Vom Rhein Zum Wein: Trail in a Nutshell

Trail Name: Vom Rhein Zum Wein

Trail Type: Middle distance bicycle trail; almost exclusively paved, well maintained, and well-marked.

Length: total: 31 kilometers/19.25 miles

Convenient to: Speyer, Germany;

Marking: Profiles of Speyer cathedral and two cyclists in white, on a green rectangular background

Rhein Zum Wein Signage
Rhein Zum Wein Signage

Trail Description:

This is an easy, family-friendly route, mostly on dedicated bike path, with a minimum of inclines or declines along it. The route covers a nice variety of landscapes, from gentle slopes to plains, along streams, and through vineyards and forests, several villages and a city that is famed for its cathedral, museums and historical sites, as well as its position on the Rhine.

Trailheads:

Hainfeld: Weinstrasse x Am Schlossberg

Speyer: Maximilianstr x Domplatz

Parking Possibilities:

Speyer: Geibstr x Klipfelsau, a very large parking lot (“Festplatz”)

Hainfeld: Off Im Pflaumen, a large parking lot

Public Transportation Options:

Rail: Deutsche Bahn services Speyer frequently; and a northbound-southbound regional train services Edesheim (the nearest station to Hainfeld) from Karlsruhe to Neustadt an der Weinstrasse to Wissembourg (France).

Suggested Stages: Not applicable

Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Reversed)

Hainfeld: Weinstrasse x Am Schlossberg, Im Pflaumen; trail along the Modenbach (creek); Edesheim: Ludwigstr, Speyererstr-Jahnstr; over A65 on trail paralleling the Modenbach; past cemetery on Grossfischlingen outskirts, trail; Freimersheim: Hauptstr-Rathausstr; Boebingen: Hauptstr-Spessgasse, trail; Gommersheim: outskirts, Roederstr; trail through woods: Freisbach: Waldstr-Hauptstr, trail through woods; Harthausen: Freisbacher Weg-Hanhoferstr; trail through fields: Dudenhofen: Harthauserstr, Carl-Zimmermann Strasse, trail through fields: Speyer: Nikolaus von Weis Strasse, Muehlturmstr-Maximilianstr, (from the old city gate to Domplatz, and the cathedral at the end of the street (a pedestrian zone)).

Representative Trail Photos:

Trail through Fields
Trail through Fields
Trail through the Woods
Trail through the Woods

 

Restrooms:

Speyer: Near the north and south sides of the cathedral, at the edge of the church grounds.

Attractions on or near Trail:

Speyer: Many museums, to include the State Historical Museum with its collections pertaining to viniculture and viticulture in the area; the Cathedral, with its crypt containing the remains of several early Holy Roman Emperors, Technical Museum with IMAX theater; Sealife (aquarium); Jewish quarter, with a unique mikveh, or ritual bath, and remains of one of the oldest synagogues in Germany; and a well-maintained section of the old city with its buildings representing various architectural eras.

Tasting along the Trail:

Hainfeld, Edesheim and Freimersheim all have wineries. In addition, Speyer has several wine bars.

Alternative Options:

Running: This entire trail is suitable for running.

Additional Information:

Regional:

http://www.suedpfalz-tourismus.de/startseite.html?no_cache=1

http://www.speyer.de/sv_speyer/en/Tourism/Tourist%20attractions/

Trail (segment) specific: http://www.suedpfalz-tourismus.de/radeln-wandern/radfahren/radwege/vom-rhein-zum-wein.html

Comments:

The “hill” profile is virtually identical, whether you start or end in Speyer.