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On the road between Mannheim and Heilbronn
21 castles - 184 kilometers
Starting in Mannheim, the tour leads via Schwetzingen and Heidelberg through the castle-lined Neckar Valley to Heilbronn. It leaves the river valley briefly for a detour to Mosbach and a loop over Sinsheim.
This is what awaits you on this route:
- Neckartal
- Vineyards
- historic towns
Look forward to:
The baroque castle in Mannheim is not only the impressive prelude to the journey on the Castle Road, but also the starting point for the first tour along the well-known vacation route. With its display facade of over 400 meters in length, the complex is one of the largest castles in Europe. A few kilometers away, the palace gardens and Schwetzingen Palace welcome visitors with a triad of beauty, harmony and lightness. The next stop is Heidelberg with its world-famous castle, which for generations has been the romantic reason for guests from all over the world to visit the city on the Neckar River.
The Burgenstraße turns here into the Neckar Valley and now largely follows the meanders of the river. The scenery changes and defiant knight’s castles high above the valley dominate the picture. They lie close together on the way to the imperial palace in Bad Wimpfen and do justice to the name “Castle Road”. Prime examples are Hornberg Castle, for 45 years the residence of the “knight with the iron hand” Goetz von Berlichingen, and Guttenberg Castle with its castle museum and German Griffin Watch. Both have been owned by the Barons of Gemmingen for centuries and offer an ideal combination of castle romance, fantastic views and warm hospitality.
At Neckarelz the route briefly leaves the Neckar valley and after a few kilometers reaches Mosbach. There, in the medieval streets of the old town, guests can expect to see the town hall with its imposing tower and a veritable parade of half-timbered houses.
Back in the Neckar Valley, more and more vineyards line the Burgenstrasse. Gundelsheim, which is overlooked by the imposing Deutschordensschloss Horneck, is also known as a wine village with the promising “Himmelreich” site. At the height of the town, the route crosses the Neckar River and describes a loop over Sinsheim, where Steinsberg Castle delights with its all-round distant view. In addition, the city scores with attractions such as the Technik Museum, the Badewelt and the Klima Arena adventure center.
From Sinsheim it is not far to Bad Wimpfen. In the Staufer city, known for the unique silhouette of its imperial palace high above the river, the Castle Road reaches the Neckar valley again. Along the river it goes to Heilbronn and thus to the destination of this tour.
Look forward to:
The baroque castle in Mannheim is not only the impressive prelude to the journey on the Castle Road, but also the starting point for the first tour along the well-known vacation route. With its display facade of over 400 meters in length, the complex is one of the largest castles in Europe. A few kilometers away, the palace gardens and Schwetzingen Palace welcome visitors with a triad of beauty, harmony and lightness. The next stop is Heidelberg with its world-famous castle, which for generations has been the romantic reason for guests from all over the world to visit the city on the Neckar River.
The Burgenstraße turns here into the Neckar Valley and now largely follows the meanders of the river. The scenery changes and defiant knight's castles high above the valley dominate the picture. They lie close together on the way to the imperial palace in Bad Wimpfen and do justice to the name "Castle Road". Prime examples are Hornberg Castle, for 45 years the residence of the "knight with the iron hand" Goetz von Berlichingen, and Guttenberg Castle with its castle museum and German Griffin Watch. Both have been owned by the Barons of Gemmingen for centuries and offer an ideal combination of castle romance, fantastic views and warm hospitality.
At Neckarelz the route briefly leaves the Neckar valley and after a few kilometers reaches Mosbach. There, in the medieval streets of the old town, guests can expect to see the town hall with its imposing tower and a veritable parade of half-timbered houses.
Back in the Neckar Valley, more and more vineyards line the Burgenstrasse. Gundelsheim, which is overlooked by the imposing Deutschordensschloss Horneck, is also known as a wine village with the promising "Himmelreich" site. At the height of the town, the route crosses the Neckar River and describes a loop over Sinsheim, where Steinsberg Castle delights with its all-round distant view. In addition, the city scores with attractions such as the Technik Museum, the Badewelt and the Klima Arena adventure center.
From Sinsheim it is not far to Bad Wimpfen. In the Staufer city, known for the unique silhouette of its imperial palace high above the river, the Castle Road reaches the Neckar valley again. Along the river it goes to Heilbronn and thus to the destination of this tour.
Places
Along the Burgenstraße there are RV parks of various equipment – from simple pitches to RV parks. The location also varies. Places directly at the river can be found as well as places in the old town or at the spa park:
Mannheim-Neuostheim RV Park | Schwetzingen RV Park | Heidelberg RV Park | “in der Au” Eberbach RV Park | “Neckarlauer” Eberbach RV Park | Eberbach Camping Park | Odenwald River Camp | “Wasemweg” Mosbach RV Park | Sinsheim RV Park | “Am Salinenpark” Bad Rappenau RV Park | Bad Wimpfen RV Park | “Wertwiesenpark” Heilbronn RV Park
Sinsheim
Motorhome park Sinsheim
Worth seeing
On Tour 1 along the Castle Road, a total of 21 castles and palaces line the route.
the route. We briefly introduce some of them here:
Schwetzingen Palace and Palace Garden
Behind the castle stretches the magnificent castle garden. In the extensive park are fascinating buildings such as the mosque, the
Bathhouse and various temples to see.
Heidelberg Castle
In the world-famous complex, not only the different palaces are worth seeing, but also the gardens. The castle can be reached by mountain railroad from Kornmarkt.
Guttenberg Castle
The castle from the Staufer period has remained undestroyed to this day. Attractions are the castle museum, the German Greifenwarte and the castle tavern.
Steinsberg castle
The castle is situated in the best panoramic location in the Sinsheim district of Weiler. The octagonal keep can be climbed, at its feet lies the
Castle tavern.
Baroque castle Mannheim
In the central building of the extensive complex, the lavishly restored state rooms of the Beletage are worth seeing, including the magnificent
Knights Hall. They are equipped with over 800 original pieces.
Imperial Palace Bad Wimpfen
The imperial palace dominates incomparable silhouette of the place. The Blue Tower and the Red Tower are to be climbed. The picturesque old town is
just a few steps away.
Biking
The “Castle Road” cycle path accompanies the vacation route along its entire length from Mannheim to Bayreuth.
The first stage starts in the Rhine valley and leads from Heidelberg mainly through the Neckar valley. Until Heilbronn, the bike path leaves the river valley only for a detour to Mosbach and a bend over Sinsheim. Only on the loop through the Kraichgau there are bigger climbs, otherwise the tour is easy to manage.
The trails are mostly developed bike paths and asphalt farm roads. They are only interrupted by short gravel and road sections.
Cycle Route “Castle Road” – Stage 1
Mannheim ➝ Heilbronn | Length: 191 km | Duration: 13.5 hours
Other routes of the Castle Road
Route 2
On the road between Heilbronn and Rothenburg o.d. Tauber
Route 3
On the road between Rothenburg o.d. Tauber and Nuremberg
Route 4
On the road between Nuremberg and Bamberg
Route 5
On the road between Bamberg and Bayreuth
Picture gallery
At a glance
Starting point | Destination:
Mannheim ➝ Heilbronn
LENGTH:
184 km
Contact details
Die Burgenstraße e.V.
Allee 12
74072 Heilbronn
Tel.: +49 (0) 7131 9735010
Geographical features
Baden Württemberg
Germany