Weser: laid-back tour, Hann. Münden – Minden

Getting to know the Weser River in a relaxed pace

Let the Weser take you on an especially pleasurable bike trip! Follow the river on the most worthwhile part of its course and enjoy short stages and memorable breaks. You will discover Hann.Münden and Hameln with their neat Old-Towns, Corvey castle, the chinaware manufacture in Fürstenberg and the castle of Bevern, a real treasure of the Weser Renaissance. And if you are interested, there will also be enough time for a short river cruise!

1. day Arriving in Hann. Münden

Welcome to Hann. Münden where Fulda und Werra flow into the Weser. We recommend bringing enough time to visit the city hall from the Weser Renaissance and the more than 700 half-timbered houses of the town. Parking facilities are close to your first hotel and rental bikes are at your first hotel.

2. day Hann. Münden - Oedelsheim/Oberweser 26 km

Onto the bicycles! The former Benedictine monastery Bursfelde is the first sight waiting to be visited. Next on your list is the worthwhile open-air museum with its numerous mills. Overnight stay in Oedelsheim/Oberweser.

3. day Oedelsheim/Oberweser - Beverungen 29 km

Today’s route leads you where Hesse and Lower-Saxony meet, to Bad Karlshafen. Let the historical town hall built in 1715, originally used as a store house, impress you and treat yourself with some ice-cream or a piece of cake. In case you are interested in seeing a half-timbered house of especially unique charm, you should take a side trip on the Diemel-bike trail to Helmarshausen (ca. 2,5 km) before continuing your way past Herstelle castle to Beverungen.

4. day Beverungen - Holzminden 28 km

The periphery of the Solling, Northern Germany’s second largest continuous wood-covered surface, will accompany you today! Fürstenberg castle, known world-wide for its chinaware manufacture, lies on your way to Corvey castle. After your visit, you will roll along the Weser bank to Holzminden.

5. day Holzminden - Bodenwerder 28 km

We recommend following the Europe-bike trail R 1 to bring you to a cultural highlight: Bevern castle, one of the Weser Renaissance’s most impressive buildings. After about 2,5 km, you will rejoin the river bank to continue towards Bodenwerder, home of the famous Baron Münchhausen. The museum dedicated to him and the historical Old-town are equally worthwhile.

6. day Bodenwerder - Hameln 26 km

You will leave Bodenwerder and reach the picturesque Hämelschenburg in the lovely valley of the Emmer (+ 5,5 km). Here you will be captured by the medieval atmosphere of the Hamelin, home of the Pied Piper, who appeared here in 1284. Ever since, he has been the symbol of the town and has reached world-wide fame. Do not miss the opportunity to participate in an interesting guided tour around the town.

7. day Hameln - Rinteln 30 km

Leaving beautiful Hameln means discovering other new places. Visit the monastery Fischbeck in Hessisch Oldendorf, which is a splendiferous example of medieval monastery tradition, thanks to its original Romanic architecture and to its compact construction. At the same time, it is said to be the best-preserved major sacral building in the Weser region. The town of Rinteln also has a lot to offer: The magnificent Old-Town from the Weser Renaissance, the ancient harbor and the historical steam railway.

8. day Rinteln - Minden 41 km

Bad Oeynhausen is North-Rhine Westphalia’s only national spa. It attracts the numerous visitors with its 36°C warm "Jordansprudel" – the world’s greatest sparkling thermal spring shooting up into 42 metres of height from 720 metres below the earth by itself.

The valley gets a little narrower nearby Porta Westfalica, where the Weser and the numerous cyclists have to push their way through the Wiehen- and Weser mountains. A number of interesting museums wait in Minden (coffee museum, Prussian museum, button museum, doll museum) just as nice cafes and a boat trip across the waterway.

9. day Departing from Minden

Your rental bikes can be left at the hotel. It is possible to travel back to Hann. Münden by train or to book our back transfer (daily 3 p.m.).

