Trail Name: Vom Rhein Zum Wein
Trail Type: Middle distance bicycle trail; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and well-marked.
Length: total: 31 kilometers/19.25 miles
Convenient to: Speyer, Germany;
Marking: Profiles of Speyer cathedral and two cyclists in white, on a green rectangular background
Trail Description:
This is an easy, family-friendly route, mostly on dedicated bike path, with a minimum of inclines or declines along it. The route covers a nice variety of landscapes, from gentle slopes to plains, along streams, and through vineyards and forests, several villages and a city that is famed for its cathedral, museums and historical sites, as well as its position on the Rhine.
Trailheads:
Hainfeld: Weinstrasse x Am Schlossberg
Speyer: Maximilianstr x Domplatz
Parking Possibilities:
Speyer: Geibstr x Klipfelsau, a very large parking lot (“Festplatz”)
Hainfeld: Off Im Pflaumen, a large parking lot
Public Transportation Options:
Rail: Deutsche Bahn services Speyer frequently; and a northbound-southbound regional train services Edesheim (the nearest station to Hainfeld) from Karlsruhe to Neustadt an der Weinstrasse to Wissembourg (France).
Suggested Stages: Not applicable
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Reversed)
Hainfeld: Weinstrasse x Am Schlossberg, Im Pflaumen; trail along the Modenbach (creek); Edesheim: Ludwigstr, Speyererstr-Jahnstr; over A65 on trail paralleling the Modenbach; past cemetery on Grossfischlingen outskirts, trail; Freimersheim: Hauptstr-Rathausstr; Boebingen: Hauptstr-Spessgasse, trail; Gommersheim: outskirts, Roederstr; trail through woods: Freisbach: Waldstr-Hauptstr, trail through woods; Harthausen: Freisbacher Weg-Hanhoferstr; trail through fields: Dudenhofen: Harthauserstr, Carl-Zimmermann Strasse, trail through fields: Speyer: Nikolaus von Weis Strasse, Muehlturmstr-Maximilianstr, (from the old city gate to Domplatz, and the cathedral at the end of the street (a pedestrian zone)).
Representative Trail Photos:
Restrooms:
Speyer: Near the north and south sides of the cathedral, at the edge of the church grounds.
Attractions on or near Trail:
Speyer: Many museums, to include the State Historical Museum with its collections pertaining to viniculture and viticulture in the area; the Cathedral, with its crypt containing the remains of several early Holy Roman Emperors, Technical Museum with IMAX theater; Sealife (aquarium); Jewish quarter, with a unique mikveh, or ritual bath, and remains of one of the oldest synagogues in Germany; and a well-maintained section of the old city with its buildings representing various architectural eras.
Tasting along the Trail:
Hainfeld, Edesheim and Freimersheim all have wineries. In addition, Speyer has several wine bars.
Alternative Options:
Running: This entire trail is suitable for running.
Additional Information:
Regional:
http://www.suedpfalz-tourismus.de/startseite.html?no_cache=1
http://www.speyer.de/sv_speyer/en/Tourism/Tourist%20attractions/
Trail (segment) specific: http://www.suedpfalz-tourismus.de/radeln-wandern/radfahren/radwege/vom-rhein-zum-wein.html
Comments:
The “hill” profile is virtually identical, whether you start or end in Speyer.