Neckarsteig: Etappe Heidelberg - Neckargemünd

Hike from Heidelberg to Neckargemünd over around 13 km.

You can start or end the hike in the old town of Heidelberg, with the official starting and finishing point being the "Himmelsleiter" on Molkenkurweg above Heidelberg Castle.

The Himmelsleiter, approx. 1200 roughly hewn sandstone steps, connects the castle with the Königstuhl. If you want to avoid the climb, you can also take the mountain railroad to the Königstuhl and start the hike from there.

From the Königstuhl - at an altitude of 559 m - you can see across the Upper Rhine Graben to the Palatinate Forest in good weather.

The route between the Königstuhl and Neckargemünd leads up and down again and again. Forest roads and narrow paths characterize the composition of the trail.

About halfway along the route, the rest hut at Hohle Kästenbaum invites you to take a break. From the beautifully situated Gämsberg pavilion, you have a wonderful view of the Neckar loop all the way to the Dilsberg castle fortress.

The trail leads over the Neckarriedkopf with the refuge of the same name, from where you can look out over the Dilsberg . The Neckarriedkopfhütte has awoken from its slumber and is open at weekends and on public holidays.

A narrow path runs through the impressive nature reserve Felsenmeer with its typical red sandstone.

On the outskirts of Neckargemünd lies Castle Reichenstein, which was built in the 12th century. Only the remains of the walls of the castle, which was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century, can still be seen today. It is magically situated on a plateau from which you could once look down into three valleys.

The end point of the stage is the Altstadt S-Bahn station.