Harz Mountains Motorcycle Tour: The Best Loop and Biker Hotels

The Harz is the first real mountain riding south of the North German plain, and it is the reason riders from Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin and Denmark point their bikes here every spring. In one day of around 230 kilometres you get a river gorge, a high moorland plateau, a stack of tight climbs and two of the best-kept old towns in Germany. Book a biker hotel in Goslar, Wernigerode, Braunlage or Thale, and you can ride a different side of the Harz each day without repeating a road.

Planning a Harz motorcycle trip

The Harz is compact: roughly 100km east to west and 40km north to south. That makes it ideal for a base-and-loop trip rather than moving hotel every night. Goslar on the north-west edge is the easiest base for riders arriving on the A7 from Hamburg and Denmark; Wernigerode and Thale suit riders coming from Berlin or Leipzig in the east; Braunlage sits right in the middle on the high plateau. For a Danish mc-tur til Harzen, Goslar is a long but straightforward day down the A7, and most riders stay two or three nights.

The loop, section by section

Goslar to Altenau on the B498 (about 20km). Leave Goslar south through Oker and pick up the B498 into the Okertal. The road follows the river through granite cliffs and forest, then climbs past the Oker reservoir dam. It is the most popular biker road in the western Harz: a run of linked bends with good grip and a few blind corners where the valley narrows. Ride it early on a weekend, as it fills with bikes from mid-morning.

Altenau to Braunlage over Torfhaus (about 20km). From Altenau climb to the B4 at Torfhaus, an open plateau at around 800 metres with the Brocken (1,141m) straight ahead. The Brocken summit road is closed to private traffic; if you want the top, park and walk up or take the Harzer Schmalspurbahn narrow-gauge steam railway from Wernigerode or Schierke. It is not a road you can ride. The B4 south to Braunlage is fast and open, with long sweepers through spruce and moorland.

Braunlage to Wernigerode via Elend and Schierke (about 25km). Small forest roads drop off the plateau toward Schierke and Drei Annen Hohne before the descent into Wernigerode. Expect slow sections, foresters' traffic and patches of damp in the shade. Wernigerode's castle and half-timbered town hall make the first coffee stop.

Wernigerode to Thale and the Hexentanzplatz (about 35km). Ride east along the northern edge through Blankenburg to Thale. From Thale, the road up to the Hexentanzplatz is one of the best short climbs in the Harz: tight hairpins through beech forest to a plateau above the Bode gorge. Across the gorge sits the Rosstrappe, another rocky viewpoint. Quedlinburg, with its castle hill and streets of half-timbered houses, is ten minutes north of Thale and is the natural lunch stop.

Treseburg, Altenbrak and the Rappbode dam (about 30km). From the Hexentanzplatz plateau drop into the Bode valley at Treseburg and follow it upstream through Altenbrak. This is the tightest and most rewarding section of the day: narrow, twisty and quiet. The road then reaches the Rappbode dam, at 106 metres the tallest dam wall in Germany. The Titan-RT suspension footbridge spans the valley beside it if you want to stretch your legs.

Hasselfelde back west to Goslar (about 70km). Head west across the high Harz through Hasselfelde and Benneckenstein, back over the plateau toward Braunlage and Sankt Andreasberg, then north through Clausthal-Zellerfeld to Goslar. These are wider roads with long, open bends, a good way to finish the day.

The roads

Surfaces are generally good, but the Harz has a few things to watch. Large areas of spruce have died back in recent dry years, and forestry trucks working the clearings leave mud and bark on the road, especially on the plateau. The valley roads stay damp long after rain. Speed limits change often and there are fixed cameras around the popular biker roads, including the Okertal. Traffic is heaviest on sunny weekends between May and September; on a weekday you can ride much of the loop without a car in front.

When to go

May to October. May and June bring long days and fresh green forest; September and early October bring autumn colour and quieter roads. The plateau around Torfhaus and Braunlage is several degrees colder than the valleys and can see snow into April and from November. Fog on the plateau is common in spring and autumn mornings.

Where to stay in the Harz

Pick your base by direction of arrival: Goslar or Bad Harzburg from the north and west, Wernigerode or Thale from the east, Braunlage for the centre. Our Harz biker hotels list shows places with secure parking and room to dry your kit. The Harz pairs well with a ride south-west to the Sauerland, or with the Eifel and Mosel on a longer German tour.