Worth knowing about the Weser bike trail: laid-back tour

Please find more information about the Weser bike trail: laid-back tour. If you have any further questions feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0)6421 - 886890.

Arrival by train

Hann.Münden is easily accessible from all major cities in Germany by train. We recommend to take a taxi from the train station to get to our partner hotels in Hann. Münden.

Current schedule information and price information can be found at: www.bahn.de.

Train schedule information

Parking facilities at the hotel

Our partner hotels in Hann.Münden have only a limited number of parking spaces.

You can park your car for the duration of the trip in the car park at the “Tanzwerder”.

Detailed information on parking at your hotel, you will receive by mail together with the detailed travel documents two weeks prior to departure.

Condition of cycle paths

The Weser bike trail is one of the best cycle routes in Europe. In surveys conducted by the Allgemeiner Deutscher fahrrad-Club (ADfC - General German Cycling Club), the Weser cycle path has become the most popular cycling route in Germany!

Most of the time the bike trail runs parallel to the Weser waterway: especially between Hann.Münden and Rinteln it makes the special charm of this bicycle route.

Large sections of the Weser bike track are well developed, paved bike trails, farm roads, or at least roads with separate routing paths. Occasionally short sections lead over country roads with less traffic. There are hardly any sections where you have to drive on unsurfaced roads.

Often there are bike trails along both the banks of the Weser River. Especially between Hann.Münden and Werder you can pick the site and take the ferry to switch banks. However, the official Weserradweg bike route leads only on one side of the river.

Available rental bikes

If you choose to rent a velocipede-rental bike for the tour, we bring it to your first hotel and pick it up at your destination. You can choose between woman’s and men's bicycles either with 7-speed gear shift and coaster brake or 27-speed gear shift and freewheel or electric bikes. All ladies' bikes have a low opening that makes mounting and dismounting much easier. The bikes are suitable for all ladies from 150 cm in height and for all gentlemen from 165 cm in height. You simply specify your wishes at time of booking.

Velociped rental bikes

Transfer back to the starting point of the journey

Daily at 3pm there is the possibility to transfer back to Hann.Münden with a small bus (with bike trailer). The driver comes to pick you up at your hotel and has much room for you, your luggage and where required your own bicycle. The bus takes you back to your first hotel, thus ensuring a perfect return service without transfer and the hassle of hauling luggage.

Tourist tax

A possibly resulting tourist tax is not part of the travel price and therefor it is payable locally at the hotel.

7 days hotline service

Just in case the bike chain is broken, flooding makes it impossible to continue your tour or any other nasty surprise: you can reach us seven days a week and we will do anything to help you as fast as possible.

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

Information on current decisions of the German Federal Government can be found here:
https://www.bundesregierung.de/corona-these-rules-and-restrictions-apply

Current information on entry requirements to Germany can be found here:
https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/coronavirus

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Hann. Münden

Hann. Münden is rich in restored half-timbered houses (more than 700 in the historical town center) with nice medieval churches (St. Blasius, St. Aegidia) and buildings of the so-called Weserrenaissance. Worth mentioning in particular are the Welfenschloss and the historic town hall.

City wall:

Some parts of the medieval city wall including the defense towers are preserved. The wall was already built with the city's foundation in the 12th century.

St. Blasius:

The Blasius church is a three-nave Gothic hall church in the center of the old town. The construction began at the end of the 13th century, built on the foundation walls of a Roman basilica.

Old Werra-bridge:

The stone bridge across the Werra connects the town center with the suburban flower. It was built before 1329 and is one of the oldest stone bridges in Lower Saxony.

Town hall:

Downtown you find the town hall, whose core is a gothic hall dating from the 14th century. In the years 1603 to 1618, the building was reconstructed by the Lemgo architect Georg Crossmann and received its still preserved decorated façade.

Welfenschloss:

The first Münden castle was completed in 1501 by Herzogich I (Calenberg-Göttingen) as a gothic building. It was a residence castle with administrative seat.

