Cycling from Berlin to Copenhagen
Who: Me, alone
What: Cycling 🚴‍♀️
When: September 23 - 29 2023 (7 days)
Where: Berlin to Copenhagen ( Bikeway Berlin Kopenhagen)
How: 10 year-old city bike (cross bike)
Copenhagen has always been in the top of the list of cities I’ve been wanting to visit. So this fall, when my father told me that he would be flying there, I decided to visit the city. I’ve heard from friends about a famous bike path from Berlin to Copenhagen, so instead of flying or taking the train, I decided to bike. This was my first ever solo bike-packing trip and it was so much fun! (and very doable too!)
Planning #
Like most of my trips I didn’t really plan so much. I started planning the route a few days before and mainly used whatever that was already available in terms of gear.
For planning, I used the following apps:
Maps
- Komoot (route planning, downloaded offline maps)
- Google maps (downloaded offline terrain maps for northern Germany and Denmark)
- Organic maps (free Android & iOS offline maps app based on top of OSM data. Better alternative to maps.me)
Planning Accommodation
- warmshowers.org (community for bike tourists, couchsurfing for cyclists)
- Shelter app iOS/ Android (Map of primitive accommodation with shelter from the rain and bad weather in Denmark)
Planning the route #
With any trips I do, I didn’t plan too much. I went on Komoot and copied the route. It then allows you to “Plan day by day itinerary” by adjusting the number of days you have and your current level of fitness:
I also made sure that there were some accommodation options for each day in the app:
I also downloaded the routes for offline use before the trip in the Komoot app. I also downloaded some terrain maps on Google maps and downloaded some offline maps on Organic maps app too just in case.
Accommodation #
Warmshowers.org #
My plan was to camp as much as I could. But I also wanted to make new friends along the way since I figured biking alone all day could become a little bit lonely at times. Warmshowers.org is like couchsurfing for bikers — you pay $30 to create an account and you’ll be able to find a community of fellow bikers who may host you during your bike trips or who you may be able to host.
The website is a little clunky but that’s what makes it nice, and my experience on there has been really positive so far. I only messaged 3 people on the platform and they all responded fairly quickly. 2 accepted and they’ve been the most welcoming hosts I’ve ever encountered!
I didn’t use it this time, but I also recommend a platform called Couchers.org which is a couchsurfing platform but a much nicer one than the current couchsurfing.com.
Shelters in Denmark #
In Denmark, there are free primitive wooden shelters usually with water source and a fireplace everywhere in the country where hikers and bikers can stay overnight. And there’s an app for it too, called the Shelter app (orange icon)
In the app, you can find a map with locations and reviews of the shelters in Denmark but you’ll also likely to stumble upon them on the way.
One problem I had with these shelters is that in one of the shelters, I got attacked by mice. They somehow got inside my bike panniers and bit into my food supply. Read more about Denmark’s shelters here.
Gear List #
I managed to fit everything into two 40L Ortlieb bike panniers and a small handlebar bag. I tried to make do with what I already had at home but I did buy the handlebar bag from Decathlon (15 EUR) which turned out to be very useful.
There are gear lists online like this Bikepacking 101 list but I think they’re a bit of an overkill. Unless you’re biking somewhere far from civilization, you can pick most things up on the road so I always try to start with the minimum.
For the whole week, I wore the same cycling shorts, same T-shirt/long-sleeves and same clothes once I reached the campsites and you only really need a spare for each item in case it rains. It did get quite cold during the night so I’m glad I brought my jackets. I’m also glad I brought two battery banks. It’s also handy to have a fanny pack to put all your valuables when you want to leave your bike, especially when traveling alone because no one is going to look out for your stuff while you go to the toilets.
Itinerary #
You can find my full itinerary and the route I took for each day on my Komoot collection.
But here’s the gist:
RouteDistanceDay 1Hohen Neuendorf - Campingplatz am Großen Wentowsee59 kmDay 2Campsite at Großer Wentowsee - Sietow Dorf106 kmDay 3Sietow Dorf - Kanu Camp Westphal (Bützow)97 kmDay 4Kanu Camp Westphal (Bützow) - Rostock (rest day) 37 kmDay 5Rostock - Møn Camping (via Slotshaven shelterplads)87 kmDay 6Møn Camping - Stevens Klint106 kmDay 7Stevens Klint - Copenhagen83 km
Since I started late on a Saturday afternoon and also took a rest day on Day 4 where I only biked for 2 hours, it would’ve been doable in 6 days. If I were to do it again though, I would spend maybe another day in Møn, maybe a tour around the island including the Møn Klint since it was probably the most beautiful part of the whole trip. The camping place on Mons Klint was highly recommended by another biker.
