Neckartal-Radweg | Etappe Lauffen - Gundelsheim

"discover.experience.enjoy" applies to this stage in particular: in the middle of the southern wine region, past castles, half-timbered towns & the city of Heilbronn.

In the middle of the southern wine region of Baden-Württemberg, the stage in HeilbronnerLand takes you past impressive steep slopes along the Neckar to castles and palaces with some superlatives:

• Bad Wimpfen, the largest imperial palace north of the Alps
• Heilbronn, the oldest wine town
• Gundelsheim with Horneck Castle, the second largest of the Neckar castles after Heidelberg

The Stuttgart-Heilbronn and Heilbronn-Mannheim railroad lines that run alongside the cycle route offer numerous opportunities to shorten the route or return to the starting point in comfort.

The stage starts at the train station in the Hölderlin town of Lauffen a. N., where a visit to the Hölderlinhaus is well worthwhile. Heading south, the Lamparter Park directly on the Neckar is a great place to end the day.

In Heilbronn, you can visit the magnificent town hall, market square and Kilianskirche church as well as the experimenta, southern Germany's largest science center. A break should be planned on the "Neckarmeile" (Neckar Mile) with various catering options right by the water. Those who prefer an outdoor picnic will find inviting seating in the Neckaruferpark on the site of the former 2019 Federal Garden Show.

In Neckarsulm, the German Bicycle and NSU Museum brings the history of bicycles and motorcycles to life. In Bad Friedrichshall, you can delve into the depths of salt mining. At a depth of 180 meters, an exhibition in the visitor salt mine vividly shows how salt shapes our everyday lives.

In the former Kaiserpfalz Bad Wimpfen, it is worth visiting the historic old town with its pretty half-timbered houses as well as the "Bad Wimpfen im Tal" monastery with the Ritterstiftskirche church.

On arrival in the historic alleyways of the Teutonic town of Gundelsheim, you will have crossed HeilbronnerLand from south to north. Horneck Castle is home to the Transylvanian Museum.

• Following stage downstream with train station:
  Gundelsheim - Eberbach, approx. 35 km
• Following stage upstream with train station:
  Lauffen - Marbach am Neckar, approx. 35 km