Have decided to go to the Harz mountains in Germany in September, any advice about this area, campsites, places of interest, places to avoid! Never been there and know very little about the area..

Thanks in advance

Passed through there a couple of weeks ago, staying in Quedlingburg - gps couldn't find the camping closest to town so stayed in a cheapish local hotel. The town is a must-see, and is very walk-able. Pop into a local Tourist Info and pick up the pamphlet outlining the areas' recommended riding roads. A beautiful region...

I was in the Harz last June for a long weekend. Got the ferry to Hook of Holland and then rode down, about 340 miles.

Friends and I booked rooms on hotels.com at the Pension Hanneli in St Andreasberg in the middle of the Harz, 25 Euro a night each. Opposite was a bigger hotel very popular with Dutch bikers, the car park full of GSers etc. Good restaurant there and a pizzeria in the town itself. There are also two biker-friendly Pensions in other towns in the Harz but they were full at the time so I can't remember their names but a bit of googling should find them.

The Harz is definitely worth a visit, very popular with local bikers, stunning scenery and lovely twisty roads, (even on a Bonnie!) St. Andreasberg was a great place to be based with excellent roads starting right outside the town and there are free local maps which can picked up detailing the most interesting roads. The Harz region relies on tourism and so outside of the winter skiing season, is very biker friendly.

As pottsy says, Quedlingburg is an amazing town and worth a walk around. In the bad old days, the area was on the old East/West border so some of the towns still don't have reliable street signs and directions. Don't forget that in most towns bikes need parking tickets just like cars, met one couple who found that out the hard way.

Rode back to Hook of Holland on a slightly longer route, met a couple of sports bike riders on the ferry complaining of a long day in the saddle to get there (250 miles). Didn't have the heart to tell them we'd done 370 miles that day.

Photos of my trip here if you're interested:

A Triumph in the Harz. Germany June 2008 - a set on Flickr

Enjoy your trip. Definitely worth going.

Indoors.

Be aware that the police is very busy checking speed as the roads are very popular with local bikers.

__________________
Poul
May you enjoy peace and good health !

Hi,

I have lived over 15 years in the Harz mountains and can only recommend it for biking. There are a few things I would classify as must sees:

• Goslar is an amazingly pretty little town that wasn't destroyed in the war(s). It's great for an afternoon walk and it's also worth it to have a look at the castle.
• There are a few "Zechenhaeuser" around the town of Clausthal-Zellerfeld. All very well hidden away in the forest. They were once for the miners to get lunch and still have a lot of that old charm. One of my favorite ones is the "Polsterberger Hubhaus" shortly after Clausthal when you head towards St. Andreasberg. There are many fantastic walking trecks around that little restaurant and it's fantastic for lunch. They also have very few rooms, in case you like "different" accomodation.
• One of my all time favourites and an absolute must do on a sunny afternoon is a visit to "Cafe Winuwuk" in Bad Harzburg. You have stunning views from the balkony and it's a very special place. I can't describe you have to see it to understand!
• Also at least one of the mining museums should be on your list. I guess the one in Goslar (on the road leaving town towards Clausthal) is the biggest and best (Rammelsberg). You'll be taking one of the old trains in the mountain and you can do a very short canoe trip in one of the water canals. It's great and they also have tour guides that speak fluent english.
• I have never been much to the former eastern-german towns but Quedlinburg as well as Wernigerode are quite pretty.

Hope that helps. But if you have more detailed questions just send me a pm.

Cheers, Anissa

Thanks folks your words and advice is very much appreciated, Anna I will def check out the restaurant you mentioned, may pm you before I leave to get some directions if thats ok.

Thanks again all and hope to see you on the road!

Sure, no worries.

Once again thanks for all your advice, off on Thursday morning and will take in all the towns etc mentioned!

Have a good trip, Wile.

Don't forget to let us know how you got on.