Budget #
Accommodation #
Most camping places are about 10 euros/night in Germany, 15 euros in Denmark. Overnight shelters in Denmark are usually free but some nicer ones ask you to pay online (although nobody checks.) There are many B&B and hotels along the way but not too affordable for solo travelers.
Coming back from Copenhagen #
I only planned to bike one way so I had booked a direct night bus from Copenhagen to Berlin which cost me around 50 euros and took about 9 hours. Flixbus has options to carry bikes with a small extra fee (I think 8 euros.) Train from Copenhagen to Berlin is around 7 hours which is faster but slightly more expensive than the bus if not booked in advance and has one transfer. To bring a bike, you need to reserve a bike spot for around 11 euros which can be done online unless you’re booking it last minute in which case you’ll need to go to the train station.
Taking the ferries #
I took the ferry twice during this trip. For both, there’s no need to reserve and costs around 10 - 15 euros.
- Rostock - Gedser (every 2 hours, 15 euros, 2 hours)
- Stubbekobing - Bogø (every hour, 11 euros, 15 minutes)
Thoughts on the road #
Day 1 #
I leave Berlin in the afternoon and accidentally take the wrong train out of the city. I end up in a place called Hohen Neuendorf, go into a cafe for a nice bowl of pumpkin soup and hit the road at 4pm. 2 hours in, I suddenly remember that I’d left my bike reservation tickets for my train ride back to Berlin and I panic. I also feel a nerve pinch in my lower back. Is my hernia back? I can’t do this. Should I go back to Berlin? I call up J, who helps me out with the ticket problem and he parts with some words of encouragement so I hit the road again. It’s dark by the time I arrive at the camp site in Wentowsee. It’s my first time pitching the specific tent I’m carrying and I’m nervous whether I can do this in the dark. It turns out to be easier than I thought. I message a few people on the Warmshowers.org app and hope that someone will reply in the coming days.
Day 2 #
Next morning, I get a text from one of the Warmshowers host Peter who lives in a small village that’s a little off the bike path from Berlin to Copenhagen. I stumble upon RavensbrĂĽck’s Women’s Concentration Camp (now a museum) which used to be the largest women’s concentration camp in the German Reich (highly recommend visiting on the way, I would give it at least an hour) I’m using the offline navigation on Komoot but this is draining my phone’s battery really fast. I notice myself getting a little bored but music with earphones turn out to be a perfect distraction, enough to keep me going. I’m following the Berlin-Copenhagen route (which is also part of the Eurovelo 7 Sun route) but to get to Peter’s place, I take another bike path (there are so many great bike paths in Germany, it’s amazing) through Muritz. I get a little bit lost and arrive at Peter’s place just before sunset. He lives in a small village with his boyfriend and his chickens and geese and plants. Getting to meet Peter was probably the highlight of my day.
Day 3 #
Most of the paths are paved but not all are asphalt and some bike paths take you deep into the woods. On these roads, I really wished I had thicker grippier tiers or a proper gravel road and I worried that my old city bike won’t make it till the end or I worried if I had to change the tubes (and whether I still remembered how to do it.) At one point, the path reached a dead end (there was a road sign saying I cannot pass) so I took a detour and decided to go on the big road with the cars which was quite scary. Now I understand why there are bike paths. The cars in Germany really don’t expect bikers to be on the road. I eventually reached a camp site in Bützow where I met an Argentinian guy living in Copenhagen going the other direction to Berlin and a German couple doing a canoe/biking trip (such a nice vacation idea!) It feels a lot safer to be in a campsite with other people.
Day 4 #
I stopped listening to music for a change and it’s kind of meditative. The act of cycling is a great way to let your mind wander a bit. It’s a lot nicer than ruminating indoors. My dad calls to tell me that he just tested positive for COVID and that he most likely won’t be coming to Copenhagen. But since I’m already on the road, I decide to continue anyway.
