Trail Name: Fassbodentour 5 (“Cask-Land” tour 5)
Trail Type: Short distance bicycle circuit; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, but the route itself is not always marked.
Length: Total: 32 kilometers/20 miles
Convenient to: Landau, Germany
Marking: Square form with a green background and white designs of a cask and bicycle, displaying a “5”
Trail Description: Starting in a town, this circuit trail connects several well-known, charming wine villages on the southern part of the German Wine Route. In between, the route passes through fields and vineyards, laid out on gently rolling slopes at the foot of the Haardt Mountains. Opportunities to visit wineries and wine bars abound on this relatively short and easy route.
Trailhead: Edenkoben, Bahnhofstrasse
Parking Possibilities:
Edenkoben: Im Letten Parking Lot (town center); Villastrasse (western end), a large parking lot (favored by hikers and cyclists), and a small lot
Hainfeld: Off Im Pflaumen, a large parking lot
Public Transportation Options:
Bus: VRN Palatina Bus Lines 500 and 501 connect Edenkoben with most of the villages on this route, as well as the small city of Landau.
Rail: Rail to Edenkoben and Edesheim but not to other towns or villages on this route
Suggested Stages: Not applicable
Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Counterclockwise)
Edenkoben: Poststr-Klosterstr-Woogweg-Unter dem Kloster (bike path), Villastr; Rhodt u. Riet: Theresienstr-Weinstr; Hainfeld: Friedhofstr, Karl-Stein-Strasse-Gartenstr; Burrweiler: Geisbergstr, Hauptstr-Weinstr; Via bike path to Gleisweiler: Weinstr; Via bike path to Boechingen: Frankweilerstr-Hauptstr-Prinz-Eugen-Strasse; Via bike path past Flemlingen to Roschbach: Boechingerstr-Hainfelderstr; Via bike path to Edesheim: Ludwigstr, Eisenbahnstr; Via bike path (over A65) to Grossfischlingen: Unterstr-L542; Via bike path (back over A65) to Edenkoben: Bluecherstr-Edesheimerstr-Bahnhofstr
Representative Trail Photo:
Restrooms:
Edenkoben: Im Letten Parking lot
Rhodt u. Riet: Off Herrengasse
Attractions on or near Trail:
Edenkoben:
Villa Lugwigshoehe: Guided tours through this summer residence built by the Kings of Bavaria
Rietburgbahn: Chairlift to the Rietburg castle ruin, atop a mountain overlooking Edenkoben
Museum: Museum dedicated to the history of wine-making in this area
Tasting along the Trail: Family-run wineries abound in all the villages, and offer great opportunities to buy and taste their wines.
Alternative Options:
Hiking: Deutsche Weinstrasse Wanderweg, the 13.5 kilometer segment between Sankt Martin and Albersweiler.
Biking: Fassboden 6, also beginning in Edenkoben is shorter (18 kilometers/12 miles)
Car: The Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Route) is a car route through this area, extending north and south of this area as well.
Additional Information:
Regional: http://www.garten-eden-pfalz.de/home/ (Only in German)
Trail (segment) specific: http://www.bergfex.de/sommer/rheinland-pfalz/touren/radfahren/47443,fassbodentour-5/ (Only in German, but has a map and GPX coordinates.)
Comments:
The official trail and some GPX coordinates can vary a bit on this route. When in doubt, follow the GPX coordinates or be sure to have a good map, as the trail signs can be missing in a couple of key places.