Thuringian Forest Motorcycle Tour: Rennsteig, Oberhof and the Schwarza Valley

The Thuringian Forest is a long, narrow ridge of spruce and beech in the middle of Germany, about 150 kilometres from Eisenach in the north-west to the Saale in the south-east. Along its crest runs the Rennsteig, an old boundary path that is now one of Germany's best-known hiking trails. For riders, the ridge means something simpler: every road that crosses it climbs out of one valley, runs along the top through the forest and drops into another. Base yourself near the middle and you have two very different days of riding without repeating a road.

Planning a Thuringian Forest trip

Oberhof is the obvious base. It sits on the ridge at around 800 metres, it is a winter sports town with plenty of rooms in summer, and it is within half an hour of both ends of the riding. Ilmenau, Suhl and Friedrichroda are good alternatives with more evening life. Allow at least two nights; three lets you add the Rhön to the west.

Getting there is easy from the north and west. Dutch riders come in on the A44 via Kassel and then the A4 to Eisenach. From Denmark it is the A7 south past Hamburg and Hannover to Kassel, then the same A44 and A4: a long day, but motorway all the way, and the Harz makes a natural first stop on the way down (see the Harz loop). The A71 runs straight through the forest from Erfurt to Suhl if you need to get to the middle quickly.

East loop: Schwarza valley and the Slate Mountains (about 230km)

Oberhof to Masserberg (about 50km). Leave Oberhof south-east along the ridge through Schmiedefeld and Frauenwald. These are forest roads: steady bends, long views through clearings and very little traffic on a weekday. Masserberg is a small resort on the ridge with wide views over the southern foothills toward Franconia.

Masserberg into the Schwarza valley (about 45km). From Masserberg drop north to Katzhütte and pick up the Schwarza river. The valley tightens below Sitzendorf, and the road follows the water closely through a gorge of rock and forest, past Schwarzburg and its castle on a spur above the river, to Bad Blankenburg. This is the best stretch of the day: tight, technical and shaded, with the river close on one side. It stays damp long after rain, so take it gently on the first run.

Saalfeld and the Hohenwarte reservoir (about 40km). Saalfeld is ten minutes on from Bad Blankenburg. The Feengrotten, old alum mines with coloured mineral pools, are on the edge of town if you want a cool hour underground. South of Saalfeld the Saale is held back by a chain of reservoirs; the road up to the Hohenwarte dam and along the water gives a different kind of riding, open and fast with lake views.

Back west on the B281 (about 95km). Return on the B281 from Saalfeld toward Neuhaus am Rennweg. The road climbs onto the Thuringian Slate Mountains and crosses the ridge near Steinheid at around 850 metres, one of the highest road crossings in the area. The western part carries much less traffic than the stretch near Saalfeld. From Neuhaus follow the ridge roads back north-west past Masserberg and Schleusingen toward Suhl and Oberhof.

West loop: Inselsberg and the Wartburg (about 150km)

Oberhof to Friedrichroda (about 30km). Ride north down the B247 toward Ohrdruf, then west on the minor roads through Tambach-Dietharz to Friedrichroda, a spa town at the foot of the northern slopes. The descent from the ridge is a run of linked bends through forest.

Over the Grosser Inselsberg (about 25km). From Tabarz climb toward the Grosser Inselsberg, at 916 metres one of the highest summits in the forest, and drop down the other side to Brotterode. Riders rate the section between Eisenach and Suhl around the Inselsberg as the best in the western forest: steep, twisting and quiet outside summer weekends. There are cafés at the top and a view across half of Thuringia on a clear day.

Trusetal, Bad Liebenstein and Ruhla (about 40km). From Brotterode take the Trusetal south, then the small roads west through Bad Liebenstein and north to Ruhla. These are village roads with short climbs and lots of direction changes.

Eisenach and the return (about 55km). Eisenach and the Wartburg, the castle where Luther translated the New Testament, mark the western end of the Rennsteig. Ride up to the castle car park for the view, then return east along the ridge or through Ruhla and back across to Oberhof.

The roads

Surfaces are generally good on the main roads and patchier on the forest lanes. Spruce dieback has opened large clearings in recent dry years, and forestry trucks working them leave mud, bark and gravel on the road, especially after rain. Shaded valley roads like the Schwarza stay wet for hours. Deer are common at dawn and dusk. Speed limits change often through the villages, and there are fixed cameras on some of the popular roads around Oberhof and Suhl.

When to go

May to early October. The ridge is several degrees colder than the valleys, and snow can linger into April and return in November: Oberhof is a winter sports centre for a reason. June brings long evenings and fresh green beech; September and early October bring autumn colour and quieter roads. Morning fog on the ridge is common in spring and autumn, so a late start often means better riding.

Making a week of it

The Thuringian Forest sits in the middle of a cluster of good riding areas. The Rhön is half an hour west, the Harz two hours north and the Franconian hills just south of the ridge. A week could run Harz, Thuringian Forest and Rhön in a line, with two nights in each and almost no motorway. Erfurt and Weimar, both within an hour of Oberhof, make a good rest-day city stop if the weather turns.

Riding in Germany

Motorcycles pay no motorway tolls in Germany and do not need a sticker for the city low-emission zones. The general limits are 50km/h in towns and 100km/h on country roads unless signed otherwise; on the autobahn there is an advisory 130km/h where no limit is posted. Rules change, so check the ADAC or the German federal transport ministry before you travel.

Where to stay in the Thuringian Forest

Oberhof, Ilmenau and Friedrichroda suit the middle and west of the forest; Saalfeld or a village in the Schwarza valley suits the east. See our Thuringian Forest biker hotels for places with secure parking and room to dry your kit. The Rhön is just west of the forest and pairs well for a longer trip (see the Rhön guide), and the Harz is about two hours north.