In the Cycling Destination Approved section, we highlight places where you really feel welcome as a cyclist: places where the facilities are up to standard and where you can later tell your cycling friends that they really should go there. Explore the Harz in Benneckenstein is such a place.
A Dutch home in the Harz
Carla and Pim run Explore the Harz, a bed & breakfast in Benneckenstein, in the heart of the Harz in Saxony-Anhalt. During the coronavirus pandemic, they sought more peace and space, and that led to a house in the Harz. Pim is a passionate cyclist and knows the best routes in the region. The location is perfect: within a kilometer you’ll find yourself on gravel roads, with the Brocken, the Rappbodetalsperre, and the Josephskreuz within easy reach.
What makes it Approved?
- Homely: a fireplace, a drink on arrival home, a nice room with a good bed.
- A safe place to store your bike.
- Customized routes: Pim creates tours with a specific theme, ranging from DDR history along the old border to the Brocken and the Rappbodetal dam.
- Tips and tricks for the region, and if you want, you can finish the day with a schnapps tasting.
- Welcoming that resonates: you walk in as a stranger and feel immediately at home.
We stayed there for three nights during our gravel trip through the Harz. Highly recommended, not just because they accommodated us, but because it’s true.
Read more and book
Read the full story in Four days of gravel in the Harz and check out our guide Cycling in the Harz. You can ask questions or buy books via exploretheharz.com.
Questions & tips
Do you have any questions about this route, or have you been there yourself? Share them here. We read everything and usually respond within a few days.