Heidelberg Day Trips
 

Hello, Heading to Heidelberg mid-May and would like to get suggestions on day trips. Have been to Rothenberg en de taub and am interested in possibly wine tasting and river cruises. Are there any weinfests in the area at this time. Thanks in advance for any ideas. Lisa

Hi Lisa,

I have a friend who goes to uni in Heidelberg but lives in this really adorable town called Michelstadt. Have you been? It's got a lovely old center with a cool Schloss (you might be able to tour it in May; it was closed for the winter when I was there).

My favorite thing we did was going to Burg Hornburg in Neckarzimmern (I think). They also, bonus for you, have vineyards there and make their own wine. Which you can taste/buy of course. If I am reading this map right, it's on the B 27 near Gundelsheim.

Don't know if that would qualify as a day trip but I had lots of fun.

You can do a tramway (or streetcar) trip from Heidelberg via Mannheim and Ludwigshafen to Bad Dürkheim,
using the lines of RNV (Rhein-Neckar-Verbund)

You use the streetcar line of the former OEG (Oberrheinische Eisenbahn Gesellschaft, connecting Heidelberg via Edingen with Mannheim) to get from Heidelberg Bismarckplatz, right in the center, to Mannheim Paradeplatz, right in the center.

- If you want to, you can do a walk from Paradeplatz on the Planken, the main business road to Wasserturm (water tower) a park with fountains an a Art Nouveau architectural endemble around it.

You continue your travel with the former line of RHB (Rhein-Haardt-Bahn) from Mannheim - Paradeplatz via Ludwigshafen to Bad Dürkheim. There you are right in the Palatinate, where Pfalzwein comes from.

From the RNV website
http://www.rnv-online.de/rnvGips/Gip...ionMandant=RNV

OEG: RNV Linie 5
Heidelberg - Bismarckplatz to Mannheim - Paradeplatz - 45 min.
RHB: RNV Linie 14
Mannheim - Paradeplatz to Bad Dürkheim - Bahnhof - 55 min.

You can also get to Bad Wimpfen easily by train. Take about an hour on the direct (no changes) trains (a few direct trains take less than an hour, a few take a little more). About 20€ round trip fare. Bad Wimpfen is a very pretty town and worth exploring, but it's not specifically known for wines or wine festivals. However, you can search on the town's web site for wine-related events, etc.
http://www.badwimpfen.de/showpage.php?lang=2

in addition, epalitt, you can go just by train from Heidelberg Hbf. to Neustadt / Weinstrasse.

here: http://www.neustadt.pfalz.com/tks/we...mmel-engl.html

When you are there, visit Hambacher Schloss, as the Hambacher Fest was in 1832 a manifestation of German democrats.

For your vocabulary, as thy grow wine at the Palatinate:

Weinstube - inn serving wine
Weingut - vintner´s
Winzergenossenschaft - vintner´s cooperative