Etappe 4: Heilbronn - Marbach a. N. | Württemberger Weinradweg

The "Poets' Stage" on the Württemberg Wine Cycle Route: from the "Käthchenstadt" town of Heilbronn via Brackenheim with politician and literary figure Theodor Heuss, to Hölderlin in Lauffen am Neckar and Schiller's birthplace Marbach.

From the wine town of Heilbronn, the 4th stage leads into the Leintal valley and the vineyards of Germany's largest red wine landscape.

The loop through the Zabergäu will be a new part of the Württemberger Weinradweg from 2022 and is expected to be signposted throughout from spring 2023. The signposting currently still runs through the Neckar Valley.

A lively up and down through the vineyards in the Stromberg-Heuchelberg Nature Park. New vantage points reward you again and again for the meters in altitude on this section. This is the home of the Lemberger - also known as Blaufränkisch - the German red wine variety with a southern flair. Lemberger loves a mild climate, making this section ideal for cycling excursions early in the year.

Those who prefer to "stay by the river" and save on elevation gain can take a shortcut from Heilbronn via the Neckar Valley cycle path directly to Talheim.

In the wine-growing town of Lauffen am Neckar, you can discover one of the largest steep vineyard areas in Württemberg alongside Hölderlin. Here, the Wine Cycle Route changes sides of the Neckar and follows the small river Schozach into the Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park.

The municipalities of Talheim and Flein are known for their Rieslings, which even the Queen of England enjoyed tasting.From north to south, the wine cycle route now follows the foothills of the Swabian-Franconian Forest Nature Park. At Beilstein, it leads from the Schozach into the Bottwartal. The wine cycle path is accompanied on both sides by a gently undulating wine landscape.

For a view over the magnificent wine landscape and the rest of the route, a visit to Hohenbeilstein Castle is a good idea. From the castle wall, the view extends far over the Bottwartal valley and into the Neckar valley. In the castle or in the beer garden in the castle courtyard, a Schmeck-den-Süden-Wirt and Haus der Baden-Württemberger Weine invites you to linger.

The fourth stage ends in Marbach, Schiller's birthplace.