Trail Name: Radwege durch Weinland Baden: Kaiserstuhl Alternative (Bike Trails through Baden Wine-land: Kaiserstuhl Alternative [Route])

Trail Type: Mid-distance trail; almost exclusively paved, (two short sections, less than a half mile total, were hard-pack surfaces), well maintained, but no consistently specific markings for the route itself.

Length: total: 49 kilometers/30 miles

Convenient to: Freiburg, Germany

Marking: No trail marking specific to this trail, and it is at times on other named trails (like the Rheintal Radweg (with a green sign and white lettering) from Malterdingen to Koenigschaffhausen)

Trail Description: This trail winds, mostly on paved paths closed to cars, through the heart of the Kaiserstuhl wine district, over hills and across little valleys, through vineyards and the villages beneath them, to the edge of the Black Forest hills south of Freiburg.

Trailhead:

Official: Schulstrasse, Malterdingen

Mine: Gewerbestrasse, Malterdingen (more convenient to train station and long-term parking)

Parking Possibilities:

Malterdingen: Riegelerstrasse, a large lot directly by the train tracks (A good alternate start point as well)

Riegel: Am Gemeindegarten, a large lot by the river

Ihringen: Tunibergstrasse/K4930, large parking lot opposite the outdoor swimming pool

Schallstadt: Ebringerstrasse, medium-sized parking lot east of the train tracks

Public Transportation Options:

Bus and Rail: Convenient regional trains connect the northern end of this trail, Riegel-Malterdingen, through Freiburg, to Schallstadt at the southern end of the trail. Local regional buses cover the other towns on this route. Two websites to check: the Regio Verkehrsverbund Freiburg (RVF) website, and the Suedbadenbus (run by Deutsche Bahn) website, for their extensive schedules.

Suggested Stages: Not Applicable

Trail Itinerary-Reference Points:

Malterdingen: Gartenstr-Nelkenweg-Riegelerstr-Gewerbestr-Elzstr-Bahnhofstrasse; Over the River; Riegel/Kaiserstuhl: Hauptstr-Kehnerstr-Hauptstr; Trail roughly parallels Endingerstr/K5145 on trails through fields; Endingen/Kaiserstuhl: Lichteneckstr, Riegelerstr-Hauptstr, Forchheimerstr-Hennengaertle; Koenigschaffhausen: Sportplatz (sportfield)-Koenigsweg, Gruemmetmatten, past cemetery, Sasbacherweg, Weiherweg; Kiechlinsbergen: Koenigschaffhauserstr, Bischoffingerweg; vineyards; Bischoffingen: Brunngasse, Kaiserstuhlstr; Vogtsburg/Kaiserstuhl/Oberrotweil: Bruckmuehlenstr, Herrenstr, am Badenberg-Im Ried, Prof.-Erik-Wolf-Weg; vineyards; Bickensohl: Neunlindenstr-Ackkarrerstr; vineyards; Ihringen: Achkarrenstr, Backerstr/L114-Eisenbahnstr/L134-Tunibergstr/K4930, past outdoor swimming pool; Merdingen: Breisacherweg, past cemetery, Kirchstr-Breige, countryside; circle to Opfingen: Duerleberg, Freiburgerstr; along the Muehlbach creek; circle east of Tiengen, through fields, under A5; Schallstadt: Winzerstr, path north along creek; Wolfenweiler: Zum Lausbuehl, Unter der Kirch, Kirchstr, Ebringerstr; Ebringen: Schoenbergstr.

Representative Trail Photo:

 

Restrooms:

Endingen:

In Cemetery on Kenzingerstrasse

Near Museum, on Rempartstrasse

Attractions on or near Trail:

Riegel: Archeological Museum, with some significant local Roman finds

Vogtsburg-Achkarren: a mile off the trail, but houses displays of the history and practice of wine-growing in this district

Ihringen: Heimatmuseum, heavy on viticulture and viniculture, as well as displays on other agricultural endeavors and life in this area.

Famous vineyards include: Kiechlinsbergen’s Teufelsberg, Bischoffingen’s Rosenkranz, Bickensohl’s Herrenstuck and Ihringen’s Fohrenberg

Breisach: a town off the trail by several miles, but certainly worth a visit for its history, old, lower town, river walk, and fabulous views

Tasting along the Trail:

Several small vintners, and many wine bars or cafes with good local wine selections are along the way. But right on the trail are:

Endingen: Weinkeller Rosswog

Bischoffingen: Winzergenossenschaft Bischoffingen

Bickensohl: Winzergenossenschaft Bickensohl

Ihringen: Kaiserstuehler Winzergenossenschaft Ihringen

Schallstadt: Winzergenossenschaft Wolfenweiler

Alternative Options:

Walking: Weinwanderweg Kaiserstuhl, a 64 kilometer path, also starting in Malterdingen, but ending in Freiburg, covers much the same territory.

Running: This entire trail may be run.

Biking: “Radwege durch das Weinland Baden” (off which this post’s trail circles) for a 237 km long trip through Baden’s Markgraeflerland, Breisgau, and Ortenau wine regions.

Car: The self-guided Badische Weinstrasse has a section through the Kaiserstuhl wine district.

Additional Information:

Regional: http://www.naturgarten-kaiserstuhl.de/en-gb

Trail (segment) specific: http://www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/Media/Touren/Radwege-durch-das-Weinland-Baden-Alternative-Kaiserstuhl

Comments:

Beautiful scenery, excellent surfaces for non-mountain-bike cycling, and several hills, make this the most challenging wine-themed trail I have followed thus far, yet also one of the most rewarding.

There is very little shade along this trail.