Crossing the state of Hesse lengthwise, you experience diverse nature and enchanting low mountain ranges. In between the mountains, you discover the river valleys of Eder, Dill and Lahn as well as typical Hessian villages with their half-timbered houses, castles and palaces. The cities of Dillenburg, Limburg an der Lahn, Frankfurt am Main and Darmstadt also lie en route. This adventure offers lots of culture as well as nature and tranquility and you’ll remember the wild Westerwald, the dreamlike Taunus and the opulent Odenwald mountains for a long time to come.

The Hessian long-distance cycle route R8 takes you on an exciting journey of discovery through Hesse, a state in western Germany. You mostly ride along paved bike paths or on some gravel and forest trails. A road bike would be suitable for most of this adventure, but a classic touring bike or gravel bike will definitely be more comfortable.

As you cross several of Hesse’s low mountain ranges, the elevation profile is hilly throughout. Get ready for a few climbs – an e-bike may come in handy here. If you’re up for it, you’ll be rewarded with great views and plenty of descents. After all, what goes up has to come down! This is probably the best way to get to know the contours of Hesse.

Both the starting point, the town of Frankenberg an der Eder, and your destination in Heppenheim have excellent rail connections. You pass numerous train stations en route too, which is useful if you just want to cycle individual stages or change your plans. I’ve divided the total route into five stages, which you can use as a rough guide. You can, of course, adjust the stage lengths depending on your mood and fitness level.

Hesse has an extensive network of cycle paths, including nine different official long-distance cycle routes. These numbered routes are linked together in various places so you can easily combine them. In some cases, they also overlap with other cycle paths. You can also find the other Hessian long-distance cycle routes in my Collections.