Copyright Baiersbronn Touristik
The Black Forest Panoramic Road offers Mesmerizing Views, a Gourmet Car Rally and a National Park
The Black Forest Panoramic Road is worth a visit for every nature lover. Located between the internationally renown spa town of Baden-Baden and the medieval Black Forest town of Freudenstadt, the Panoramic Road offers some of the best views in all of SouthWest Germany. With an altitude between 600 and 1,000 meters, the road crosses the Black Forest National Park and offers intermittent views of the Rhine Valley interspersed with clumps of deep, thick forest. At the Ruhestein Pass, it is highly recommended to make a delicious detour to the star-studded gourmet village of Baiersbronn where you can find gourmet meals in three Michelin restaurants as well as classic fare served up in creative ways with natural ingredients. From September 27 to September 30, the Baiersbronn Classic, an old timer classic car rally, will gear up for the fifth time with participants from all over Europe in some of the sleekest and fanciest vintage autos. Stops with gourmet food provide fuel to the fun and sustenance for the drivers roaring, twisting and turning along the beautiful Black Forest Panoramic Road.
>> Black Forest Panoramic Road
>> Baiersbronn Classic Car Rally
Copyright: Stadt Ehingen (Donau)
Off the Beaten Path in Swabia: An Unexplored Corner of Europe: Beer, Baroque, Caves and Castles
Unique beer, extraordinary baroque churches and glorious castles – it is a road trip for visitors who enjoy history, natural beauty, culture and good beer. Visitors and drivers start and end in the “beer culture” city of Ehingen (think 43 beers and four breweries), only one hour and twenty minutes from Stuttgart and smack dab in the middle of the UNESCO biosphere area, the Schwäbische Alb. The ride takes you through the villages of Münsingen und Buttenhausen and past the romantic ruins of four fortresses in the Lauter Valley. The road continues along to the now famous, Wimsener Caves and then to the splendor of the Zwiefalten Cathedral. From there, drivers will follow the tour to a former settlement of Celts (Heuneburg) and an open air museum and then to the extraordinary baroque abbey at Zwiefalten. It is a grand panoramic tour that gives drivers and their passengers a beautiful look at an ancient and not well known corner of Europe. The baroque churches, the castles and ancient heritage combined with the beautiful rolling hills and the merry hospitality of Ehingen create an unforgettable trip for history and culture buffs. All together the drives is about 70 miles from start to finish.
Copyright: SSG
Driving the Castle and Garden Routes of SouthWest Germany
Taking in the castles and gardens of Baden-Württemberg is going back in time to experience worlds of glorious art, architecture, collections of porcelain, tapestries, statuary and acres of elaborate gardens. The Staatliche Schlösser & Gärten (SSG), the state heritage preservation agency for the state of Baden-Württemberg, or SouthWest Germany, preserves, protects, develops and maintains 60 historic monuments, including famous places such as Heidelberg Palace in the north but also lesser known gems, such as Weikersheim Palace in the northeast, or the luxurious Salem Monastery and Palace on the Lake Constance in the south. As these beautiful castles and gardens span the state of SouthWest Germany in all directions, driving is one of the best ways to get to many of them in one week’s vacation. There are many routes that one can take from north to south, west to east and reverse. The Castle Road in the north has over 15 castles and palaces of the SSG and have survived the vicissitudes of history. They stand today as reminders of emperors, kings and princes, of poets and thinkers, robber knights and romantic tales of chivalry. Some provide a colorful backdrop for open-air theater and concerts, for medieval banquets and historical markets. Others are still lived in by the aristocratic descendants of their former owners or their respectable middle-class successors and are partially open to visitors.
>> Stately Castles and Gardens
>> The Castle Road
Copyright Stuttgart Flughafen
Stuttgart Airport is Central to all of SouthWest Germany: Gateway to Black Forest and More
Flying into Stuttgart Airport is so easy, so pleasant and low key that it becomes part of the vacation itself. Before you know it, you have landed and are driving to a great destination in the Black Forest, the Swabian Alb, or one of the charming university towns such as Freiburg, Tübingen or Heidelberg where students and medieval cities mesh in a wonderful mélange of old and new. Delta Air Lines provides direct flights from Atlanta to Stuttgart six days per week or visitors can fly direct to Frankfurt from many cities in the U.S. and get a connecting flight to Stuttgart. The airport’s personal VIP service offers pick-up service at the aircraft with a VIP limousine or an escort through air bridge, assistance with entry formalities, inclusive of porter service for up to four items of luggage, escort to the public sector of the terminal. All-inclusive price for two passengers: 130€, each additional passenger: 50€. Please book 48 hours in advance.
Copyright: Stuttgart Marketing
Driving the Württemberg Wine Route from Stuttgart to Heilbronn
Winding its way in and around the capital city of Stuttgart and the town of Heilbronn, the Württemberg wine route passes through hill and dale planted with vineyards and orchards. In contrast to most of the rest of Germany, the Württemberg wine region is known for red wines, including the little known Trollinger, Schwarzriesling (referred to also as Müllerrebe or Pinot Meunier), Lemberger along with a bit of Spätburgunder, Dornfelder and Portugieser. The wine is light and mostly fruity. Riesling is also an important variety in Württemberg, accounting for nearly a quarter of the vineyard area.. An unusual characteristic of the wine industry in SouthWest Germany is the number of co-ops. About three-quarters of the vineyards are tended by farmers or locals, and the same families have done so for over 100 years. The rest are private estates, often owned by members of the aristocratic Baden and Württemberg families. Another wonderful characteristic are the “Besens.” These are special seasonal wine pubs or taverns where visitors can drink the local wines from the fields and try homemade dishes. The name Besen actually means broom – and a broom at the door is a sign that the pub is open for business. As the crow flies, you can drive the countryside between Stuttgart and Heilbronn in one hour, but it is better to take your time and organize tours and winery visits and rent a wide selection of apartments and guest rooms.
