Plan a trip to The Wine Route

 You will explore scenic landscapes with charming villages, ancient castles, majestic hills, blue lakes and wander through luscious vineyards. Following the wine route gives you the opportunity to relax as well as explore and to experience the world and culture of wine. So follow the trail and enjoy, savor and learn all about the different wines in Germany.

The Drive-Yourself Wine-Route 
The German wine route spans around 85 km in the state of Rhineland-Pfalz and we suggest to start the tour in the southern part in the picturesque town of Wissembourg, which is very close to the French Alsace border.

Wissembourg is an amazingly picturesque city and if you remember their history, as a result of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870, France was obliged to cede Alsace and Lorraine to the new German Empire. This was the battle when the Germans captured Napoleon III, Emperor of France and nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte.
When you complete a tour of the center of Wissembourg, cross the border to Germany to the north and you’ll be at the beginning of the wine route that passes via charming villages, many with wineries, some new and others that are a few hundred years old and yet still produce excellent grapes.

A short drive south, along route 38, brings you to the town of Schweigen Rechtenbach, the popular route since 1936.  You should park near the “German Wine Gate” (Deutsches Weintor) which is a landmark of the area. It was built in the neo-classical style from lumber and the outer part is made of the pink sandstone which you will see on some of the buildings including the Trifels Castle. Enter on foot to follow the Weinlehrpfad tour which takes about an hour and a half. There is a map at the beginning of the circular trail with 9 stations (information boards) describing what is to be seen as you follow the route.
Continuing North stop at Bad Bergzabern, which has buildings (half timber) from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and of particular interest is one that has survived from 1579 and is considered the most beautiful Renaissance building in the whole area. Louis XIV, in the Franco-Dutch War destroyed most of Bad Bergzabern but miraculously one building that was at that time the duke’s administrative office survived and today is the guesthouse “Gasthaus zum Engel” on Konigstrasse St.

Continuing north on Route 65, passing Landau towards the town of Neustadt an der Weinstrasse (which literally means “new town on the wine route”) you should stop to climb up to the top of Hambach Castle for a spectacular view and a tour of the local heritage museum. An interesting display includes the black-red-gold German flag which was first raised at the Hambacher Fest of 1832. The then ruined castle was the focal point of the discontent of the people over the repressive measures of the Bavarian administration which had been in office over the past 30 years. Ever since then, Hambach Castle has been considered a symbol of democracy since the Hambacher Fest.
Continuing north, stop at the village that some people call “The gem of the Wine Route”- Forst an Weinstrasse. Continue from there a few kilometers on route 65 and stop in the spa town of Bad Durkheim. This town, in 1689, was almost completely destroyed by the French but in 1700 reconstruction started and the town was eventually restored. 
The vineyards are known mainly for the Riesling wine. However, tourists stop here mainly because the town is famous for having the largest beer barrel in the world named “The Giant Cask or Barrel”, Dürkheimer Riesenfass. In 1958 a “tub” (Butt) was built to hold about 100 guests at a time, but the original bar is only accessible by prior arrangement during the Wurstmarkt Fest (going back to the 12th Century). So if you are planning to be in the area during the 2nd or 3rd weekend of September check it out - the Bad Dürkheim Wine Fest “Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt”. It is known to be the largest wine festival in the world, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. 
Do stop at Limburg Abbey (or Monastary). It is well worth a visit. Originally a fortress built in the 9th century it was converted into a monastery in the mid-16th century.

And as you come to the end of the tour you can get your “Kodak Moment” from the Villa Rustica Weilberg.
From here we would recommend Speyer City.

A bit of Trivia, perhaps TMI, but do you know when did Durkheim have its name changed to “Bad Durkheim” and why?   Well, in Germany in order for a town to carry the name “Bad” which means bath – the government must recognize its status as such. In 1904 Durkheim, which boats seven mineral springs, got its “Bad-afix” and changed its name to Bad Dürkheim.