Cycling

The legendary Brocken – the magic mountain of Germany – is a popular travel destination in the Harz range. But only by mountain bike will you “experience” the true magic of the Harz mountains; with a powerful grip, your hand on the brake and a concentrated view ahead.

You will whiz by deciduous woodlands and dense fir forests, rugged rocks and balmy mountain pastures, cheerfully speed between forest roads and narrow, stony trails then back onto the wonderfully soft forest soil.

Experience pristine wilderness, deep valleys and unexpected views, as well as impressive cultural monuments and idyllic Harz towns. As varied as the landscape itself is the huge network of routes for mountain bikers, the Volksbank Arena Harz.

• 62 signposted mountain bike routes
• 1800 kilometres total length
• 50,000 metres of height difference
• 3 difficulty levels

The individual routes start at the following locations: Altenau, Bad Grund, Bad Harzburg, Bad Lauterberg, Bad Sachsa, Braunlage, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Goslar, Hahnenklee, Herzberg, Hohegeiß, Ilsenburg, Langelsheim, Lautenthal, Osterode, Sankt Andreasberg, Schierke, Schulenberg, Seesen, Walkenried, Wildemann and Wolfshagen.

For details of individual routes and a map, see here.

These are just the routes listed by Volksbank Arena Harz but the choice is endless. Here in the Hotel we have our own list of favourite mountain bike tours starting from the front door, we can also arrange GPS hire or a local guide to show you the very best routes & single trails.

Downhill Bikepark

For those looking for an adrenaline fix there are now 3 downhill & freeride parks in the Harz, the nearest to the hotel being Bikepark Braunlage.

The Braunlage Bikepark is located on the Wurmberg and works in a similar way to the Skiing during the winter. You simply buy your pass for the lift and use the downhill tracks as many times as you want. But remember; it’s more challenging than it looks!

If you don’t have or don’t wish to bring your own, all the equipment (downhill bike, body armour & helmet) you will need to tackle the downhill park is available to hire at the bottom of the lift from Zweirad Busche.

E-Bikes

If adrenaline & speed are not for you we can also suggest routes through the woods on good gravel tracks so you can still enjoy the wilderness without too much effort. With the Giant E-Bike you can enjoy all the fresh air and convenience of a bicycle but without any of the strenuous effort sometimes necessary to tackle the local terrain.

The hybrid bike comes fitted with an electric motor and battery which actually assists your pedalling as you ride up hills! Anne & I have cycled up the Wurmberg on these quite easily.

We can arrange rental of a hybrid bike from Zweirad-Busche.

Road Cycling

Cycling is a very popular pursuit in Germany and you can’t visit the Harz without seeing one of the local cycle clubs out for a group ride as well as the numerous solo riders. The locals and motorists are very respectful of cyclists and you always feel safe on the German roads.

The Harz is a fantastic place to bring your own road bike or rent one from Zweirad Busche and enjoy some of the fantastic scenery and challenging climbs that the area has to offer. There are some great undulating routes around the hotel and bike maps are available to purchase in the hotel bar.

No matter what your level of experience or fitness on the road there’s something for you with some super steep 15-18% gradients and plenty of smooth rolling terrain, every one with a superb view of the local area. Germany’s roads are some of the best maintained in Europe and the smooth road surface makes for a very pleasant ride.