OUTDOOR EXPERIENCES

DISCOVER THE NATURAL SIDE OF SOUTHWEST GERMANY DISCOVER SOUTH- WEST GERMANY’S GREAT OUTDOORS

For away-from-it-all holidays, SouthWest Germany ticks all the boxes. Think unspoiled countryside, lakes and low forested mountains. Dream of lush meadows, green valleys, vineyards and orchards. Hike or bike endless trails; breathe clean air; recharge batteries.

SouthWest Germany’s Great Outdoors: Spoiled for choice!

SouthWest Germany is clean, and lake-side campgrounds. By green and sunny. In summer, contrast, energetic hikers, bikers hike or bike the mountains, lush (and e-bikers) head for Kraichgau- meadows and wooded valleys. Stromberg, the ‘Land of 1,000 Under blue skies, autumn leaves Hills’. Heilbronn Country’s scen- turn rich gold; winters are ery is easy on the eye; in the snowy for cross-country skiing. Stuttgart Region, hike and bike And each region has its own the vineyards! Prefer sweeping ­appeal. In the north, the Oden- views and testing trails? Check wald has sandstone hills and out the Swabian Alb’s limestone countless streams, while the hills. And, after a day out in Up- Taubertal Valley is known for per Swabia, relax in a hot miner- ­picture-perfect countryside. On the al spa. As well as photogenic vil- Rhine and Neckar river plain, lages and farms, the Black Forest the Palatinate (Kurpfalz) provides offers the wilderness of the Nation- flat hiking and cycling. Locals al Park, while beautiful Lake love the rural simplicity of the Constance has water sports ga- Hohenlohe for farm holidays lore. SouthWest Germany: The Cradle of Recreational Hiking

The idea of recreational hiking ­valleys in the Hohenlohe. At Lake was born in the Black Forest in Constance, views of sparkling 1900 with the Westweg, the water contrast with snow-tipped world’s first hiking trail. Now mountains. The ‘Grand Canyon’ SouthWest Germany boasts a of the Black Forest is the Wutach huge network of trails, clearly Gorge. Explore it on a 5-hour marked and well maintained, hike; look out for hundreds of through unspoiled landscapes. species of ferns, wildflowers, bugs In the north of the region, fol- and butterflies along the way. low the Limes Hiking Trail, with To the north, Baiersbronn is straight stretches of an old Ro- ­‘hiking heaven’, with hills and man road, from the Neckartal- valleys, woodland, meadows and Odenwald Nature Park to the Swa‑ gurgling steams. And throughout bian-Franconian Forest. Or walk SouthWest Germany, there’s a part of the Santiago Pilgrimage warm welcome, with cosy huts Trail that links Rothenburg ob der and cheerful taverns offering local Tauber and the cathedral city of food, wine and beer. Ulm. Hike the green meadows of the Swabian Alb or the river www.tourism-bw.com/things-to-do/ nature/hiking-walking SouthWest Germany: Paradise on two wheels

Ever since Karl Drais invented the castles, palaces and ancient ­­­uni- bicycle in Karlsruhe 200 years versity towns, such as Heidelberg ago, locals have loved to bike. To- and Tübingen. day, the endless marked trails Bike-friendly Stuttgart, the make cycling holidays a pleasure. ­capital of SouthWest Germany, is Use a bike to sightsee, work up fun to explore on two wheels. an appetite and get away from it The Black Forest has a network all in the clean, green environ- of ­cycle trails through dense ment. Pedal on conventional tour- woodland and meadows, passing ing bikes; explore higher and farms and charming ­villages.

­further on e-bikes / pedelecs; take In the south, the paths round on some of Europe’s best off- Lake Constance are flat and road trails through woods and easy, with ever-changing views gorges. The rolling hills of the of vineyards, orchards and Swabian Alb combine wide-open ­mountains, castles, medieval vistas, lush green valleys and towns and the islands of Mainau photogenic villages. And there and Reichenau. are so many reasons to stop! The Neckartal (Neckar Valley) has www.tourism-bw.com/things-to-do/ nature/cycle-vacations