I biked 2 hours to Rostock and by lunch, I was already in the city. I met up with P who had been traveling in his van since the weekend and we decided to hang out for a day which was fun. Bouldering gyms are great places to shower/rest/exercise while on the road and I also took a job interview here, which didn’t go so well. One question they asked me that still haunts me “What’s one amazing thing you’ve achieved in your life that you’re proud of?” — I have no idea.
Day 5 #
We take a morning dip in the sea by the coast in Rostock (freezing but refreshing) and P drops me and my bike off at the port in Rostock so I can catch the 9am ferry to Gedser. I meet a Swiss couple doing the same route but with less stuff (staying in hotels) and I follow them onto the ferry. It was a little confusing getting from the ticket office to the ferry though. We parked our bikes with all the trucks and then went inside the ferry. I paid 20 euros for the breakfast buffet but don’t think it was worth it (so I made sandwiches for lunch.) 2 hours on the ferry goes really fast and I’m already in Denmark. Gedser is pretty deserted and all I see are roads and Danish flags and houses everywhere. It’s sunny and warm today and I’m taking off my long sleeves. The routes along the coast is absolutely beautiful. There are sandy beaches everywhere, amazing places to camp out too. And out of nowhere, there’s a kindergarden, in the middle of nowhere in the woods, by the beach. Kids playing. I wonder what it’s like to grow up here. I reach Stubbekobing at around 16:00 and then wait for the ferry for 30 mins. The ferry is very cool and also deserted. There are only three of us on it, me and a German couple on their electric bikes. At the port, I meet another bikepacker with an American accent who’ve been bikepacking all summer in Scandinavia and he tells me about an awesome app called the Shelter app which shows a map of free shelters around Denmark and he recommends me a place on Mon island. I decide to make this my destination for the day. The shelter place looks amazing, initially, until I’m woken up by rustling noises. I look around to see something dark moving in my dry bag. It’s a mouse. It’s just a mouse, I try to calm myself down but now, I cannot unhear them everywhere. They seem to be running around the entire place. I’m unable to sleep so I decide to move to the nearest camp site which is a few kilometers away. I open my bike pannier to find mice biting into another dry bag with my food inside. I’m alone in the dark, in the woods, by the beach, all alone with no mobile signals and for the first time during this entire trip, I feel a little scared. I cycle under the moonlight which is surprisingly bright and arrive at the camp site.
Day 6 #
I wake up to the sun and the sounds of the ocean. It’s an amazing camp site with the beach right beside it. My plan was to go to Mon Klint which adds another 30km to the route but I’m too tired from the mice incident so I decide to head on forward toward Copenhagen. I’m a little anxious about where to sleep tonight since I don’t see any campsites near where I’m headed but I do find a shelter area in the shelter app that has great reviews. On the way, I find a really nice bakery with possibly the best sourdough bread I’ve tasted. Bakeries in Denmark are amazing. I also stop using the Komoot app because the roads are so well marked in Denmark that there is practically no need to look at maps at all.
The shelter place is also a birdwatching area/park and has a few newly built shelters, a nice big toilet, fresh water and lots of space for a dozen tents. I meet a German woman who is also traveling alone on her bike, doing the same route as me. She is from Gorlitz and she tells me that it’s her first time traveling alone since having kids. Her oldest is now a college student. She is pretty badass, I want to be like her when I’m older.
Day 7 #
The roads aren’t as beautiful anymore, and I’m just excited to be reaching Copenhagen today. I find another amazing bakery and eat lots of bread with butter because why not. As I cycle into the city of Copenhagen, I can’t help but be amazed by how beautiful the place is. It’s also quite windy. I am greeted by D and H, a couple who’ve been around the world on their bikes for a year (for a year!!) and they have a whole YouTube channel with videos and documentaries of their experience. D is a midwife and H is a film editor and they’re both very cool people, amazing hosts. Their apartment is also charming, with a shared shower in the basement. Copenhagen is such a cool city, a little expensive, but very clean and feels very safe. D and H cook me a traditional danish dinner and I feel spoiled. I want to be amazing hosts like them one day. And have a place to host people as well.
I was afraid that the trip was going to be a lonely one, spending a lot of time alone. Yes, I did spend a lot of time alone but I also met a lot of people at camp sites and through warm showers. I also appreciated every interaction I was able to have. And it made me realize that what I loved the most about the trip was actually these interactions with the people I met on the road, even though there weren’t so many of them. But then again, even when I’m living in the city, am I interacting with a lot of people? Or am I taking these interactions for granted?
Good trip overall.