In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Magdeburg Cathedral via a graduation tower and a cable ferry to the Bauhaus in Dessau, through the Garden Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz and the beaver meadows to Luther in Wittenberg, and on to excavators, heathland and former open-cast mining lakes: around 245 kilometres, three World Heritage Sites and a river that sets the pace.
The spirit of the route
On the Middle Elbe, the water sets the rhythm. In the morning, mist hangs over the meadows behind the dyke, the white stork stalks through the hollows, and at the cable ferry you wait until the ferryman waves – or until he doesn’t come at all, because the water level is too high or too low. From the sliding door you see gnarled pedunculate oaks and European white elms that have stood in the floodplain forest for centuries, and in the evening beavers gnaw at the willows along the oxbows. In between lie places where ideas made world history: Luther’s theses in Wittenberg, the glass façade of the Bauhaus in Dessau, Prince Franz’s landscape garden with temples, gondolas and an artificial volcano. And at the end, steel open-cast mining excavators stand beside a swimming lake. A flat, unhurried route for cyclists, birdwatchers and people who like to walk through parks – as long as they have insect repellent with them.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Magdeburg to Barby (via Schönebeck) (approx. 35 km)
- The drive
- Magdeburg only as a starting point: a morning for the cathedral and the Green Citadel, then on the B246a or via Westerhüsen up the Elbe to Schönebeck and the spa town of Bad Salzelmen, on via Gnadau to Barby. Flat, well-surfaced roads, suburban traffic and some village through-roads with cobblestones; pure driving time under an hour.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Magdeburg Cathedral: an early Gothic cathedral on the banks of the Elbe with the tomb of Emperor Otto I; opposite, the pink Green Citadel, Friedensreich Hundertwasser’s last building project, with inner courtyards and trees on the roof.
- Graduation tower in Bad Salzelmen: brine trickles down walls of blackthorn brushwood, and the salty air is considered good for the airways; plus the spa gardens and the Kunsthof in the oldest part of the spa town.
- Saale estuary near Barby: behind the dyke, the Saale flows into the Elbe – a quiet walk through floodplain meadows with views of storks and grey herons.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: For the night before you set off, Magdeburg offers the Petriförder motorhome site right on the Elbe, a few minutes’ walk from the cathedral and the old town, as well as the better-equipped site at the Winterhafen (marina) with electricity and water and waste disposal. At the end of the stage, Seepark Barby on the edge of town has a campsite by the lake; check in advance with the town of Barby whether, and on what terms, motorhomes can stay there.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Germany tolerates a single overnight stay on public car parks to restore your fitness to drive, as long as no signs prohibit it and nothing looks like camping. However, the Elbe floodplains between Schönebeck and Barby belong to the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve and to protected areas – the land in front of the dyke, farm tracks and riverside meadows are off-limits, and dyke crests are closed to motor vehicles.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Petriförder site lies in the flood zone and is cleared when the Elbe rises; during floods, switch to the Winterhafen or to sites outside the floodplain. Magdeburg has no low-emission zone, but the city centre is tight with trams and roadworks – a bike or the tram from the site is the more relaxed way to see the city.
2Stage 2: Barby to Dessau-Roßlau (via Zerbst) (approx. 55 km)
- The drive
- Cross the Elbe on the Barby–Walternienburg reaction cable ferry, then through fields and small villages to Zerbst and on the B184 via Roßlau and the Elbe bridge to Dessau. Quiet country roads, partly narrow and lined with trees. If the ferry is not running, the detour goes via the Elbe bridge near Schönebeck and Gommern (a good 20 km more). Around 1.5 hours without waiting time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- The Elbe ferry itself: the reaction ferry hangs on a cable anchored in the river and is pushed across the Elbe by the current alone – no engine, almost silent.
- Zerbst, briefly: the largely intact town wall with towers and gates, the Roland statue on the market square and the palace garden where the future Empress Catherine the Great spent part of her childhood.
- Kornhaus in Dessau: a Bauhaus-style restaurant high above the Elbe, on the Elbe Cycle Route north of the town.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Dessau, the motorhome site at Dessau (Hugo Junkers) airfield is a good choice, with electricity and water and waste disposal, right next to the Hugo Junkers Technology Museum and an easy bike ride to the Bauhaus. Closer to the city centre is the small site at the Muldewehr, with no facilities; on the Roßlau side of the Elbe you can stay at the Elbzollhaus. Zerbst has a site at the indoor swimming pool with water and waste disposal.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Between the Elbe and the Mulde lie nature reserves and core zones of the biosphere reserve – overnight stays outside designated sites are not permitted there, and car parks at dyke access roads are often signposted against it at night. For a single night, use one of the many motorhome sites instead.