Hiking and biking trails are clearly with ­signposted and ­directions distances­

Hiking in SouthWest Germany

Discover our outdoor paradise: the Swabian Alb SWABIAN ALB

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The Albsteig Trail near Bad Urach. This trail was created a century ago by the Distance: 357 km Swabian Alb Association. Today, members of the local ­hiking club love to give visitors tips, from The Albtrauf is the steep escarp- the best views to the best beer ment running down the spine of gardens. Enthusiastic hikers take the Swabian Alb. Crossing the 15 days to complete the trail; Alb diagonally from Donauwörth at a more leisurely pace, allow in the northeast to Tuttlingen in 25 days. the southwest is the Albsteig hiking trail, with glorious vistas. Highlights Think wild streams and sheep, Urach Waterfall | Hohenzollern and Teck heath and forest. Highlights in- Castles | Prehistoric Bear Cave clude grand views of Hohenzollern Castle from the Zeller Horn ww w.schwaebischealb.de/ Mountain and the Urach Waterfall wandern/albsteig

Donauwörth difficult

357 km / 220 miles Tuttlingen

1,015 m / 3,330 ft 15–25 days fun facts: hiking

1900 The Westweg, the world’s first leisure hiking trail, opens in the Black Forest 150 AD The Romans build The Limes frontier ‘wall’; see it on the Limes Hiking Trail 1,493 metres / 4,898 feet The top of the Feldberg, SouthWest Germany’s highest mountain, has vast views 5 Breweries are on the Beer Hiking Trail in Ehingen, the Beer Culture City 10 Schnapps fountains offer samples on Sasbachwal- den’s Schnapps Distillery Trails DE 3 Borders are crossed CH A on the 270-kilometre / 170-mile hike around Lake ­Constance LAKE CONSTANCE

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Lake Constance Hike Konstanz, with overnights in Wallhausen, Ludwigshafen and Distance: 53 km Sipplingen. Hike it in either ­direction; for a shortcut and a ­different view of one of Europe’s The SeeGang (Lake Trail) follows most beautiful lakes, take a ride the north-west shore of Lake on a ferry. Well-priced walking Constance for 53 kilometres / packages offered ­online include 33 miles and is rated as one of luggage transfer and walker- SouthWest Germany’s most friendly overnight accommodation. ­scenic Premium Hiking Trails by the German ­Hiking Institute. Highlights From Konstanz to Überlingen, it Mainau Island | Old Towns of Konstanz takes in ruined forts and Mainau and Überlingen | Bodman-Ludwigshafen Island’s world-class gardens. Do it in four easy stages, starting in www.bodensee.eu/en

Konstanz medium

53 km / 33 miles Überlingen

683 m / 2,250 ft 4 days BLACK FOREST

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The Westweg Trail the red diamond trail markers. Officially rated as one of the ‘Top Distance: 290 km Trails of Germany’, the challenging route crosses Feldberg Mountain’s summit, 1,493 metres / 4,898 feet. The Black Forest is the home of With villages, inns, B&Bs and recreational hiking. In 1900, spectacular scenery along the Phillipp­ Bussemer opened a tourist route, this is a memorable 12 to information office here. He sold 14-day hike. maps and postcards – and also helped mark out the world’s first Highlights hiking trail, the Westweg. Now, Feldberg Mountain | Lake Titisee | its 300 kilometres / 180 miles run Black Forest National Park between Pforzheim and Basel, Switzerland via Lake Titisee. Start www.schwarzwald-tourismus. in the south or in the north; hike info/erleben/wandern/fernwan- it all or only a part; just follow dern/westweg

Pforzheim difficult

290 km / 180 miles Basel

1,493 m / 4,898 ft 12–14 days CULINARY TRAILS

Bike, hike and taste

SouthWest Germany makes Trails in Sasbachwalden. In some of the world’s finest beers, ­Ehingen, taste award-winning wines and fruit brandies. And beers at five breweries on the its asparagus is an annual high- Beer Hiking Trail. In early summer, light. Enjoy them all on active on the Baden Asparagus Trail, holidays. Learn about centuries cycle through asparagus fields; of tradition; talk to brewers and order fresh asparagus at taverns. winemakers about their crafts. In the vineyards, pedal the Baden Wine Cycle Path or the Würt‑ Highlights temberg Wine Cycle Trail. Try Schnapps Distillery Trails l Beer Hiking free samples from bottles of Trail l Baden Asparagus Trail ­locally-distilled fruit brandies ­cooling in ‘schnapps fountains’ www.tourism-bw.com/things-to- on the Schnapps Distillery do/nature/culinary-trails

Half the fun of

hiking round Sasbachwalden is tasting local schnapps as you go NORTHERN BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG

