Tour 2 – Tharandt Forest – Altenberg – “Die Lange” – Harley Days Dresden

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

From the festival site we start left over the Schlachthofbrücke, turn right once at the traffic lights, then immediately left again and drive straight across the next two traffic lights. After the large railway bridge, which we cross, we turn right and then let it run smoothly.

Always go straight ahead, through the Bramsch tunnel onto the double-lane Coventry road in the direction of Freiberg.  About 5km forward, we 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 the foot of which there is a wonderful traditional bakery (there is a parking lot on the right). Enjoy your first coffee or soft ice cream during your break.

We want to move on quickly. And as soon as you leave the parking lot, on your right you will see Schiller-Eck, where Friedrich Schiller actually lived from September 13, 1785 to the summer of 1787.   

Just 300m after the parking lot, turn right towards Dippoldiswalde. Past the buildings of the Tharandt Mining University, the route continues through fast curves into the Tharandt Forest. The small towns along the road should be taken at a moderate pace, because the living space and the peace of the neighborhood are worth a lot. Nothing would be worse than if the race management discovered the routes for themselves and their measurement technology.  

As long as we read the towns of Altenberg and Zinnwald on the traffic signs, we are heading in the right direction. Always stay in lane, then you can experience a wonderful landscape, lots of curves and an extremely great driving experience. We drive through the town of Dippoldiswalde and turn right onto the B170 towards Altenberg.

It quickly becomes rural again, the region relies heavily on the forestry and timber industry, which is clearly visible in the sawmills and carpentry shops along the road. Shortly before Altenberg we reach the toboggan and bobsleigh sport town of Oberbärenburg. You can visit the bobsleigh track, which is often used for World Cup races. To do this, turn left on the second hairpin bend that leads up to Altenberg. Is signposted. If you're not a fan of tobogganing, you can enjoy a great view of the entire valley from the observation tower next to it.  

The last few kilometers to the town center of Altenberg are quick. Here we take a break at the well-known ice cream cafe “Buntes Häusl” (large parking lot on the right), because the ice cream and cake are our regional super tip.

A few meters further along the street there are of course also restaurants for those who are really hungry, as is the case in the neighboring town of Geißing (here there is a small historic inn from 1497, a visit is worth it, but it is often full because it is quite quaint and small) or on the Czech side, because the border is only 2km away. 

As just mentioned, the town of Altenberg is located on the border with the Czech Republic and is the winter sports destination for Dresden residents. Of course, it is also a hiking paradise and motorcycling area, as we will see as we continue our journey. Quickly fill up the tank at the gas station and move on, because there are curves, curves, curves. To do this, just before leaving Altenberg we turn left towards Heidenau and Glashütte. And now, in compliance with the general road traffic regulations, you just have to enjoy it.  

We drive to the watchmaking town of Glashütte. Beautiful timepieces have been made here by hand since the 19th century, but they are sold at prices similar to a Harley-Davidson. But you can dream sometimes...  

A short time after Glashütte comes the small town of Weesenstein, which is dominated by its beautiful castle and appears picturesque in the middle of forest and rock. It's worth stopping here again, because Weesenstein was one of the worst affected places during the floods in 2002. The fact that the residents have rebuilt everything and made it even more beautiful is worthy of all honor.  

Just 200m after the Weesenstein town exit sign, you take a sharp left up a mountain road. We head towards the town of Maxen and experience more great curves that need to be mastered. We head towards Kreischa, in Kreischa then towards Possendorf, not towards Dresden.  

When we arrive in Possendorf, we can finally take a deep breath. After turning towards Dresden's city center, the big city has us again and we roll into the Saxon capital in a relaxed manner. Our destination is the landmark of Dresden, the Semperoper. Before that, a stop at the Frauenkirche, the most famous building in the city. You can almost drive there if you're a bit resourceful. 😉

Back on Willsdruffer Straße we drive to Postplatz, turn right there (watch out for lots of rails) and find ourselves directly at the back of the Dresden Zwinger and on the right we can already see the Dresden Castle with the Castle Church. Following the rails slightly to the right, the Semperoper appears majestically next to us. Of course you have to stop for photos, but be careful, parking in front of the Semperoper is not allowed.  

From here it's only 5 minutes back to the event site. We hope you had a great trip. The target beer is well deserved.  

Dresden exhibition center - Schlachthofbrücke - Waltherstrasse - Bramschtunnel - Kesselsdorf Grumbach - Tharandt - Höckendorf - Dippoldiswalde - Altenberg - Glashütte - Weesenstein - Maxen - Possendorf - Dresden - Postplatz - Semperoper - exhibition center

Route length: approximately 120km

Pure travel time: around 2.5 hours depending on traffic

Travel time with suggested breaks: approximately 4.5 hours