Trail Name:  Weinerlebnisweg (Metzingen und Neuhausen)

Trail Type: Two short distance circuits conjoined by a third circuit between them; well-maintained and almost exclusively paved, a form of marking/signage is along parts of the trail

Length: 8.3 km/5 miles

Convenient to: Tuebingen or Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany

Marking:

Alternate red and green squares (often on tall posts) mark learning points along the trail, although these do not necessarily point the way to the next point.

 

Trail Description: A relatively easy itinerary up and down hills and dales, with learning boards, rest stops and scenic lookouts along the way, through agricultural and woodland settings, above a moderately urbanized area.

Trailheads:

Kelternstrasse, Neuhausen (for the Metzingen-Neuhausen circuit)

Am Gruenen Haeusle, Metzingen (for the Metzingen circuit)

Parking:

Kelternstrasse, Metzingen-Neuhausen (for the Metzingen-Neuhausen circuit)

Elsa-Braendstroem-Strasse (30), Metzingen (for the Metzingen circuit)

(Both are right on the trail)

Public Transportation Options:

Rail: DB ‘s (Deutsche Bahn) regional trains conveniently connect Metzingen with Tuebingen and Stuttgart

Suggested Stages:

Hikers can choose to complete one circuit, (such as the Neuhausen circuit for approximately 3.25 kilometers/2 miles), then return another day to complete the Metzingen circuit, which is just a bit shorter.

Trail Itinerary-Reference Points: (Counterclockwise)

Metzingen-Neuhausen: End of Kelternstrasse, follow the uphill path into the vineyards, take the path to the right, and follow along the vines (you will see education boards along the way), turn left, uphill, to a rest hut with a hammock, and follow back along the hillside, climb up to the Hofbuehl sign, follow a yellow circle over a foot bridge to the Hofbuehlbrunnen (a fountain), to Steinerweg; Metzingen: Through vineyards, to the parking spots on Elsa-Braendstroem-Strasse, turn left, downhill and curve around left to follow along the lower vineyards above Metzingen, back onto Steinerweg, and downhill, curving southeast to the start point in Metzingen-Neuhausen

Representative Trail Photos:

 

 

 

Restrooms: None observed!

Attractions on or near Trail:

Metzingen: On Kelternplatz there is a collection of half-timbered buildings formerly housing old wine presses, a museum dedicated to wine-making in the area, a Winemakers House, and a vinothek and wine bar.

Tasting along the Trail:

The local cooperative WGS (Winzergenossenschaft) Metzingen-Neuhausen is on Kelternplatz, Metzingen

The Wengerterhaeusle (“Winemakers House” listed above) offers regular public wine tasting events. Check the events schedule (“Veranstaltungen”) at https://weinbaumuseum-metzingen.de/

Alternative Options:

Biking: The 353 kilometers/219 miles-long Wuerttemberger Weinradweg passes through Metzingen. The southern portion often follows along the Neckar River, one of Germany’s wine rivers, before heading east and north at Heilbronn. See the Nutshell here.

Additional Information:

Regional: https://www.schwaebischealb.de/

Trail specific: https://www.metzingen.de/willkommen

Comments:

The connecting circuit between the two wine circuits adds a total of about 2 kilometers to whichever circuit is hiked.