- Insider tip for campers
- The town of Barby’s reaction cable ferries only run when the water level is right: floods, drifting ice and, in dry summers, low water often shut them down for weeks. When the water is low, the load capacity is severely limited, and the ferryman decides how many and which vehicles he takes – sometimes only one or two. Check operating times beforehand. With a large or heavy motorhome, call the town in advance and have cash ready.
3Stage 3: Dessau to Dessau (Bauhaus and western Garden Kingdom) (approx. 20 km)
- The drive
- A town day with short distances: from the site to the Bauhaus Building and the Masters’ Houses on Ebertallee, in the afternoon west to Großkühnau and back via Georgium Park. Best by bike – Dessau is flat, and the routes between the Bauhaus buildings and parks are signposted. Only drive the camper to the outskirts.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Walter Gropius’s Bauhaus Building with the glass curtain wall of the workshop wing; guided tours show the workshops, the auditorium and the studio building, complemented by the Bauhaus Museum Dessau in the city centre; the Bauhaus Building and the Masters’ Houses are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Masters’ Houses on Ebertallee: the Feininger House, the semi-detached Muche/Schlemmer and Kandinsky/Klee houses, and the Gropius and Moholy-Nagy houses rebuilt in modern form; in the south of the town the Törten estate, whose balcony-access houses are also part of the World Heritage Site.
- Großkühnau Palace and Park on Lake Großkühnau with the vineyard and the vineyard house – the westernmost part of the Garden Kingdom, quieter than Wörlitz.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Second night in Dessau at the same site. If you prefer a campsite: Campingplatz Adria on Lake Mildensee in the east of the town, with electricity and sanitary facilities, close to the Luisium and the banks of the Mulde.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Within the town, motorhomes stay at the motorhome sites; the car parks at the Bauhaus buildings and palaces are intended for day visitors. Around the parks of the Garden Kingdom, overnight parking outside the motorhome sites is not intended.
- Insider tip for campers
- Guided tours of the Bauhaus Building are often booked up early at weekends – book in advance. Check opening hours, closing days and possible building work on individual houses before your visit. Dessau-Roßlau has no low-emission zone.
4Stage 4: Dessau to Wörlitz (via Luisium, Kapen and Oranienbaum) (approx. 25 km)
- The drive
- East to the Luisium on the edge of town, then on the federal road through the floodplain forest towards Oranienbaum with a detour to the Auenhaus at the Kapenmühle, and from Oranienbaum on the country road to Wörlitz. Flat, shady tree-lined avenues, moderate traffic. Pure driving time under an hour – Wörlitz Park needs the rest of the day.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Luisium: Princess Louise’s small neoclassical country house with the Snake House and stud farm, an intimate counterpart to Wörlitz.
- Auenhaus (Am Kapenschlösschen) with its beaver enclosure, the visitor centre of the Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve between Dessau and Oranienbaum: this is home to the Elbe beaver, which survived as a remnant population in these floodplains and from here has reconquered the rivers; information on Central Europe’s largest continuous hardwood floodplain forest.
- Wörlitz Park and Oranienbaum Palace: in Wörlitz, gondola trips on Lake Wörlitz, hand-pulled cable ferries across the canals, the Gothic House, the Iron Bridge and the island of Stein with its artificial Vesuvius; in Oranienbaum, the Baroque palace, the long orangery and the Anglo-Chinese garden with its pagoda.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Wörlitz, the motorhome site at the Seespitze main car park on the edge of town is close to the park, with a good 20 pitches, electricity for a fee and fresh water; check on site whether waste disposal is possible. An alternative is the motorhome site in Oranienbaum. If you are looking for peace and quiet, Oranienbaum is the calmer choice.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Garden Kingdom is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and largely a landscape or nature conservation area – wild camping at park edges, dyke access roads and forest tracks in the floodplain forest is not permitted; the motorhome sites are cheap and close enough.
- Insider tip for campers
- Visit Wörlitz Park early in the morning or late in the afternoon; the gondolas and park ferries only run in season, and the gondolas involve a wait when it is busy – check times beforehand. Cycling is not intended in the Wörlitz grounds – leave your bikes at the entrance and follow the signs. For mosquitoes in the floodplain forest between Dessau and Oranienbaum, pack long clothing and repellent, especially after wet springs.
5Stage 5: Wörlitz to Lutherstadt Wittenberg (approx. 25 km)
- The drive
- Two options: take the reaction ferry from Wörlitz across the Elbe to Coswig and follow the B187 up the Elbe to Wittenberg, or stay on the south bank via Griesen and Pratau to the Elbe bridge in Wittenberg. Both are flat; the ferry approach over the dyke is narrow. Just under an hour without waiting for the ferry.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Coswig–Wörlitz reaction ferry: a ferry has crossed here since the 16th century, and today’s ferry boat dates from the 1930s – a small matter by motorhome, a lovely one by bike.
