Through October: Auto-free days in Germany
Published: July 19, 2012
It’s time to jump on your bike and head out to participate in one of Germany’s wonderful auto-free days. Generally held on Sundays, these are days when normally busy roads through a scenic stretch --- often alongside a river or through the wine country --- are shut down to motorized traffic, and cyclists and hikers come out in droves.
If you’ve never taken part in one of the auto-free days, you’re in for a treat. You may find the start or end points of the route choked with the cars of people driving to the event. Trains can also get chockablock with bikes and riders. A possible means to avoid this is to begin at a midpoint along the stretch of highway closed to motorized traffic. Once under way, expect cyclists, in-line skaters and masses of pedestrians who will be out enjoying the day. Some of these events attract tens of thousands of participants, including families with children, so you’ll need to bring your patience --- these are not, generally speaking, days to achieve great speed or distances. You can pack a picnic, but there’s no real need, as the roadsides are usually brimming with stands where you can grab a bratwurst or a Radler, that beer-and-lemonade mix perfect for quenching a sport-induced thirst.
Here are the remaining dates and locations, along with the length of highway closed off to traffic, of several auto-free days not far from military communities. Can’t find the event you’re looking for? Check out the comprehensive listing compiled by the UPI Umwelt- and Prognose –Institut.
Sept. 23: Neckar-Erlebnis-Tal, along the Neckar Valley through Sulz, Horb and Rottenburg, 50 km.
Sept. 23: Kelter Tour, Main River and Taunus area, with open cellars of apple wine producers, about 18 km.
Oct. 3: Obrigheim Autofreies Eistal, in the Leiningerland, between Ebertsheim and Grünstadt, northwest of the German Wine Road, 25 km.