Day 17 on the Elbe Cycle Route

Hamburg to Stade, 30 miles

We had a good night of rest in Hamburg, and the rain passed overnight. With only about 30 miles to cover today, we took our time leaving the city.

Hamburg is huge, full of energy, and packed with history and museums—it’s worth a return trip someday to explore more thoroughly.

Cutest UPS “truck” ever—really a pedal-powered bike enclosed in a cab!

We detoured briefly to catch a glimpse of the Speicherstadt, Hamburg’s historic warehouse district.

The Speicherstadt stands as a reminder of human determination—an entire warehouse district built on oak timber piles in the 1880s, still standing strong today

A city view that looks more like Amsterdam than Hamburg in some places.

Leaving town meant navigating plenty of traffic, but our route took us right along the port where we could see massive cargo ships being loaded.

River cranes towering like modern monsters more than machines.

From there, the trail crossed the Elbe, which meant boarding a ferry (advertising for upcoming “The Lion King”) to take us three kilometers downstream.

Happy to let the boat do some of the work - it’s still windy out there!

The Airbus super transporter cargo jet at Hamburg’s AirBus Factory. It’s nicknamed the Beluga, and you can see the painted eye of a beluga whale (just visible on the mid-section of the aircraft). Wish we could have gotten a picture of the whole thing!

Lighthouses along the Elbe.

By afternoon, we had left the bustle of Hamburg behind and found ourselves surrounded by miles and miles of apple orchards.

This region, known as Altes Land, was once marshland. In the 12th century, industrious Dutch settlers drained it using dikes and pumping windmills, transforming it into fertile farmland. Today, it’s one of the largest fruit-growing areas in Northern Europe.

Sampling apples and snacks from one of the many roadside markets.

Our stop for the night is the historic town of Stade, whose roots stretch back to the 7th century.

Over the centuries, the area came under both Swedish and Dutch influence, and it still shows in the architecture and harbor.

The harbor scene from our guidebook cover—fun to finally be standing here in person.

We ended the evening with a short wander through the town’s streets before settling in for food and drinks.

Prost from Stade!

Dinner was Hollandaise Hamburgers. Very satisfying meal!

Tomorrow is another 30 mile day to the town of Freiburg. Only 2 days left to reach the North Sea!

Good night friends!