German Wine Route and Palatinate Forest

For Liselotte, the sister-in-law of the French Sun King, the Palatinate was even the “promised land”. The Bavarian King Ludwig I described the region as “the most beautiful square mile of his kingdom”. He often spent time here, had the Villa Ludwigshöhe near Edenkoben built and explored the country.

The Palatinate is truly unique - we can say that without exaggeration. Where else can you find the largest forest area, the second largest wine-growing area, one of the largest fruit-growing areas and the largest vegetable garden in Germany and four different vacation regions in an area measuring around 100 x 80 kilometres? 

On the German Wine Route, which was opened in 1935 and is therefore the oldest wine tourism route in Germany, fresh greenery and pale pink almond blossoms can already be seen, while elsewhere winter is still lingering. This pleasant climate ensures that even the fall remains mild here for a long time. On average, the sun shines for almost 2,000 hours a year along the 85-kilometre-long German Wine Route. It is therefore not surprising that kiwis, figs and lemons also thrive here.

Have a look at the highlights of the German Wine Route, from Leiningerland in the north to the Wine Route Gate in Schweigen-Rechtenbach on the French border. 

The Palatinate Forest with its premium hiking trails and natural monuments along the Wine Route is also easily accessible from Speyer. 

Our forest is the largest contiguous forest area in Germany and is part of the first cross-border biosphere reserve in Europe.
The Palatinate Forest is considered a low mountain range, with the highest elevation being the Kalmit near Neustadt an der Weinstraße at 672 metres. But you don't need high peaks to play in the big leagues - the mountain hut culture in the Palatinate Forest can easily compete with that of the Alps. Dozens of places to stop for refreshments line the hiking trails through the dense greenery and ensure that no one goes home hungry or thirsty.

The Palatinate Forest is ideal for hiking. From long-distance hiking trails such as the Palatinate Forest Trail or the Wine Trail to a large selection of premium circular hiking trails and locally signposted forest walks, there is something for every type of hiker. A dense network of hiking parking lots criss-crosses the entire region and ensures optimal connections to the Wine Route.

Of course, we have also thought about cyclists. The Palatinate Forest Mountain Bike Park (website German only) offers a network of around 900 kms of routes on 21 circular tours of varying degrees of difficulty.

But there are also more leisurely routes through the forest. The “Kuckucksbähnel” museum train (website German only) starts in Neustadt or Lambrecht and leisurely jerks along under steam towards Elmstein.

Along the route and especially at the edge of the forest are witnesses to earlier times - castles or their ruins - which are also typical of the once so embattled Palatinate. These include the most famous medieval prison - Trifels Castle near Annweiler, where Richard the Lionheart was held hostage - or Wachtenburg Castle near Wachenheim, which offers such an impressive view of the Rhine plain from its location on the edge of the Haard.

If you add the bizarre sandstone rock formations that can be marveled at, especially in the Southwest Palatinate, the complete darkness at night in the places selected for the “Palatinate Forest Star Park” project and the biodiversity that has been further strengthened in recent years by the reintroduction of the lynx - the Palatinate Forest is nothing less than a natural wonder that needs to be experienced, but also protected. We invite you to do one thing and observe the other.