Trail Name: Deutsche Weinstrasse Wanderweg (Schweigen – Leinsweiler-Edenkoben-Neustadt/Weinstrasse segments)
Trail type: Long distance hiking trail; mostly hard-packed gravel or paved, well maintained and fairly well marked.
Length: total (of the Suedlich Weinstrasse half): circa 54 km/33 miles
Schweigen – Leinsweiler segment: circa 25 km/15 miles
Leinsweiler – Edenkoben segment: circa 18 km/11 miles
Edenkoben – Neustadt segment: 11 km/7 miles
Convenient to: Karlsruhe, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Marking: Green grapes on a white background; as either painted or on a printed label. If a label, the words, “Wanderweg Deutsche Weinstr” often appear. (If a bicycle is on the sign, be aware that you are on a section shared with the DWS bike trail, and will need to diverge from it at some point.)
Trail Description: This long distance trail covers 2 wine regions in the southern Rhine valley. passing through vineyards and charming villages, predominantly; Occasionally passing through forests just beyond the vineyards. It ascends and descends with regularity, sometimes steeply.
Trailhead(s):
Schweigen-Rechtenbach: Deutsche Weintor
Bad Bergzabern: Kneippstrasse or Kurpark
Leinsweiler: Trifelstrasse (Kneippbecken), or Kirchstrasse
Edenkoben: Rosengaertchen or Schloss Villa Ludwigshoehe
Neustadt: Hauptbahnhof (Main train station) or Strohmarkt
Parking Possibilities:
Schweigen: Main lot about 200 meters south of Weintor, right off main road, B38. Free and no time limits.
Bad Bergzabern: Large lot, off Kneippstr, at the end of the Kurpark. Other lots available, further from the trail.
Leinsweiler: Near the Kneippbecken (foot bath) on Trifelstrasse. Spaces for 4-6 cars, and adjacent street parking. Hauptstrasse, near the public park (Sonnenplaetzel). Both free and no time limits.
Neustadt: Parking lot at Festplatzstrasse/Wiesenstrasse, just over 1 km from Strohmarkt, but free and no time limits (except during festivals).
Public Transportation Options: Bus, rail
Buses
Deutsche Bahn bus (a railroad-run bus(es) connecting all the villages from Schweigen to Klingenmunster) is the best option this segment from Schweigen to Klingenmunster);
The Queichtal bus company services several little villages north of Klingenmunster. From south to north, these are: Eschbach, Leinsweiler, Ranschbach, Birkweiler and Siebeldingen. However, making connections can be very time consuming. Check the VRN website as well, at the link below.
Note: For most places south of Neustadt and north of Klingenmunster, bus and rail must be used in combination, with Landau as a hub. Consider parking in Landau, and railing out to Birkweiler/Siebeldingen, then back to Landau (by bus, or by train if from Edenkoben) from the day’s end point; or busing to or from Leinsweiler via Landau.
Note: to reach trail near Villa Lugwigshoehe from Edenkoben train station, use Palatina bus 500, (506 on weekends). However, since the villa experiences seasonal closures, the buses might also stop or reduce the schedule.
Rail: Use Deutsche Bahn (to travel to Bad Bergzabern or Neustadt from outside this segment)
Suggested Stages: (as alternates to those above)
Schweigen – Klingenmunster: Shorter, and more convenient if using public transportation
Edenkoben – Neustadt: For a shorter hike, and one of the prettiest sections of the trail, and convenient for public transportation.
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points:
Rechtenbach; Oberotterbach; Duerrenbach: Sportsfield-Hauptstr; Bad Bergzabern: Thermal Baths/Tourist Information Office-intersection Luitpoldstr and Bismarckstr/Altenbergweg; Villa Pistoria; Pleisweiler: Schlossstr; Gleiszellen-Gleishorbach: St Dionysius Kappelle; Klingenmunster: Steinstr-Weinstr-Alte Strasse, behind the Pfalz Klinik Landeck-Steinstr; Kaisersbach Muehle; under B48; Eschbach: L509-Gartenstr-Weinstr; Leinsweiler: Kneippbecken on Trifelsstr-Hauptstr-Kirchstr-Slevogthof; Birkweiler: Am Wald parking-Sportsfield; Siebeldingen: Ludwig Clormann Allee- Julius Kuhn Institute; Albersweiler: Large Wine Cask serving as a town welcome sign on L507; Hainbachtal/Gleisweiler: bridge over brook-Gasthof Zum Weinberg-Church; Annaberg: (Gutsrestaurant St A.) – Burrweiler outskirts: Weinlehrpfad and Burrweilermuhle; Weyher/Pfalz (town center) – Villa Ludwigshoehe; Ruine Kropsburg; Sankt Martin: Heimatsmuseum-Church-Jahnstrasse; Diedesfeld outskirts; Hambach/Neustadt: Schlossstr-Kirchbergweg-Roemerweg-Fruehlingstr-Waldstr; Neustadt an der Weinstrasse: Bahnhof (train station)-Strohmarket
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms:
Schweigen: Weintor, underground
Doerrenbach: on Brunnenstrasse
Bad Bergzabern: By the parking lot off Kneippstr; In Tourist Information Office/Suedpfalz Terme, Kurtalstr/Kurpark; and slightly off the path: On Marktstr, near the Marktplatz, and on Weinbergstr, at the parking lot (for campers and other RVs, which for overnight parking there is a very reasonable fee).