Tillyschanze:

As a memory of the Siege of Münden by general Tilly in 1626 a watch out tower was built in the Reinhardswald above the town.

Weser-song construction:

On a hill high above Hann. Münden and Weserstein, the Weser-song construction is located on the right side of the river Weser. Reminiscent of the poet of the Weser song (Franz von Dingelstedt) and the composer of the song (Gustav Pressel). The Weser-song construction offers a wide view over the city.

Hann.Münden

Castle of Beverungen

The castle of Beverungen is a partially preserved water castle at the river Weser in Beverungen. In 1332, the Paderborn bishop began the construction of the Wasserburg to secure navigation on the Weser.

castle Beverungen

Fürstenberg Castle

Fürstenberg Castle is a three-winged Baroque building with Rokokodekor in Fürstenberg / Havel. It is situated Unter den Linden 58 on an island north of the old town center with the field name Mühlenkamp. It was built between 1741 and 1752 as a widow's seat of the Mecklenburg duchess Dorothea Sophie.

Fürstenberg castle

Corvey Castle

Corvey (also Korvey) is a former Benedictine abbey in Höxter in today's North Rhine-Westphalia. Corvey was one of the most important Carolingian monasteries and possesed one of the most valuable libraries in the country. A numerous bishops arised from that abbey. Corvey played a decisive role in the first missionary experiments in Scandinavia. Ansgar, the "Apostle of the North," was brought up here.

Castle Corvey

Ruins of Polle Castle

The ruins of "Everstein castle at Polle" (also called "Polle castle") is situated on a 25 m high mountain dome over the municipality. It was first mentioned in 1285 as "Eversteiner castle" and is considered to be one of the family seats of the Eversteiner counts. In the Thirty Years' War it was destroyed by Swedish troops in 1641 and remained a ruin.

Ruins of Polle

Münchhausen museum

His racy ride on a cannon is well-known all over the world, and his astounding hunting stories have inspired large and small audiences for centuries. Welcome to Bodenwerder, home of the incomparable fabier Hieronymus Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Münchhausen (1720-1797).   By now in the birthplace of the talented story-teller with a tendency to exaggeration seriöse policy is being made. However on some days you still feel the spirit of the Freiherrn of Münchhausen in the old town alleys and you might meet him as he is strolling through the pedestrian zone...

Münchhausen-Museum

Wedding house in Hameln

The wedding house in Hameln is a significant Weser renaissance building in Lower Saxony built out of sandstone. It is considered to be the last stone building built in this style in Hameln. The construction period was from 1610 to 1617.

Wedding House

House of the pied piper in Hameln

The house of the pied piper is one of the most famous houses in the Old Town of Hameln and one of the most magnificent buildings of the Weserrenaissance. It is located at the junction of Bungelosenstraße and Osterstraße. Its present façade was built in 1602.

The house of the pied piper

Monastery Möllenbeck

The former monastery Möllenbeck close to Rinteln in Lower Saxony is one of the most important architectural monuments of southern Lower Saxony. It was built between 1478 and 1505 in the place of a previously burnt-down building in late-Gothic style and is considered to be one of the best preserved late-medieval monastery constructions in Germany.

monastry Möllenbeck

Aqua Magica

The Aqua Magica is a 20 hectare landscaped park in Bad Oeynhausen and Löhne. The park was designed in 1997 by French landscape architects Henri Bava and Olivier Philippe. The plan was to create a park for the Landesgartenschau in 2000. The most impressive work at Aqua Magica is the water crater. It is an accessible, underground fountain sculpture and a station on the journey to the "land of wonder".

Aqua Magica

Waterway crossing Minden

The waterway crossing Minden is a crossroads of two waterways in East Westphalia Minden, where the Mittellandkanal lays with two bridges across the Weser Valley and the Weser river, which is located 13 m below. 320 m respective 341 m long channel bridges lead across the river and the Weser meadows. This means 211 km free traveling for the navigation on the canal and the Weser. Connections via two lockways make a switch between the waterways at this intersection possible.

Waterway crossing Minden