Current route information: Due to extensive work on Montanusstraße in Burscheid, the Balkantrasse panoramic cycle route will be closed until around the middle of 2026. A corresponding detour is signposted. See map for download. The detour is expected to remain in place until mid-2026 (as of 02.05.2023).
The Balkantrasse creates an ideal opportunity to cycle across the hilly landscape of the Bergisches Land to the lowlands of the Rhine. The name of the cycle path is reminiscent of the "Balkan Express", as the former railroad line between Leverkusen-Opladen and Remscheid-Lennep was popularly known.
Trains rolled along here from 1868 until the 1980s, and today you can enjoy charming views from the saddle: forests, meadows, pretty houses and gardens, the town centers of Lennep, Bergisch Born, Wermelskirchen and Burscheid - urban life and rural idyll alternate along the edge of the Balkan route. Milestones along the approximately 28-kilometre route are reminders of the railroad's past, and there are rest areas and restaurants in many places.
Start in Remscheid
Remscheid-Lennep railroad station is an ideal starting or finishing point for the cycle tour. The historic town center presents itself with its Bergisch idyll: cobbled alleys, romantic squares, angular half-timbered houses with black slate, shutters in bright green and bright white door and window frames. The almost circular layout dates back to the Middle Ages and most of the houses are listed buildings. For those hungry for knowledge, the German Röntgen Museum offers a journey into the world of the researcher and discoverer.
The Balkan Route is part of the NRW Panorama Cycle Route network, which links individual routes to form an overall system over 300 kilometers long. It connects the former railroad lines in the Bergisches Land, the southern Ruhr region and the Sauerland and creates connections to the popular river cycle paths on the Rhine, Ruhr and Sieg. Around 175 kilometers run along former rail routes with virtually no gradients, and there are only a few strenuous sections to tackle on the connecting routes.
Bergisch cycle bus
The Bergisch cycle bus is particularly practical: up to 20 bikes can be transported on its trailer and in the bus itself at the same time - so cyclists can comfortably cover part of their tour by bus.