- The Castle Church with the bronze Theses Door and Luther’s grave, and the Luther House with its exhibition on the Reformation (UNESCO World Heritage Luther Memorials).
- St Mary’s Town Church with Lucas Cranach’s Reformation Altarpiece, and the Cranach Courtyards in the old town, where the painter lived, printed and ran a pharmacy; plus the Melanchthon House.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Marina-Camp Elbe on the south bank by the Elbe bridge, with motorhome and camping pitches, electricity, sanitary facilities and water and waste disposal; it is around a 20-minute walk across the bridge to the old town. Smaller and more central is the motorhome site at Platz der Jugend near the centre, with no facilities. On the Coswig side is the large motorhome site at Marina Coswig.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The banks of the Elbe and the land in front of the dyke around Wittenberg belong to the biosphere reserve; parking on meadows and riverbanks is prohibited. Some car parks in town are designated for coaches and motorhomes during the day, but are not intended for overnight stays – pay attention to the signs.
- Insider tip for campers
- The Coswig ferry does not run in winter, at times does not operate daily, and often stops for longer periods in low water or floods, ice, fog or storms – check operating times beforehand with the town of Coswig. It is designed for coaches; ask the ferry staff about limits for very large vehicles. Cyclists can then switch to the Elbe bridges in Wittenberg or near Vockerode. Wittenberg’s old town is small and has pedestrian zones: explore on foot or by bike.
6Stage 6: Lutherstadt Wittenberg to Gräfenhainichen and Ferropolis (approx. 30 km)
- The drive
- Over the Elbe bridge to Pratau, then on the B2 through pine forest and fields via Kemberg to Bergwitzsee and on to Gräfenhainichen; Ferropolis lies on the western edge on Lake Gremmin. Well-surfaced, flat, around 40 minutes’ driving time. The landscape changes from Elbe floodplain to post-mining landscape.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Ferropolis – the “City of Iron”: five huge open-cast mining machines stand on a peninsula in the flooded Golpa-Nord open-cast mine; on guided tours you can climb onto some of the excavators, and in the evening the light turns the steel rust-red.
- Paul Gerhardt Chapel and memorial sites in Gräfenhainichen, the birthplace of the hymn writer.
- Bergwitzsee: a former lignite open-cast mine, now a swimming lake with a sandy beach and a circular path.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Motorhome site at Bergwitzsee with around 30 pitches, electricity and water and waste disposal, next to the Bergwitzsee Resort with its campsite. South of Gräfenhainichen is the Wohnmobil-Camp Gröbern on Lake Gröbern with electricity, sanitary facilities and water and waste disposal.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Some of the shores of the former mining lakes are still closed mining land with a risk of landslides – always respect barriers and “No entry” signs. Wild camping on lakeshores and forest tracks is not permitted; the motorhome sites are by the water anyway.
- Insider tip for campers
- On festival and concert weekends, Ferropolis is restricted or closed to day visitors and the surrounding area is crowded – check the events calendar before your visit. Fill up in Gräfenhainichen before driving on; filling stations are more sparse in the Dübener Heide Nature Park.
7Stage 7: Gräfenhainichen to Bitterfeld (via Bad Düben) (approx. 55 km)
- The drive
- On country roads right across the Dübener Heide with its mixed pine and oak forest to Bad Düben on the Mulde (here you are in Saxony), then via Löbnitz and Pouch west to the Goitzsche at Bitterfeld. Quiet, partly narrow forest roads with deer crossing. A good 1.25 hours’ driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Bad Düben: Düben Castle above the Mulde with the Dübener Heide Landscape Museum, plus the spa gardens and Heide Spa; a starting point for hikes in the Dübener Heide Nature Park.
- Lake Goitzsche near Bitterfeld: the water-level tower in the lake can be reached via a footbridge; in August 2002 the flooding Mulde broke into the open-cast mine, which was still filling at the time, and made the lake rise by metres within days.
- Bitterfelder Bogen: a walk-on steel sculpture on the Bitterfelder Berg with all-round views over the lake district – a short finale with a wide view.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Bad Düben there is the motorhome site at the NaturSportBad with electricity and water and waste disposal, as well as smaller sites at the Obermühle and at Heide Spa. At the destination, Camping und Ferienpark Goitzsche near Bitterfeld offers electricity, sanitary facilities and water and waste disposal; an alternative on the Muldestausee reservoir is Heide-Camp Schlaitz.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The Dübener Heide Nature Park lies in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony; in both states, forest tracks are closed to motor vehicles, and overnight stays outside designated sites are prohibited in the nature reserves. Hiking car parks are intended for day visitors.
