Swabian Alb Motorcycle Loop: Lichtenstein, the Upper Danube and Hohenzollern

The Swabian Alb is a limestone plateau that runs across southern Germany from the Black Forest toward Bavaria. Its northern edge, the Albtrauf, rises as a steep wooded wall above the Neckar valley, and dozens of roads, each called a Steige, climb it in tight bends. On top, the plateau is open farmland with long, fast roads; to the south, the young Danube has cut a deep gorge through the rock. Put those three together and you have one of the best day loops in Baden-Württemberg, an hour from Stuttgart.

Planning a Swabian Alb trip

Bad Urach is a good base: a small half-timbered town in a valley right under the Albtrauf, with the climbs on its doorstep. Reutlingen, Hechingen and Sigmaringen are alternatives. Two nights let you ride this loop and a second day east toward Blaubeuren and the Lenningen valley.

The A8 from Stuttgart to Ulm crosses the Alb and puts you within half an hour of Bad Urach. Dutch riders usually come down the A61 and A6 or A5, Danish riders down the A7, which runs along the eastern end of the Alb at Ulm. The Black Forest is next door to the west, and many riders combine the two (see the Black Forest B500 guide).

The route

Bad Urach to Lichtenstein (about 25km). Leave Bad Urach toward Reutlingen and turn up the Echaz valley to Honau. The climb out of Honau, the Honauer Steige, is one of the classic Alb climbs: a short, steep run of hairpins up the escarpment. At the top, Lichtenstein castle stands on a narrow rock above the valley. It is a 19th-century rebuild in storybook style and worth a stop for the view straight down the cliff.

Across the plateau to Sigmaringen (about 55km). From Lichtenstein ride south across the high plateau through Engstingen to Gammertingen, then follow the Lauchert valley south. The plateau roads are open and fast, with long straights and wide bends between villages; the Lauchert valley is narrower and more winding. Sigmaringen, whose castle sits on a rock above the Danube, is the natural coffee stop.

The upper Danube gorge to Beuron and Fridingen (about 35km). West of Sigmaringen the Danube runs through a gorge of white limestone cliffs, with castles and ruins perched on the rocks: Wildenstein and Werenwag are the best known. The road follows the river through the valley floor past the Beuron monastery. This is the scenic highlight of the day, a slow, winding river road with cliffs on both sides. The Knopfmacherfelsen viewpoint above Fridingen gives the classic view down the valley.

Back north over the plateau to Hohenzollern (about 60km). Leave the Danube and climb north over the plateau toward Albstadt, then drop down the Albtrauf toward Hechingen. Burg Hohenzollern, the ancestral castle of the Prussian kings, stands alone on a cone-shaped hill north of the escarpment. The access road to the castle car park is a short, steep climb.

Hechingen to Bad Urach (about 50km). Return north-east along the foot of the Albtrauf through Mössingen and Reutlingen, or climb back onto the plateau and come down one of the Steigen into Bad Urach for a final run of bends.

Weekend motorcycle bans

The Alb climbs are popular, and noise has led some local authorities to close individual roads to motorcycles on weekends and public holidays. The Neuffener Steige near Neuffen, once a hill-climb venue, is the best-known example; the L440 between Weilstetten and Tieringen has also carried a weekend ban. Rules change and new ones appear, so look for the round "no motorcycles" sign with an added plate giving days and times, and check with the local district office (Landratsamt) if you are planning around a particular road. Riding through quietly in a higher gear is the best way to keep the rest open.

The roads

Surfaces are generally good. The Steigen are steep and short, with tight hairpins where a bike in the wrong gear runs wide. Limestone roads can be slippery when wet, and farm traffic on the plateau leaves mud at field entrances. The Danube valley road carries cyclists and camper vans in summer. Speed checks are common on the popular climbs and on the plateau straights.

Pack for changeable weather: the plateau sits several hundred metres above Stuttgart, and a sunny morning in the Neckar valley can turn into wind, low cloud and drizzle on top. A warm layer and a rain suit take up little space and make the difference on the open plateau roads between Engstingen and Gammertingen.

When to go

April to October. The plateau is high, windy and cooler than the Neckar valley, and can see snow well into spring. May and June are green and fresh; September and October bring autumn colour on the escarpment beech woods. Summer weekends are busy on the climbs; a weekday is a different ride.

Extension: Blaubeuren and the eastern Alb

With a second day, ride east across the plateau to Blaubeuren and the Blautopf, a spring pool of startling blue, then come back through the Lenningen valley and over the climbs around Wiesensteig. The eastern Alb is quieter than the western part and just as good for riding.

A two-day plan

Day one is the loop above. On day two, ride east from Bad Urach across the plateau through Münsingen, at the heart of the Swabian Alb biosphere reserve, to Blaubeuren, then return along the Albtrauf through the Lenningen valley and the climbs above Wiesensteig. The whole Alb is also a UNESCO Global Geopark, which is why the limestone caves, springs and fossil sites are signposted everywhere you ride. Bad Urach's thermal baths are a good way to finish a long day in the saddle.

Food on the Alb is solid Swabian cooking: Maultaschen (filled pasta pockets), Spätzle and Linsen mit Spätzle (lentils with egg noodles) appear on almost every menu, and the village inns on the plateau are used to riders in boots.

Where to stay on the Swabian Alb

Bad Urach, Reutlingen, Hechingen and Sigmaringen all make good bases. See our Swabian Alb biker hotels for places with secure parking. The Black Forest is about an hour west, and Lake Constance and the Alps are an easy ride south of the Danube.