Upper Palatinate Forest: Experience ponds, cycling routes and Zoigl

Numerous ponds, cycling routes and the Zoigl tradition give the Upper Palatinate Forest a distinct character. When planning your hotel stay, these themes offer different ways to shape your trip: you can focus on cycling stages, trails through protected landscapes, regional brewing culture, or scientific and rural heritage interpretation. The ponds define the landscape; many are or were used mainly for carp farming.

Cycling routes with different profiles

The Bockl runs along a former railway line between Neustadt an der Waldnaab and Eslarn. At around 52 kilometres long, this railway-trail cycle route offers a clearly defined connection with named endpoints. The main route of the Upper Palatinate Cycling World, by contrast, is designed as a circular tour with eight stages: it covers 503 kilometres and 3,600 metres of elevation gain, is of intermediate difficulty, and starts and ends in Weiden i.d.OPf. The Upper Palatinate Cycling World is an approximately 500-kilometre cycling loop through the region as a whole; it includes six themed routes ranging from 85 to 155 kilometres in length.

Another route is the Bavarian-Bohemian Friendship Trail, which connects the medieval towns of Nabburg and Horšovský Týn in the Czech Republic. On the Wölsendorf–Schönsee section, the trail follows a former railway line with moderate climbs. Several types of route therefore meet in the region: a former railway line, a circular tour divided into multiple days, and a connection between towns on the German and Czech sides.

Pond landscapes and protected areas

The Prackendorfer and Kulzer Moos is a protected moorland area covering more than 80 hectares. The Goldsteig trail passes through the area. The Waldnaabaue is strictly protected as both a bird sanctuary and a Special Area of Conservation. It can be explored on foot or by bicycle; numerous walking and cycling paths cross its pond landscape.

The Waldnaab Valley also offers a range of hiking and cycling routes. Some of the most popular river cycle routes in the Upper Palatinate Forest include the Naab Valley Cycle Route, the Waldnaab Valley Cycle Route and the Haidenaab Cycle Route. This gives you a choice when planning your trip: a named long-distance route through a moorland area, paths through a protected pond landscape, or routes along the rivers.

Zoigl and regional carp

Zoigl is brewed in the five communal breweries in Eslarn, Falkenberg, Mitterteich, Neuhaus and Windischeschenbach. Zoigl publicans take turns serving the beer. Zoigl taverns serve it for a limited time, on a rotating basis according to a set Zoigl calendar. The taverns are usually open once a month over a long weekend; opening hours vary by Zoigl location. Check the calendar when planning a visit.

Upper Palatinate carp is also a distinctive regional food: it bears the protected geographical indication PGI. Many pond farmers in the Upper Palatinate Forest have committed to strict quality standards under this seal. Pond landscapes and carp farming are therefore not just found side by side; they also shape the region’s food tradition.

Experience science and rural life

The GEO Centre at the KTB near Windischeschenbach offers guided tours, documentaries and exhibits. The focus is on the two boreholes, which reach depths of 4,000 and 9,101 metres, and on the Earth system studied through deep drilling. These different measurements give the two boreholes a concrete scale; the offerings link them to the question of what deep drilling can teach us about the Earth.

Activities at the Upper Palatinate Open-Air Museum include baking farmhouse bread, harvesting potatoes and fishing the ponds. Dates may vary. When looking for a hotel for your stay, you can plan your trip around the experiences that interest you most: cycling stages, protected natural areas, a Zoigl date, or activities at the museum and GEO Centre.

Discover more destinations: Franconian Wine Country, Lindau, Rhön-Grabfeld, Neustadt A.D.Aisch-Bad Windsheim, Forchheim, Lichtenfels, Aichach-Friedberg, Rottal-Inn.

For the main travel overview: Bavaria.