Mainradweg by bike

Cycle path under willows beside the Main near Stadtprozelten, with a loaded touring bike

Photo: Harke, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance
about 557 km (346 miles)
Country
Germany
Difficulty
Easy
Type of trip
Cycling route

The Mainradweg follows the Main across northern Bavaria and into Hesse, to where it meets the Rhine at Mainz-Kastel, opposite Mainz. It has two starts. The White Main rises on the Ochsenkopf near Bischofsgrün in the Fichtelgebirge, and the Red Main at Creußen. The two arms are about 50 km each and join at Kulmbach. From there the route passes Bamberg, Schweinfurt, Würzburg, Wertheim, Aschaffenburg and Frankfurt. Wikivoyage suggests two weeks at an easy pace, or one week if you're quick. You sleep in hotels and guesthouses in the towns, and there's nothing to book for the route itself.

The official site says it's mostly tarmac with few climbs, and mostly on cycle paths by the river. Some stretches run beside main roads and a few are unsurfaced, so it suggests touring tyres that aren't too narrow. German Wikipedia puts it at 90% tarmac. The climbs are on the two source arms in the Fichtelgebirge. From Kulmbach down, Wikivoyage says a town bike with three to seven gears is enough. It's signed in both directions, with distances on the signposts, but only on one bank. In 2008 it was the first German cycle route to get five stars from the ADFC. It isn't all quiet riverbank. Between Bamberg and Haßfurt it runs mostly beside the B26, and in Frankfurt it squeezes between a busy riverside road and the river. There's no railway between Lohr and Wertheim, so you can't easily take the train on that stretch.

Highlights along the way

  1. Kulmbach: The White and Red Main meet here. The town has the Plassenburg castle and an old town.
  2. Bamberg: Wikivoyage's first day from Kulmbach ends here after 78 km. The old town is full of historic buildings and museums.
  3. Volkach: An old town at km 167 on Wikivoyage's count, with the pilgrimage church of Maria im Weingarten 3 km to the west.
  4. Würzburg: Wikivoyage suggests a whole day here for the Residenz, the cathedral, the Alte Mainbrücke and the Marienberg fortress.
  5. Wertheim and Miltenberg: Wertheim, at km 329, has an old town, a castle and a glass museum. Miltenberg, 36 km on, is known for its row of half-timbered houses and the ruin of the Mildenburg.

Distance

About 557 km (346 miles) from Creußen on the Red Main to Mainz-Kastel, or 537.7 km (334 miles) from Bischofsgrün on the White Main, by the official count. From the confluence at Kulmbach it's 498.5 km (310 miles). Wikivoyage splits Kulmbach to Mainz into nine stages of 34 to 78 km. German Wikipedia gives about 1,790 m of climbing in all.

Best time to go

Neither the official site nor Wikivoyage names a best season. At Wipfeld, km 155 on Wikivoyage's count, the route crosses the river by ferry. If you want to start at the White Main source, Wikivoyage says the Fichtelgebirge bike buses from Bayreuth run only on Sundays and holidays, from 1 May to 3 October. As of 3 November 2026 the official site listed seven diversions, between 0.7 and 3.6 km long, at Himmelkron, Kleinostheim, Flörsheim and other places. It also has a page of high-water notices, so check mainradweg.com before you go.

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