Mulde Cycle Route 
in stages

Discover the Mulde Cycle Route in all its facets and plan your cycling trip entirely at your own pace. Alongside varied landscapes, numerous highlights, cultural attractions and worthwhile stops await you along the way.

On this page, you will find an overview of the entire route along the Zwickauer Mulde, the Freiberger Mulde and the Vereinigte Mulde – from the source regions in the Vogtland and Ore Mountains to the point where it flows into the Elbe near Dessau-Roßlau.

For flexible and relaxed tour planning, each of the three Mulde branches is also divided into five shorter stages. This allows you to experience the Mulde Cycle Route as a multi-day cycling trip, put together individual day trips or adapt the route to suit your available time, fitness level and interests.

For each Mulde branch and its respective stages, you will find further tour links on outdooractive and komoot. There, you can access detailed route information, elevation profiles, details on distance and surface conditions, as well as GPX data. Save your preferred stage in the app, download the route for navigation and set off well prepared for your personal Mulde Cycle Route experience.

The Mulde Cycle Route along the Zwickau Mulde begins at the source in Schöneck/Vogtland, the highest town in the Vogtland region, and covers around 158 kilometres to the confluence of the Mulde rivers in Sermuth. 

The route connects the upland landscapes of the Vogtland and Ore Mountains with the more open landscapes of the Central Saxon hills and the Mulde floodplains. Especially along the upper section between Schöneck, Muldenberg Reservoir, Eibenstock and Aue-Bad Schlema, shady forests, winding river valleys and constant ups and downs shape the tour. 

Between Zwickau and Glauchau, the route becomes significantly flatter and leads leisurely through the Mulde floodplains. It becomes more challenging again on the way via Penig and Wechselburg to Rochlitz: two steeper climbs add variety before the route continues via Colditz to Sermuth.

Along the way, visitors can discover the German Space Travel Exhibition in Morgenröthe-Rautenkranz, the automotive and cultural city of Zwickau, the Göhren Viaduct and Rochlitz and Colditz Castles.

The route is particularly suitable for experienced leisure cyclists, touring cyclists and e-bike riders who enjoy varied landscapes and moderate climbs. 

The wild and romantic Freiberger Mulde winds its way for around 120 km from Moldava in the Czech Republic through the Ore Mountains and the rolling hills of Central Saxony to the confluence of the Mulde rivers in Sermuth.

A convenient starting point for cycling downstream along the Mulde Cycle Route is located in Holzhau. However, you should not miss a detour to the source of the Freiberger Mulde in Moldava.

At the beginning, you can look forward to an appealing mix of fir forests, wide meadows and longer downhill stretches. Around Rechenberg-Bienenmühle and on the way to Freiberg, smaller climbs will get you moving, while the landscape is shaped by the mining history of the Ore Mountains. Further downstream, the route becomes flatter again: the Mulde meanders through forests and bird habitats, passing Nossen, Roßwein and Döbeln. Just before Leisnig, the terrain becomes a little hillier once more. 

The highlights along the route include the silver town of Freiberg, Altzella Abbey Park and Nossen Castle, Döbeln with its horse-drawn tramway, the idyllic Cistercian monastery Kloster Buch and Mildenstein Castle in Leisnig. Along the way, you can also admire Europe’s largest covered weir, the Westewitz Weir. The route crosses the river by bridge twice.

On the Vereinigte Mulde (United Mulde), the tour begins at the confluence of the Zwickauer Mulde and Freiberger Mulde in Sermuth. Here, the Mulde becomes wider, more powerful, at times expansive and tranquil. From there, the Mulde Cycle Route runs for around 125 kilometres through the Leipzig Lowland, across the state border from Saxony into Saxony-Anhalt and on to Dessau-Roßlau, where the Mulde flows into the Elbe. 

The cycle route is largely flat, sometimes running directly alongside the river and sometimes away from it. The route is characterised by large and small woodland and meadow landscapes, rural idyll, and charming small towns.

Before Wurzen, the Mulde must be crossed by ferry or, alternatively, by bridge. From here, cycling becomes increasingly relaxed. Parts of the route run straight along the fully surfaced or paved cycle path on a former railway line through the wide floodplain landscape.

The strong meandering of the Mulde constantly changes the natural floodplain landscape between Eilenburg and Bad Düben. Wet meadows and numerous oxbow lakes serve as fishing waters for people and animals alike. Nature reserves and bird sanctuaries offer insights into the rich flora and fauna. With a little luck, you may even spot the native beaver. The area around Bad Düben is also home to many mills of various designs.

On the final stretch of the Saxon Mulde Cycle Route, the route follows the Mulde embankment, passing Löbnitz and eventually crossing the state border into Saxony-Anhalt. From the Großer Goitzschesee / Muldestausee, it continues via Bitterfeld-Wolfen to the Bauhaus city of Dessau. The final stretch, before the Mulde flows into the Elbe, is characterised by long, level sections that wind through a magnificent and unspoilt Mulde valley. 

Highlights along this route include the village of Höfgen and Nimbschen Monastery, the old town of Grimma, Trebsen Castle and Manor, the Ringelnatz town of Wurzen, the spa town of Bad Düben, the Großer Goitzschesee and the Bauhaus city of Dessau-Roßlau. 

The Vereinigte Mulde is particularly suitable for leisure cyclists, families, beginners and e-bike riders, as well as for anyone who prefers longer, mostly level daily stages.