Wine hike trip 1 May to Bergstrasse

Let‘s combine sightseeing, hiking and some winetasting on this trip on the public holiday

The vineries of Bergstrasse organise this wine hiking event each year. We will hike along the vineyards of the mountain range, with sights and nice views on the way, and drink/eat at the several vine stalls along the route. This is a popular event, so don’t expect to be alone up in the hills.

We meet at 9:55am at the beginning of platform 10 to take RB67/68 direction Heidelberg/Mannheim. It departs 10:06, we board the train a few mins before departure. We’ll be towards the front. If you need a group ticket, please arrive on time so we can sort it ahead of departure. We exit the train in Bensheim-Auerbach, scheduled arrival 10:54. You can meet us there if you arrive by bike or public transport from other directions.

The event organisers carry out bag checks, own alcoholic drinks are not allowed on the hiking route. The entrance to the festival is free, but to taste wines you’ll have to buy an event glass, the 0.1l one is 5€ including a holder to wear around your neck. It cannot be returned, while larger glasses can. Snacks are also sold. Please bring cash, card payment will largely not be possible at the stalls. If it’s sunny also bring water (allowed), hiking up the hills in the sun can be dehydrating, plus the wine will have an impact. At which stalls you taste some wine is entirely up to you, no peer pressure whatsoever.

Itinerary :
First we hike up into the hills to the great Fürstenlager park and palace. Then we continue to the first wine tasting venue. We continue to the centre of Bensheim where we do a bit of sightseeing and have lunch/snacks.

In the afternoon we continue towards Heppenheim, a longer stretch of hiking, with several wine stops on the way. There is the option to hike up to the Starkenburg, or just walk down to Heppenheim centre from where we take the train back. The total hiking distance will be around 12 km plus any possible detours. We cover 4 of the 6 official wine tasting stalls, and there will be several unofficial ones on the way, too. But you can also cut it short eg by coming back to Bensheim in the afternoon.

Suggested return connection: RE68 at 18:01 from Heppenheim, arriving in Frankfurt at 18:47. there are two trains per hour. Participants with their own ticket are free to take any earlier/later connection.