Discover Bautzen through its history and along routes by the Spree. St. Peter’s Cathedral, the Old Waterworks and the History Trail reveal different sides of the city; the Spree Cycle Route also passes the old town center and continues to the Bautzen Reservoir. When planning your stay, consider whether you would like to focus on historic sites, cycling or both.
City history at specific sites
The Old Waterworks was built in its present form in 1558 and originally supplied Bautzen with drinking water from the Spree. Since 1524, St. Peter’s Cathedral has been used jointly by Catholic and Protestant Christians; it is considered Germany’s oldest and largest simultaneous church. Its historical themes therefore range from the city’s former water system to the cathedral’s shared use.
The History Trail winds through picturesque lanes and past medieval fortifications. At 57 stops, information panels on buildings and squares explain the sites. If you would like to explore the city’s history in context, you can include a variety of buildings and squares as you make your way from one stop to the next.
The Bautzen Museum is devoted to regional history, city history and art across three floors. Interactive features and audio and video stations complement the displays. This offers a different way to experience a cultural stay than walking through the lanes and past historic buildings: the museum focuses on regional history, city history and art.
City tours and finding your way around
Themed city tours also offer changing perspectives: guided tours take you underground, up the city towers or into the historic daily lives of local tradespeople. City walking tours can be booked through the Tourist Information Office, which also sells combination tickets for guided tours, towers, museums and city sightseeing tours. An audio-video guide is available to borrow. The Tourist Information Office also offers cycling and hiking maps.
You can choose among these options based on your interests: a city tour offers a different focus from a museum visit or an exploration of the History Trail. The combination tickets cover the tours, towers, museums and city sightseeing tours listed above; the audio-video guide and maps help you find your way independently.
Cycling and getting here
The Spree Cycle Route follows the Spree through Bautzen, passing the old town center and continuing to the Bautzen Reservoir. The Saxon Cities Route also runs through Bautzen: this route, around 120 kilometers long, runs from Hermsdorf via Kamenz to Bautzen, then continues to Löbau and Görlitz. The two routes differ in their described paths: the Spree Cycle Route focuses on following the Spree and the section through Bautzen, while the Cities Route highlights the towns along the longer connection.
Bautzen is accessible by rail on the Dresden–Görlitz line. The journey is listed as taking 46 minutes on the Regional Express and 54 minutes on the Regional train. Check the right connection for your travel date. Bautzen station has a covered bicycle garage for arriving and departing by train.
More cycling routes in Bautzen District
Bautzen District also has regional cycling routes. The Bautzen North Tour is a 43.1-kilometer circular route from Bautzen via Quatitz, GroĂźdubrau, Milkel, Klix and Malschwitz back to Bautzen. It passes through the heath and pond landscape and along the nature trail in Crosta. The Hills and Valleys Route is a regional circular route through the West Lusatian Hills in Bautzen District. The Krabat Cycle Route is a circular route following in the footsteps of Krabat, the hero of Sorbian legend.
Other routes differ in length and reach: the Central Germany Route is a long-distance cycle route from Zittau to Aachen; one section runs through the Upper Lusatian Highlands in Bautzen District. The Spree Cycle Route runs from its source in Upper Lusatia to Berlin, with the section from Taubenheim to Zerre lying within Bautzen District. The routes through Bautzen and the regional routes in the district can thus be considered at different scales when planning your trip.
Choose Bautzen as your overnight base
Bautzen is considered an ideal base for exploring Upper Lusatia and its attractions. When choosing a hotel, you can first consider which themes you would like your stay to focus on: culture and city history, a cycling tour through Bautzen or a longer route in Bautzen District. The tours described differ in their paths and reach; these differences give you a practical starting point for planning your days and looking for suitable accommodation in Bautzen.
Discover more destinations: Schmochtitz, Pulsnitz, Wittichenau, Cunewalde, Ohorn, Malschwitz, Großpostwitz/Oberlausitz, Königswartha.
Go to the main travel overview: Bautzen District.
