Trail Name: Steigerwald Weinwanderweg
Trail Type: Long distance; almost exclusively paved or at least hard-packed surfaces, well maintained, fairly well marked.
Length: Total: 42.75 kilometers/ miles
Convenient to: Kitzingen, Bavaria, Germany
Marking: Green grapes on a white background, scored through by a wavy red line
Trail Description: A medium-difficulty hike through quiet and unspoiled countryside, with lots of vineyards, and some forested areas, beginning, passing through, and ending, in delightful villages and small (and sometimes walled) towns along the way.
Trailheads:
Prichsenstadt – Karlsplatz
Castell – Birklingerstr
Iphofen – Roedelseer Tor (Gate) and Pfarrgasse
Parking: (Castell to Iphofen only)
Prichsenstadt – Karlsplatz
Castell – Wuestenfelderstr, a Waldparkplatz
Iphofen – Schuetzenstr, a dozen or so parallel and pull in parking spots along the street
Public Transportation Options:
Bus: See VVM route 811 & Vehrkehrsverbund Grossraum Nuernburg) & Dorfschaetze Express (summer)
Rail: Iphofen, station with service from Kitzingen
Suggested Stages:
Prichsenstadt – Castell
Castell – Iphofen
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points:
Prichsenstadt: Karlsplatz, Schulinstr, cross B286, past ponds; Kirchschoenbach: Geesdorferstr, Ruedenerstr, past sport fields; Untersambach: Waldstr, Sambachstr, fields, woods; Cross A3; Abtswind: Past ponds, Rehweiler/Hauptstr, Roethleinsweg //Greuth: Vineyards, Abtswinderstr, cross Hauptstr, unnamed road into fields; Castell: Vineyards, Greutherstr-Birklingerstr/B286, vineyards; Wiesenbronn: Schillergasse-Hauptstr-Eichstr, Webergasse-Gartenweg, Loetschengasse, Koboldstr, woods; vineyards along treeline; cross 2420; Grosslangheim: 2272-Kleinlangheimerstr/Hauptstr, Roedelseerstr; cross 2420, K156; Roedelsee: Wiesenbronnerstr-Moenchshoflein-Schulstr-Kuchenmeisterstr, vineyards, treeline; Iphofen: Schwannbergweg, Roedelseerstr-(tower gate)-Pfarrgasse
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms: (Castell to Iphofen only)
Roedelsee – Schlossstrasse, opposite the church (a couple of blocks off the trail)
Iphofen: Birklinger Str, by the camper parking area
Attractions on or near Trail: (Castell to Iphofen only)
Castell: Museumsscheune, on Im Oberdorf, by the Town Hall (Rathaus) and Church, has displays on the story of wine in Castell
Iphofen: Bocksbeutel PS Art Project, a nice collection of (much) bigger than life Bocksbeutel (the traditional wine bottles of Franconia), cleverly painted and displayed in a small park between the town and vineyards.
Tasting along the Trail: (Castell to Iphofen only)
Several small wineries along or very close to the trail in Castell, Wiesenbronn, Roedelsee and Iphofen. Iphofen has a couple of wine bars as well.
Alternative Options:
Hiking: Casteler Weg, a short circuit trail in and around the village and castle of Castell. See the Nutshell here.
Additional Information:
Regional: https://www.kitzinger-land.de/
Trail (segment) specific:
https://www.wildganz.com/wanderweg/de-10178-weinwanderweg
Comments:
I only hiked the section from Castell to Iphofen, a great experience with the changes in landscape, charming villages, and a decent hill to ascend for amazing views of the Main River valley.
There now seems to be very little information online about this trail, which I completed five years ago. It might be being phased out, which would be a shame.