Neustadt: Tourist information office, Hetzelplatz
Attractions (along the trail):
Schweigen: Deutsche Weintor
Duerrenbach: St Martins Church: with 14th century frescos and architecture
Bad Bergzabern: Kurpark, with statuary and colorful flower gardens (in season); historic center with medieval, Renaissance and Baroque architectural styles on display, with quirky modern fountains.
Klingenmunster: Burg Landeck, for a snack and views and a chance to explore a castle ruin
Leinsweiler: Korkenziehen Museum, for a quirky collection of corkscrews
Edenkoben (outskirts): Villa Ludwigshoehe, a 19th Century Neo-classical summer palace for the reigning Bavarian Wittelsbach family; Rietburgsbahn, a chairlift to the top of the mountain from Villa Ludwigshoehe
Edenkoben: town museum to see interesting artefacts of wine production in the region dating to Roman times.
Sankt Martin: Church dating to Merovingian times
Neustadt: museums, interesting old alleyways, and a great wine festival in October.
Tasting along the Trail:
Schweigen: Deutsche Weintor
Bad Bergzabern: Weingut Hitziger
Klingenmunster: Weinstube Mathis
Leinsweiler: On Trifelsstr and Hauptstr several weinstube and weingut
Annaberg/Burrweiler: Gutschaenke Sankt Annagut
Gleisweiler: Weingut Argus (limited hours though)
Edenkoben: Weingut Teutsch: about a mile away from the trail, but very pleasant hosts and atmosphere.
Neustadt: many wine bars (Weinstube) in old historic center of town
Alternative options:
Walking: See stages suggestions above for less distance, or more convenience if using public transport.
Biking: Radweg Deutsche Weinstrasse, a route covering much the same territory, but along different paths for the most part.
Car: Deutsche Weinstrasse Car Route, an historic first: a car route passing through many wine-producing villages and towns.
Additional information:
Regional:
http://www.suedlicheweinstrasse.de/region/deutsche-weinstrasse.html
Trail (segment) specific:
http://www.bad-bergzaberner-land.de/
http://www.bad-bergzabern.de/tourismus.html
http://meine-deutsche-bahn.de/landau-pfalz/deutsche-bahn/507755-52/landeckstr-bus-543-westring
http://www.queichtal-nahverkehr.de/fahrplaene.php
http://www.rietburgbahn-edenkoben.de.
http://www.schloss-villa-ludwigshoehe.de/
Comments:
The total length of the Deutsche Weinstrasse Wanderweg (German Wine Route Hiking Trail) is approximately 96 km or 60 miles. This nutshell description covers about half of the trail, conveniently divided by the two wine districts of the Pfalz Wine Region: the Sudeliche Weinstrasse, and the Mittelhaardt. (The next post will cover the Mittelhaardt Wine District sections of the trail.)
Online many itineraries for this hiking trail exist. Pick one that suits your needs, but be aware that some villages might not offer as many transportation, lodging or eating options as some of the other municipalities.
Please note that my itinerary (starting south and heading north) reverses the online suggested route .
For variety, charm and moderate challenge, I enjoyed the circa 16 km/10 mile segment from Gleisweiler to Sankt Martin the most.
The segment from Schweigen to Bad Berzabern was also varied and charming, but even shorter, and serviced by a convenient bus connection between Schweigen, Rechtenbach, Oberotterbach Doerrenbach and Bad Bergzabern. For a great half-day outing, consider beginning in Bad Berzabern, hiking to Schweigen, and ending in the Weintor’s wine bar! (Then return to Bad Bergzabern via bus.)