TOUR TO THE BACHFEST LEIPZIG
EISENACH – LEIPZIG, 300 KM
JUNE 6 – 15, 2026, 10 days
This tour leads us virtually chronologically from Bach’s birthplace Eisenach all the way to Leipzig, where he spent the second half of his life as director of music at St. Thomas. Here, we will attend three concerts of the Bachfest Leipzig. In the six cycling stages, we will pass through the places where Bach grew up and gained his first experience as an organist and court musician: Ohrdruf, Arnstadt and Weimar. We will also visit Wechmar, the home of Bach’s ancestors, as well as Gotha, Erfurt, Naumburg, Weißenfels and Wiederau, where Bach performed cantatas and inspected organs. Along the beautiful and cyclist-friendly journeys, such as the Ilm Valley and Saale Cycle Routes or the Thuringia Town Chain Cycle Route, music awaits us in abundance – prepare to be surprised!
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ITINERARY
DAY 1: INDIVIDUAL ARRIVAL AND EISENACH
Upon your self-organized arrival, we meet at the hotel in Eisenach at 2 pm. Afterwards, we take a tour around the city where Johann Sebastian Bach was born and visit the Bachhaus Eisenach. Explore the original places, streets and alleys where young Bach grew up.
DAY 2, EISENACH – OHRDRUF, 60 KM
We depart from Eisenach and cycle along the Hörsel, passing through the gentle rises and falls of the mythical Hörsel hills. In Gotha we will stay in a hotel next to the parc of Castle Friedenstein, which we will visit in the afternoon. We will be guided through the Castle-Chapel, where Bach performed, and visit the Ekhof-Theatre, one of the world´s oldest baroque theatres with still functioning stage mechanics.
DAY 3, GOTHA – WECHMAR – OHRDRUF, 20 KM
In the morning, we cycle to Wechmar, the Bachs’ place of origin. There we visit the ancestral home of the Bachs, housing the largest family tree of the musicians’ family. Afterwards we bike the short distance to Ohrdruf, and stay in a hotel right next to the grounds of Ehrenstein Castle. In Ohrdruf, we explore Ehrenstein Castle and the idyllic village. Bach stayed here as a pupil with his elder brother. A unique highlight is the preserved library within the tower of Michaelis Church which holds hymnbooks and books of sermons dating back to Bach’s time.
DAY 4, OHRDRUF – ARNSTADT, 25 KM
We start our daily stage in the morning through the Thuringian Forest until we reach Arnstadt. Here we will cycle into the residence of Arnstadt´s dukes, today´s Palace Museum with the Bach exhibition. After checking in at the hotel, we will follow in Bach’s footsteps through the historic old town to all three churches, accompanied by Bach’s successor, Cantor Jörg Reddin. We hear the various organs and experience how Bach’s compositional style developed in Arnstadt in an exciting way.
DAY 5, ARNSTADT – DORNHEIM – ERFURT – WEIMAR, 52 KM
The next morning, we depart to see Bach’s wedding church in nearby Dornheim. After a guided tour of the church (where Bach fans from all over the world are still getting married today), we continue on our way along the Gera towards Thuringia’s capital, Erfurt. Here you are shown the most important places of interests concerning Bach and stroll through the city centre before reaching our destination for the day, Weimar.
DAY 6, WEIMAR – BAD KÖSEN, 50 KM
In Weimar you are guided around the surviving Bach sites, including the city castle and city church, where many of Bach’s children where baptized. Here, an organ tour with Johannes Kleinjung is waiting for us. During the afternoon, we take the idyllic Ilm Valley bike trail going past castles, such as the summer residence of Weimar’s dukes and duchesses. After passing the Thuringian Wine Gate we arrive at the mouth of the Ilm, which feeds into the Saale. We leave the Ilm behind and follow the trail along the Saale, passing by romantic castles until we reach Bad Kösen with its impressive graduation works.
DAY 7, BAD KÖSEN – NAUMBURG – WEIßENFELS, 26 KM
Further on our way, the route leads us along the lower vineyards of Saale/Unstrut until we arrive in Naumburg. We visit St. Wenzel with the famous Hildebrandt organ. After lunch we cycle to Weißenfels and explore the city with a musical tour. Finally, we stop off to the sounds of Bach‘s Hunting Cantata at the Jägerhof, the place it was performed for the first time.
DAY 8, WEIßENFELS – LEIPZIG, 60 KM CYCLING
The next morning, we will be on a guided tour of the chapel of Neu-Augustusburg Castle. Later, we cycle east towards the White Elster. We stop at the Baroque castle Wiederau for lunch and enjoy coffee and cake whilst listening to a cantata dedicated to Wiederau. The tour continues on the Elster bikeway through the Leipzig lake district to Leipzig. In the evening we will listen to a Concert of Bachfest Leipzig with Bach-Cantatas conducted by Philippe Herreweghe at St. Thomas Church.
DAY 9, BACHFEST LEIPZIG
After an extensive tour around the city’s many Bach sites, there will be an opportunity to visit the Bach Museum and explore the city individually. In the evening, we will listen to Bach cantatas with Collegium Vocale Gent and Philippe Herreweghe at St. Nikolai Church and enjoy the rest of the evening together.
DAY 10, DEPARTURE
After breakfast everyone will embark on their individual journey home. We wish all guests a safe journey home!
We have developed a sustainable tour concept and pay our tour guides, musicians and local partners fair wages.
INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:
- 9 nights at mid-range hotels incl. breakfast
- Lunch packs (on cycling days)
- Guided tour
- Luggage transport from first to last hotel
- All entrance fees to museums and churches: Bachhaus Eisenach, Bach Stammhaus Wechmar, Castle Friedenstein Gotha, Ekhof-Theatre Gotha, Palace Museum Arnstadt, Traukirche Dornheim (Wedding Church), St. Wenzel Church Naumburg, Chapel of Neu-Augustusburg Castle Weißenfels, Bach Museum Leipzig
- City tours in Eisenach, Arnstadt, Weimar, Weßenfels, Leipzig
- Organ tour and organ concert in Bach Church Arnstadt, Wender organ and in St. Wenzel Naumburg, Hildebrandt organ
- 2 concerts Bachfest Leipzig:
- Saturday, June 13, 2026, 8 pm: Nr. 42 Top 50 Bach Cantatas IV with P. Herreweghe, Cat. 2
- Sunday, June 14, 2026, 8 pm: Nr. 71 Top 50 Bach Cantatas VI with P. Herreweghe, Cat. 1
- Sheet music and information leaflets on Bach’s compositions
- List of equipment
Changes reserved
PRICE: Double room per Person: 2490,- € Single room supplement: 330,- €
Optional extras:
- Rental touring bike or rental e-bike; including delivery to first and pick-up from last hotel, bike bags and locks: 165,- € / 320,- €
- Rental helmet: 35,- €
GROUP SIZE AND MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS: The minimum number of participants for our tours is 15. If the minimum number is not reached, we reserve the right to withdraw from the tour contract. The corresponding declaration must be sent to you at least 29 days before the scheduled beginning of the tour. The average group size is approximately 15 to 25 people.
