Bergstraße: Wine, Hiking Trails and World Heritage

At Bergstraße, hiking, wine and cultural sites come together to offer a range of options for planning your trip. The selection ranges from a themed trail with a clearly specified route to longer hiking trails. In Lorsch and Heppenheim, UNESCO heritage and historic buildings also shape the itinerary.

Hiking and cycling: a short route or a long-distance trail

The “Wine & Stone” adventure trail in Heppenheim is about 6.9 kilometers long and has around 70 information stations. This makes its route length easy to grasp. For longer hikes, the Burgensteig Bergstraße is on a different scale: it is 120 kilometers long and divided into nine stages. The Nibelungensteig runs from Zwingenberg via the Felsenmeer and Grasellenbach, continuing through the Odenwald to Freudenberg am Main. The sequence of towns shows its route across several stops, while the length and number of stages are specified for the Burgensteig.

Cyclists will also find a signposted selection: the Bergstraße-Odenwald Geo-Nature Park has more than 30 signposted mountain-biking loops in an interconnected trail system. For guided outings, the Bergstraße-Odenwald network arranges hikes and cycling tours. Rangers from the Geo-Nature Park can be booked as tour guides. In Lautertal, the Felsenmeer Information Center offers Felsenmeer rallies; Felsenmeer guides can also be booked on site. Check current booking options if you are planning a guided tour.

Wine and regional specialties

In Bergstraße District, gentle vineyards meet the Odenwald. Riesling is a typical white grape variety in the region’s wine profile, while Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) dominates among red wines. Visitors can sample Roter Riesling and other Bergstraße specialties directly from producers, in wine taverns or at wine festivals. The annual autumn hike on Heppenheim’s “Wine & Stone” adventure trail combines hiking with wine and food: it takes place on October 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with five stations in the vineyards along the route inviting visitors to enjoy refreshments. Check the latest event details before your trip.

World Heritage and history in Lorsch and Heppenheim

Lorsch Abbey is home to one of the best-preserved Carolingian buildings north of the Alps and was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. Public guided tours are offered for groups of two or more; check current dates in advance. At the Lauresham open-air laboratory, families can explore the site on their own with an Explorer Kit. It contains activities, puzzles and experiments. Please observe the applicable opening hours when planning your visit.

Above Heppenheim, Starkenburg Castle stands on the 295-meter-high Schlossberg; from there, visitors can enjoy views of the Rhine plain and the Odenwald. The castle was built in 1065 to protect Lorsch Abbey. This combines views of the landscape with a historical connection to the abbey. The Fürstenlager State Park offers a different kind of green setting: the park covers about 46 hectares and includes exotic trees and plants.

Planning your stay

You can reach Lorsch by public transport or by car. Check current connections and timetables before planning your stages. The Tourist Information Office in Lorsch’s Old Town Hall provides advice on leisure activities. This lets you plan your choice of hikes, cultural sites and wine experiences according to your own interests, without trying to squeeze every destination into the same day’s itinerary.

Discover more destinations

Lindenfels, Wald-Michelbach, Viernheim, Lampertheim, Heppenheim, Bürstadt, Bensheim, Grasellenbach, Abtsteinach, Rimbach, Hirschhorn am Neckar, Mörlenbach, Lautertal, Lorsch, Biblis, Groß-Rohrheim, Einhausen, Zwingenberg, Birkenau, Fürth, Gorxheimertal, Neckarsteinach

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