly gentle.

Hann. Münden – Fulda
Here D-Route 9 leaves the Weser and joins the Hessian long-distance routes R1 and R2 through Kassel, Melsungen and Bad Hersfeld to Fulda. Highlights include the Orangery in Kassel's Karlsaue park and a covered bridge over the Fulda near Fuldabrück.

Fulda – Würzburg
From the Rhön onwards the route becomes noticeably more demanding. It continues via Burgsinn and picks up the Main Cycle Route through Karlstadt to Würzburg.

Würzburg – Füssen
The final and longest section follows the Romantic Road cycle route via Bad Mergentheim, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Dinkelsbühl, Donauwörth, Augsburg and Landsberg am Lech. The last stretch climbs into the Alpine foothills and ends in Füssen, within sight of Neuschwanstein Castle.

What to see along D-Route 9

The sights range from harbour museums on the North Sea to royal castles at the edge of the Alps, with half-timbered old towns, palaces and abbey ruins in between.

Towns and history

• Museum Harbour and Old Harbour, Bremerhaven: museum ships at the Weser estuary, right at the start of the route
• Hamelin (Hameln): an old town of restored half-timbered houses, known worldwide for the legend of the Pied Piper
• Bad Hersfeld: festival town with extensive abbey ruins
• Karlstadt: historic old town on the Main, overlooked by the ruins of Karlsburg Castle, which gives a wide view across the Main-Franconian landscape
• Augsburg Eiskanal: the world's first artificial whitewater course, still used for canoe slalom competitions

Palaces and castles

• Orangery, Kassel: baroque former plant house set in the Karlsaue park
• Weikersheim Palace: knights' hall and baroque garden showing how the Franconian nobility lived
• Neuschwanstein Castle: King Ludwig II's castle near Füssen, the landmark that marks the end of the route

Nature and engineering

• Covered bridge near Fuldabrück: a roofed bridge spanning the Fulda
• Bannwaldsee: natural lake at the foot of the Alps, close to the finish

Which cycle routes connect to D-Route 9?

D-Route 9 crosses or joins more national routes than most D-Routes, which makes it a useful spine for longer trips across Germany. It connects with:

• D-Route 1: North Sea Coast Route
• D-Route 3: European Cycle Route R1
• D-Route 4: Mittelland Route
• D-Route 5: Saar-Mosel-Main
• D-Route 6: Danube Route
• D-Route 7: Pilgrimage Route
• German Unity Cycle Road

Final tips for riding D-Route 9

Expect two different rides in one: easy river-valley kilometres in the north, and real climbing from the Rhön south. If your time is limited, the Weser section and the Romantic Road section each work as trips of their own, and both have a clear start and finish in well-known towns.

Few people ride all 19–20 days in one go. Open the route in the VeloPlanner planner to split it into your own stages or to pick out the section that fits your holiday.