German Holidays - The Pfalz Wine-Growing Region

This week’s German Holidays destination is the Pfalz wine-growing region in the far west of Germany. It also happens to be where we live. We have taken short breaks here as well as plenty of day trips.

The area is a holiday paradise with forests, castles, hiking paths, mountain biking trails and vineyards everywhere. Add to that the lakes to swim in in Summer, having France just across the border and one of Europes main rivers, the Rhein, flowing through it all and you can’t reallz ask for much more from a holiday destination.

With festivals held throughout the year, there is no bad time to visit. From the almond blossom festivals in Spring, the chestnut blossom festival in Rhodt Unter Rietberg in May, Edenkoben’s edible chestnut market in October to the countless wine festivals in September and October where the wine prince and princess are celebrated in each village, there is always something going on round here.

Hiking through the vineyards is a real highlight. There are plenty of walkways of varying steepness, but there is something for everyone, even when you have small children and a buggy with you. Along the way there are small restaurants offering warm meals with local specialities like meat dumplings with horseradish sauce, liver sausage, bratwust in a roll, sweet bread dumplings with wine sauce (a must-try! Look for Dampfnudel on the menu).

Alternatively, bring a picnic in a rucksack, buy a bottle of local wine and stop to enjoy the beautiful view out over the vines and the surrounding countryside.

Open air pools, or Freibad as they are called in German, are open all summer and the entrance feels are very reasonable. Prices are around €5 for a day ticket for an adult. WE usually go to the open air pools in Herxheim, Kandel and Woerth am Rhein, where as well as pools, wave pool and slides, there are also playgrounds, kiosks and changing rooms with lockers.

Swimming lakes, where the water quality is controlled, can be found near many towns and villages. There are usually picnic areas and there is sometimes a kiosk selling chips, ice-cream and drinks too.

16072010 Baggersee Neuburg 1 — The swimming lake (Baggersee) at Neuburg in the Pfalz

A short spin from the Pfalz area will take you to the French border and into Alsace, where the wine growing area continues. Strasbourg is worth taking a day trip to to visit the cathedral and take a boat tour of the city.

Fly to:

Frankfurt am Main

Frankfurt Hahn

Baden Baden

Visit:

Castles – Hambacher Schloss, Burg Trifels, Burg Landek, Burg Berwartstein

Vineyards – hike or bike your way around the local vineyeards

[Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and photos here are my own. All links shared are simply to help you plan your trip. I was not asked to promote any of these links or tourist sights.]