Castles tour

Tip
34.80 km long
Difficulty: medium
Condition: easy
Cycling
  • 2:46 h
  • 34.80 km
  • 378 m
  • 378 m
  • 118 m
  • 395 m
  • 277 m
  • Start: Heidenau
  • Destination: Pirna
On this tour, you can discover a number of sights such as the Grosssedlitz Baroque Garden, Weesenstein Castle and Kuckkuckstein Castle. You will pass picturesque villages. However, most of this tour takes you along busy roads that do not have an extra cycle path.

Heidenau - Großsedlitz - Dohna - Weesenstein - Liebstadt - Zuschendorf - Pirna

Good to know

Best to visit

suitable
Depends on weather

Directions

You start the castle tour from the Heidenau/Großsedlitz S-Bahn stop in the direction of the B172, which you then cross. The path continues to the right along Apfelallee. A challenging, difficult ascent awaits you. The path leads you directly to Großsedlitz to the Baroque garden, one of the most famous Baroque gardens in Germany from the time of Augustus the Strong.

At the next crossroads, go straight ahead onto Neubauernweg. When you reach the nursery, turn right onto a gravel path, which forks into two descents after a short distance. Please keep left here on the Schilfteichweg. This will take you to the second oldest town in Saxony, Dohna. At the end of Schilfteichweg, turn onto Weesensteiner Straße into Müglitztal.

Keep left at the next junction and cycle along Altenberger Straße to Weesenstein. You will soon see the 800-year-old imposing and romantic Weesenstein Castle. Continue along Altenberger Straße until you reach the Burkhardswalde junction on the left (Am Bahnhof). Once you have mastered the steep and long ascent, cycle through Burkhardswalde in the direction of Großröhrsdorf. In Seitenhain, turn left into the Seidewitztal valley. A great descent awaits you. Please note that there is a steep downhill section at the end and you should start braking a few meters beforehand as a precaution.

At the junction, turn right towards Liebstadt. Kuckuckstein Castle in Liebstadt is picturesquely situated on a rocky outcrop above the Seidewitz river valley. Now take the same route back along the Seidewitz river towards Pirna. Here you can really enjoy the cycle tour, as the route to Pirna is all downhill. It leads past the old country castle of Zuschendorf, which shines in baroque splendor. At the next major junction, turn left into Zehistaer Straße towards Pirna and then follow Einsteinstraße on the left until you reach the B172. Cross this road and turn left along Maxim-Gorki-Straße to the bus and S-Bahn station.

Tour information

  • Stop at an Inn

Directions & Parking facilities

Coming from the A4, follow the signs in the direction of Pirna / Prague / Heidenau.

You have the option of parking directly at the start of the tour (next to the Pechhütte Heidenau). However, there are only a small number of parking spaces here. You can also park in the neighboring residential area in Heidenau. There are plenty of free parking spaces here.

How to get there:

Take the S-Bahn S1 from Meißen or Schöna and get off at the Heidenau / Großsedlitz stop. It is possible to take bicycles on the train here.

Departure:

In Pirna, there are connections to trains / S-Bahn at the station and numerous buses leave daily from the bus station.

Author´s Tip / Recommendation of the author

These palaces, castles and gardens are on the way:
  • Großsedlitz Baroque Garden
  • Weesenstein Castle
  • Kuckucksberg Castle
  • Zuschendorf Castle

Safety guidelines

The longest section of the tour leads along moderately busy roads without cycle paths, so always keep as far to the right as possible.

The apple avenue to Großsedlitz can really only be tackled on a mountain bike. If you do not have a mountain bike, it is best to push your bike to protect it or take the bypass on the well-built Pechhüttenstraße, which starts to the right of the Apfelallee. However, this is very steep.

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