Tour 2 – Tharandt Forest – Altenberg – „The Long One“ – Harley Days Dresden

Harley Days Dresden will take place from July 26 to 28, 2024. Here are a few tour tips so you can explore the beautiful area around Dresden and Dresden itself. 

From the festival grounds, we start on the left over the Schlachthofbrücke bridge, turn right at the traffic lights, then immediately left again and cross the next two traffic lights straight ahead. After crossing the large railway bridge, we turn right and then just let it roll.

Continue straight ahead through the Bramsch Tunnel onto the dual carriageway Coventry-Straße towards Freiberg. After approximately 5 km, turn left at the traffic lights in the village of Grumbach and follow the signs to Tharandt. Located between high sandstone cliffs, the rock castle appears directly in front of us. At its foot, you can enjoy your first coffee break or soft ice cream in the traditional bakery (there is a parking lot on the right). 

We want to continue quickly. And as soon as we leave the parking lot, we see the Schiller Corner on the right, where Friedrich Schiller actually lived from September 13, 1785, to the summer of 1787.  

Just 300 meters after the parking lot, turn right toward Dippoldiswalde. Passing the buildings of the Tharandt Mining University, the route takes you through fast curves into the Tharandt Forest. The small villages along the road should be approached at a moderate speed, as the habitat and neighborhood peace are very valuable. Nothing would be worse than if the race organizers discovered the routes for themselves and their measuring technology. 

As long as we see the place names Altenberg and Zinnwald on the road signs, we are heading in the right direction. Stay on track and you can enjoy wonderful scenery, lots of bends, and an extremely enjoyable driving experience. We drive through the town of Dippoldiswalde and turn right onto the B170 toward Altenberg.

The landscape quickly becomes rural again, with the region living largely from forestry and the timber industry, as can be seen from the sawmills and carpentry workshops along the road. Shortly before Altenberg, we reach Oberbärenburg, a center for tobogganing and bobsleighing. The bobsleigh track, which is often used for World Cup races, is open to visitors. To get there, turn left at the second hairpin bend leading up to Altenberg. It is signposted. Those who are not so keen on tobogganing can enjoy a magnificent view over the entire valley from the adjacent observation tower. 

The last few kilometers to the center of Altenberg are quickly covered. Here we take a break at the well-known ice cream parlor „Buntes Häusl“ (large parking lot on the right), because the ice cream and cake are our top regional recommendation.

A few meters further along the road, there are of course restaurants for those with a big appetite, as well as in the neighboring village of Geißing (here you will find a small historic inn dating back to 1497, which is well worth a visit, but is often full because it is quite quaint and small) or on the Czech side, as the border is only 2 km away. 

As mentioned above, Altenberg is located on the border with Czechia and is the winter sports destination for Dresden residents. It is also a hiking paradise and a great area for motorcycling, as we will see as we continue our journey. We quickly fill up at the gas station and continue on our way, because there are curves, curves, curves ahead. To do this, we turn left shortly before leaving Altenberg in the direction of Heidenau and Glashütte. And now, in compliance with the general traffic regulations, it's time to just enjoy the ride. 

We drive to the watchmaking town of Glashütte. Beautiful timepieces have been handcrafted here since the 19th century, but they are priced similarly to a Harley-Davidson. But we can dream, can't we?. 

Shortly after Glashütte, you come to the small village of Weesenstein, which appears picturesquely surrounded by forest and rocks, dominated by its beautiful castle. It's worth stopping here again, as Weesenstein was one of the places worst affected by the floods in 2002. The fact that the inhabitants have rebuilt everything and made it even more beautiful is truly commendable. 

Just 200 meters after the Weesenstein town sign, take a sharp left onto a mountain road. Keep heading towards Maxen and enjoy more great curves to master. Keep heading towards Kreischa, then in Kreischa towards Possendorf, not Dresden. 

Once we arrive in Possendorf, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. After turning off towards Dresden city center, we leave the big city behind us and roll relaxed into the Saxon capital. Our destination is Dresden's landmark, the Semperoper opera house. But first, we stop at the Frauenkirche, the city's most famous building. If you're a little resourceful, you can almost drive right up to it. 😉

Back on Willsdruffer Straße, we drive to Postplatz, turn right there (caution: many railroad tracks) and find ourselves directly behind the Dresden Zwinger. To our right, we can already see Dresden Castle with its castle church. Keeping slightly to the right and following the railroad tracks, the majestic Semperoper opera house appears beside us. A photo stop is a must, of course, but be careful—parking in front of the Semperoper is not permitted. 

From here, it's only a 5-minute drive back to the event site. We hope you had a great ride. You've earned your beer at the finish line. 

Dresden Exhibition Center – Schlachthofbrücke – Waltherstraße – Bramschtunnel – Kesselsdorf Grumbach – Tharandt – Höckendorf – Dippoldiswalde – Altenberg – Glashütte – Weesenstein – Maxen – Possendorf – Dresden – Postplatz – Semperoper – Exhibition Center

Route length: approximately 120 km 

Pure travel time: Approximately 2.5 hours, depending on traffic

Travel time with suggested breaks: approximately 4.5 hours