About the Palatinate Wine Trail

The Pfälzer Weinsteig has an official total length of 185 kilometres, which can be walked in eleven daily stages. Opened in 2010, the long-distance hiking trail is the longest of the three certified hiking trails in the Palatinate Forest, ahead of the Palatinate Forest Trail and the Palatinate High Trail. The trail is marked with a red and white wave and runs in a north-south direction from Bockenheim near Grünstadt to Schweigen-Rechtenbach on the German-French border. It alternates repeatedly between the Palatinate wine-growing region on the German Wine Route and the heights of the Palatinate Forest. In total, there are about 6,000 metres of altitude difference to be climbed along the entire route. Highlights of the tour include the Kalmit, the Weinbiet, Bad Dürkheim, Annweiler with its Trifels group of castles, the Peace Monument and many small winegrowing villages along the way.

We were on the Palatinate Forest Trail in mid-March 2021 and decided to reduce the number of stages to seven, resulting in a daily stage length of about 25 kilometres. Due to the Covid-19 situation in 2021, all accommodation was closed and the nights were still too cool for bivouacking. So we were on the road with two vehicles and always parked one vehicle at the end point in the morning and drove to the starting point with the second vehicle. We spent the night in the vehicle, some of which had very nice places to stay overnight. Have we aroused your interest? Then come with us on our journey along the Palatinate Forest Trail!

Day 7 - From Klingenmünster to Schweigen

Now it was time to tackle the last few kilometres of the Pfälzer Weinsteig. We had grown to love the trail. The constant ups and downs between valley and mountain, with great views. The variety between the Palatinate Forest and the vineyards. The little villages and huts that (could!) invite you to stop for a bite to eat. A short summary later, but first today's tour description.

Vineyards again at last

We started the day back at our now favourite place to spend the night at Landeck Castle. Early in the morning, the sun rising over the castle woke us up and shone through the windows of the car. The fresh March air woke us up quickly. While making coffee in the morning, the squirrel nursery group competed with each other and the woodpeckers hammered from all corners of the forest. This is how the last day can start!

We left Landeck Castle in the direction of the valley to finally reach the vineyards again after a long passage through the forest. We made our way through blossoming almond trees to Gleiszellen, a quaint winegrowing village right on the edge of the Palatinate Forest. We didn't meet a soul, apart from the postman with his yellow e-mobile. There must be people living here after all and we briefly imagined what it would look like here at a wine festival in summer. Hustle and bustle, happy and boisterous people. Well, right place, wrong time.

Gleiszellen and the Sleeping Beauty of the Palatinate

From Gleiszellen, we climbed back into the forest and made our way through the Wasgau in relative peace and quiet. From the heights, we could already see Bad Bergzabern approaching, our next destination. However, the town centre tends to be ignored by the Palatinate Wine Trail, so we only walked briefly through the spa gardens. Signposts showed us the way to a small wine bar right next to the spa gardens. And sure enough, the outdoor café was open again. So we treated ourselves to an ice-cold Coke and a nice chat with the owner.

Strengthened, we continued on to Dörrenbach. The little village surprises in many ways. It is nicknamed the "Sleeping Beauty of the Palatinate" and even has its own representative, namely Sleeping Beauty Celine the First. Before her current career (or office), she was one of the seven Dörrenbach dwarves (source: doerrenbach.de). (Note: the author tries to write the rest of the text with a certain amount of irritation). Worth mentioning in Dörrenbach is the historic Renaissance-style town hall dating from 1590 and its fortified church. The half-timbered town hall is one of the most beautiful buildings in the Palatinate. All of the woodwork, especially the door stems, is decorated with ornamental carvings. Above the doorway is the inscription: PAX INTRANTIBUS ("Peace to those who enter here") with the date 1590. The fortified church of St. Martin, which was once part of a village fortification, is surrounded by high walls and defence towers that were used for defensive purposes. Together with the defence cemetery, the church is the only one of its kind in the Palatinate.

From Dörrenbach to the destination of the Palatinate Wine Trail

We now left Dörrenbach and climbed steadily uphill again to reach the Stäffelsberg tower. It lies at 480 metres, is 24 metres high and 120 steps lead up a spiral staircase to the viewing platform. One of the most impressive views of the Weinsteig can be enjoyed from here. You can see the Palatinate Forest and the Rhine plain as far as the Odenwald and Black Forest. We then visited the ruins of Guttenberg Castle. Only small parts of the castle have been preserved and hardly restored, but this is precisely what makes it so charming. Of course, you also have a great view of the surrounding area from here, and we were finally getting closer to our destination of Schweigen-Rechtenbach with the German Wine Gate. The village was already looming on the horizon, but first we had to pause briefly at the small wine gate. In a kind of grapevine avenue, the vines form a trellis and guide the hiker past the villages on the German Wine Route. Each village has its own vine with a small village sign above it. A nice idea and so we felt a little nostalgic. Just a few minutes later, we reached the German Wine Gate in the centre of the village and so the Palatinate Wine Trail ended for us at this point.

Conclusion on the Palatinate Wine Trail

A really beautiful climb with challenging stages. Basically, we are glad to have hiked the trail in the off-season, as you have the sights and huts more to yourself. Of course, it was a shame that all catering was closed due to the Covid-19 situation. We would have loved to stop off at one or other of the wine taverns, huts, pubs or restaurants to enjoy some delicious Palatinate wine and tarte flambée. So we simply catered for ourselves on the way. As already mentioned, the trail is well marked - it is almost impossible to get lost. Many information boards along the way informed us about the many sights and the end in Schweigen-Rechtenbach with the small and large wine gate was impressive. At the beginning of the tour, in Bockenheim, there is still room for improvement. We will definitely come back to the Wine Route, but when everything is open again.

Bye bye Weinsteig!

Watch the video of the seventh day on the Palatinate Wine Trail here

The tour on Komoot