Bautzen Between History and the Spree

Bautzen offers plenty to discover, from the Spree and medieval fortifications to German-Sorbian culture. The Spree Cycle Route passes through the city, past the Old Town and on to the Bautzen Reservoir. There is also a history trail with 57 stops, museums and a theatre that stages performances in three languages. This lets you make culture in the city and cycling routes different focal points of your stay.

Cycling and Getting There

The Spree Cycle Route runs through Bautzen along the Spree. The Saxon Cities Route covers around 120 kilometres from Hermsdorf via Kamenz to Bautzen, and continues to Löbau and Görlitz. It offers a different perspective on travelling through several towns than the route along the Spree, which passes the Old Town in Bautzen and continues to the reservoir.

Bautzen is accessible by rail on the Dresden–Görlitz line. The journey is stated to take 46 minutes by Regional Express and 54 minutes by Regionalbahn. There is a covered bicycle garage at the station for arrivals and departures by train. If you are planning to combine rail and cycling, you will find both a train connection and a place to store your bike at the station.

History, Museums and Theatre

Bautzen’s history trail takes you through picturesque lanes and past medieval fortifications. The route has 57 stops, with information panels at buildings and squares. The Old Waterworks also tells the story of the city: built in its present form in 1558, it originally supplied Bautzen with drinking water from the Spree.

Since 1524, Catholic and Protestant Christians have shared St. Peter’s Cathedral as a place of worship. It is considered Germany’s oldest and largest simultaneous church. The Bautzen Museum explores regional history, the city’s history and art across three floors. Interactive exhibits and audio and video stations complement the displays, offering different ways to engage with the topics.

The German-Sorbian Folk Theatre also plays a special role: it is Germany’s only professional bicultural theatre. Performances are staged in German, Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian. Bautzen’s themed city tours take visitors underground, up the city towers and into the historical everyday life of local trades. The cultural programme therefore ranges from the city’s history and architecture to language and theatre.

To find your way around, you can book city walks and buy combination tickets for tours, towers, museums and sightseeing trips at the Tourist Information Office. It also lends out an audio-video guide and provides cycling and hiking maps. These options suit different interests: you can focus on individual cultural sites or combine a city tour with your own cycling or hiking plans.

More Cycling Routes in the Bautzen District

Bautzen is an ideal starting point for exploring the Upper Lusatia holiday region and its destinations. In the Bautzen district, the Bautzen North Tour is a 43.1-kilometre circular route from Bautzen via Quatitz, Großdubrau, Milkel, Klix and Malschwitz, returning to Bautzen. It runs through the heath and pond landscape and along the nature trail in Crosta. The Mountain and Valley Route is a regional circular route through the West Lusatian Hills; the Krabat Cycle Route is a regional circular route following the trail of Krabat, the Sorbian legendary hero.

The Bautzen district also offers routes with a range of different focuses. The Central Germany Route is a long-distance cycle route from Zittau to Aachen; one section passes through the Upper Lusatian Highlands. The Spree Cycle Route runs from its source in Upper Lusatia to Berlin, with a section from Taubenheim to Zerre in the Bautzen district. The region’s cultural heritage also extends beyond the city: Schirgiswalde and Wittichenau are the strongholds of Upper Lusatian Carnival in the Bautzen district.

Discover More Destinations

Schmochtitz, Großnaundorf, Löbau, Pulsnitz, Crostwitz, Lichtenberg, Großpostwitz/Oberlausitz, Elsterheide

Back to the overview of destinations: Bautzen District.