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The Neckarsteig banks from time to time. The Trail steep slopes are lined with award-winning vineyards; it’s Distance: 128 km worth the effort to hike up to the top for the glorious views of the valley below. For a change, There is nothing quite like hiking­ hop on a river boat and cruise along a beautiful river. And there part of the way. The trail finishes is nowhere like Heidelberg, with in Bad Wimpfen, a gem of a spa its Old Town and romantic ruined town with a historic core. castle. This is where the Neckar‑ steig Trail starts. It then follows in the footsteps of the 19 th-century Highlights American writer Mark Twain, Heidelberg l Neckarsteinach’s four who walked beside and rafted castles l Hornberg Castle l Bad Wimpfen on the Neckar River. The marked trail leads upstream, switching www.neckarsteig.de

Heidelberg easy

128 km / 80 miles Bad Wimpfen

575 m / 1,900 ft 9–12 days MICRO ADVENTURES

Take the challenge!

Adrenalin rushes are every- tree top adventure; climb the where, from paragliding and riv- Felsengärten cliffs near Hessig‑ er rafting to canyoning. heim; walk across the swaying WILDLINE suspension bridge In the Black Forest, hurtle along near Bad Wildbad. the 570-metre / 1,870-foot Gründle zipline, Germany’s longest thrill At night, camp in the Black ride. Another ‘longest’ is the 2.9 ­Forest wilderness. Hearths for kilometre / 1.8 mile Hasenhorn campfires and eco-friendly Coaster, Todtnau’s summer to‑ ­composting toilets are provided. boggan run. And on Schauinsland You carry everything else in: Mountain, Europe’s longest tents, sleeping bags, provisions. scooting course is an amazing Part of the challenge is finding 8 kilometres / 5 miles! Clamber the sites – only by GPS. along the Kletterwald Feldberg

www.trekking-schwarzwald.de www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/erleben/ausflugsziele Biking in SouthWest Germany

All over SouthWest Germany, you can rent regular bikes and e-bikes fun facts: biking

1817 The year that Karl Drais invented the Lauf- maschine – the bicycle – in Karlsruhe 400 kilometres / 250 miles The length of Freiburg’s ­ cycle paths; the city has twice as many bikes as cars

1 96 kilometres / 120 miles The length of the Danube Cycle Path between the ­river’s source and Ulm 76 MTB trails in the Stuttgart Region alone, covering 100 kilometres / 60 miles

300 There are more than 300 e-bike / pedelec rental outlets in SouthWest Germany 2008 Cross-country cyclist 1 Sabine Spitz took Olympic gold for SouthWest Germany STROMBERG-MURRTAL

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Stromberg-Murrtal bike logo signposts the way Bike Path through the valleys of the Pfinz, Enz, Neckar and Murr Rivers. Distance: 152 km Stop to taste wine in ­villages, such as Schützingen and Gündelbach. In Marbach, visit poet ­Friedrich Running east-west between Schiller’s birthplace. Tour Stein- ­Karlsruhe and Gaildorf, the Strom- heim’s Museum of­ ­Prehistoric berg-Murrtal Bike Path combines Man. And in Knitt­lingen’s muse- scenery, nature parks, history, um, learn how the real Dr Faust wine – and two UNESCO World became a legend. Heritage sites. The Limes watch- towers marked the frontier of Highlights the Roman Empire; Maulbronn’s The Limes Roman Museum l Maulbronn 800-year-old monastery is the Monastery l Marbach l Knittlingen birthplace of Maultaschen, Swa- bia’s national dish. The purple www.stromberg-murrtal-radweg.de

Karlsruhe medium

152 km / 100 miles Gaildorf

435 m / 1,425 ft 3–4 days DANUBE VALLEY

Danube Cycle Path plus Beuron Monastery and Marchtal Abbey. A good excuse Distance: 196 km for ­rehydrating is Ehingen, the Beer Culture City, whose five brew­eries produce 53 different From Donaueschingen to Ulm, the beers. At the end of the journey, Danube Cycle Path covers 196 the medieval city of Ulm has kilometres / 120 miles and takes an ­astonishing cathedral with in spectacular scenery. It starts the world’s tallest spire: near the source of the River 161.5 metres / 530 feet high! ­Danube, deep in the Black Forest. It continues along the southern Highlights edge of the limestone Swabian Danube Sinkhole l Sigmaringen Castle l Alb, through a steep gorge. On Beuron Monastery l Ulm Minster top of the cliffs are impressive castles, such as Wildenstein (a www.deutsche-donau.com/ youth hostel) and Sigmaringen, danube-cycle-path