- Insider tip for campers
- If you want to continue from here: Köthen is around 30 kilometres to the west – Johann Sebastian Bach was court Kapellmeister there, and Köthen Palace commemorates him. Halle is a good 30 kilometres away; that is where the CampingSpirit guide to Saale-Unstrut and the Kyffhäuser begins, and if you want mountains, head for the Harz, which the CampingSpirit guide to the Harz from Goslar to Stolberg covers. Halle has a low-emission zone requiring a green sticker.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- Nationwide: a single overnight stay in your vehicle on public car parks is tolerated if it serves to rest before continuing your journey, no signs prohibit it and nothing looks like camping – no awning, no chairs, no levelling ramps, no grey water. Wild camping in the sense of setting up camp is not permitted.
- The Elbe floodplains between Magdeburg and Wittenberg belong to the UNESCO Middle Elbe Biosphere Reserve, and the Mulde and Elbe meadows to nature and bird protection areas; the Garden Kingdom is a World Heritage Site and a protected area. In these zones, parking on meadows, riverbanks, farm tracks and forest tracks is prohibited, and dyke crests and dyke maintenance roads are closed to motor vehicles. Local authorities and nature conservation authorities impose fines for violations.
- During floods, motorhome sites in the floodplain, such as the Petriförder in Magdeburg, are closed or cleared, and dyke roads and ferry approaches are shut. Follow water levels and warnings from the Saxony-Anhalt state flood forecasting centre and via the “Meine Pegel” app; in the Saxon part (Bad Düben), the Saxony State Flood Centre is responsible.
- The network of motorhome sites is dense, and many are at marinas and water sports clubs along the Elbe. Useful: Campercontact, park4night, the promobil motorhome site guide and the websites of the Anhalt-Dessau-Wittenberg and Dübener Heide tourism associations.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Motorhome sites in towns and at marinas usually have water and waste disposal, often operated with coins, card or tokens; the small city-centre sites (Muldewehr in Dessau, Platz der Jugend in Wittenberg) have none – fill up with water beforehand.
- Only empty grey water and cassettes at disposal stations; in the floodplain, any waste water ends up directly in the groundwater or the oxbow.
- Tap water is drinking water everywhere; in winter, the taps at many motorhome sites are turned off.
- Gas: grey 5 and 11 kg exchange cylinders at filling stations and DIY stores; LPG pumps are widespread, and you fill refillable cylinders and gas tanks there using the German ACME connector.
- Keep cash ready: reaction ferries, park ferries and gondolas in the Garden Kingdom, as well as some motorhome site machines, do not always take cards.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed: motorhomes up to 3.5 t drive like cars (50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 km/h outside, no general limit on the Autobahn, recommended speed 130 km/h). From 3.5 to 7.5 t, the limits are 80 km/h outside built-up areas and 100 km/h on the Autobahn; for vehicles with trailers 80 km/h, or 100 km/h on the Autobahn with Tempo 100 approval.
- Low-emission zones: Magdeburg, Dessau-Roßlau and Wittenberg have none; Halle (Saale) requires the green sticker. Leipzig has decided to abolish its low-emission zone – check the current status if you are arriving from there.
- No car tolls and no vignette; the A9 and the A14 are the fastest access roads. The HGV toll does not apply to motorhomes.
- Bikes on the rear carrier: the number plate and lights must remain visible; otherwise use a lighting board with a repeat number plate.
- Blood alcohol limit 0.5, 0.0 for new drivers and under-21s; mobile phones only with a hands-free kit. Winter tyres are compulsory in icy, snowy and slippery conditions – fog and ice over the floodplains set in quickly in late autumn.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Mosquito nets for the windows and sliding door plus an effective repellent – after wet springs and floods, floodwater mosquitoes swarm in the Elbe and Mulde floodplains.
- Bikes with panniers: the Elbe Cycle Route links Magdeburg, Dessau, Wörlitz and Wittenberg along the dyke, and in Wörlitz Park and the old towns you can cycle right up to the entrance.
- Binoculars for Elbe beavers, white-tailed eagles, red kites and white storks in the floodplains and at the Kapenmühle.
- A water-level app and the saved phone numbers of the ferry operators in Barby and Coswig – high and low water decide whether you take the ferry or the bridge.
- Coins and small change for ferries, gondolas, water and waste disposal and electricity bollards.
- Tick tweezers and long trousers for hikes in the floodplain forest and the Dübener Heide.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