Donaueschingen easy

196 km / 120 miles Ulm

764 m / 2,500 ft 3–4 days

6 BADEN VINEYARDS

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The Baden Wine and, ­further north, Gengenbach, Cycle Path Bruchsal, ­Heidelberg and Wein- heim. ­Follow the bright red Distance: 460 km ­Badischer Weinrad­weg ‘bike and grapes’ signs. Along the way are comfortable hotels, B&Bs, bike New in 2020, the Baden Wine shops and e-bike charging stations ­Cycle Path runs from the Swiss – all part of the bett+bike network ­border north to the old town (www.bettundbike.de/en/). of Laudenbach. Its 460 kilometres / The route has some serious climbs, 285 miles pass through seven so e-bikes are a great choice! of Baden’s nine winegrowing ar- eas. Along the way are 300 wine- Highlights growers, co-ops and even 40 Kaiserstuhl vineyards l Freiburg l schnapps distilleries! Highlights Bruchsal l Heidelberg l Weinheim include the Tuniberg and Kaiser- stuhl vineyards near Freiburg www.badischer-weinradweg.info

Grenzach-Wyhlen / Swiss border medium

460 km / 285 miles Laudenbach

392 m / 1,300 ft 7–10 days HEAD FOR THE HILLS

Mountain biking

Mountain biking is a lifestyle in (Four Cross Trail) in Wolfach has SouthWest Germany! The Black jumps, bridges, curves and more. Forest alone boasts an astonish- Long distance enthusiasts take ing 8,500 kilometres / 5,300 miles on the Black Forest Bike Cross- of marked trails. Here, the Kin- ing’s 440 kilometres / 275 miles zigtal region’s 30 paths include from Pforzheim to Bad Säckingen. the challenging 35-kilometre / In the Swabian Alb, the official 20-mile circuit round Brandenkopf trail covers 370 kilometres / 230 Mountain. Popular bike parks miles, but some mountain bikers ­include Todtnau, with its roller- go off-piste on what is known coaster of a track. For cross- as the Spätzle Cross! country, the Four-Cross-Strecke

On SouthWest Germany’s trails, it is important to stop and enjoy the views CYCLE TOURING

Bett + Bike

The Bett+Bike organisation, for rent, charging stations, ­lug‑ ­approved by the German Cyclists’ gage transfers, navigation systems Association, offers bike-friendly for rent, free Wi-Fi and packed accommodation from hotels and lunches. The website’s easy-to-use B&Bs to campsites. All hosts map helps plot accommodation have safe places to lock up bikes to suit budgets and interests. and drying rooms. They take E-bikes / pedelecs with battery- single-night bookings, provide powered motors abound, so many healthy breakfasts, tourist infor- pubs and cafés have charging mation and repair kits. And stations. they must offer at least three more services, such as bikes or e-bikes www.bettundbike.de/en Key to symbols

Level of difficulty Start ( = easy, = medium, = difficult)

Total length of the tour Finish

Highest point Recommended days of travel

Distances are in kilometres; 8 km is about 5 miles

Publishing details

Publisher Photo credits Tourismus Marketing GmbH Cover: TMBW / Christoph Düpper; Visuals: TMBW / Baden-Württemberg Christoph Düpper; Welcome: TMBW / Gregor Lengler Esslinger Straße 8, 70182 Stuttgart p. 1 f. l. t. r.: TMBW / Gregor Lengler; TMBW / Christoph Düpper; TMBW / Christoph Düpper Concept and coordination p. 2 f. l. t. r.: Schwäbische Alb Tourismus / Thomas Rat- TMBW, JUNG:Kommunikation GmbH hay; TMBW / Gregor Lengler; Marketing & Tourismus Konstanz GmbH / Ulrike Klumpp und Thorsten Günthert; Design Schwarzwald Tourismus / Chris Keller; TMBW / Christoph JUNG:Kommunikation GmbH Düpper; TMBW / Achim Mende; TMBW / Gregor Leng- ler; TMBW / Christoph Düpper; TMBW / Christoph Düp- Partner per; Ulm Neu-Ulm Touristik GmbH / burkert ideenreich; TMBW / Christoph Düpper; TMBW / Gregor Lengler; TMBW / Christoph Düpper

Print C. Maurer GmbH & Co. KG Geislingen an der Steige

Published in 2020 All information subject to change without prior notice. www.tourism-bw.com

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