Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg: Where is it most beautiful – Swabian Alb or Black Forest? Or at Lake Constance after all? The best Baden-Wurttemberg sights, highlights& Tips for worthwhile excursions and destinations.
Nature lovers, hiking enthusiasts, shopping queens (and kings), wellness devotees, city trip fans, wine lovers, forest bathers or outdoor adventurers – there’s something for everyone here. Vacation in Baden-Wuerttemberg, that is something like the egg-laying wool sow.
All you have to do is decide which region best suits your vacation wishes. In this article you will find my tips for some of the most beautiful Baden-Wurttemberg destinations.
Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg – my 3 highlights
#1 Hiking: my favorite tours in Landle
Black Forest, Lake Constance, but also Schonbuch and the less known Heckengau – hiking in Baden-Wuerttemberg is fun almost everywhere. But my absolute favorites are the Swabian Alb and hikes in the vineyards. The Wurttemberg Wine Trail runs right through the city, so you can combine hiking wonderfully with a nice weekend trip to Stuttgart. In the Swabian Alb I especially love the many premium hiking trails. These are perfectly signposted, so you can simply start walking without a map and enjoy the scenery.
#2 Wine: Excursions to the most beautiful wine-growing towns between the Neckar, Enz and Rhine rivers
Where can you find vineyards in the middle of the city?? In Stuttgart! Indulgence is never far away here. But also in the surrounding area the Stuttgart region shines with real gems: picturesque wine villages like Besigheim, Bonnigheim, Vaihingen an der Enz or Marbach am Neckar are perfect destinations for excursions from Stuttgart.
At least as beautiful: the picturesque Baden winegrowing villages between Markgraflerland and Kaiserstuhl to Ortenau and Kraichgau in the north. Perfect for a road trip on the Baden Wine Route or a bike ride on the new Baden Wine Cycle Route.
#3 Cities: enjoyable time out in the city center
Baden-Wurttemberg’s cities like Tubingen, Konstanz, Baden-Baden, Karlsruhe, Heilbronn or Freiburg are charming alternatives to outdoor activities – one more beautiful than the other. Size is not everything after all.
Whereby, with Stuttgart we have here in the south also a real big city. And it is just perfect for a time out over the weekend. Get Stuttgart’s sights, insider tips, program suggestions and everything else you need to know in my free Stuttgart city guide.
Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg: Swabian Alb
Why the Swabian Alb is worth
When I moved to the region almost ten years ago, the Swabian Alb was only a vague term to me – and still a real insider tip that locals preferred to keep to themselves. Understandable.
The breathtakingly beautiful landscape makes outdoor fans’ hearts beat faster: Juniper heaths, scattered fruit meadows, mountain cones, caves, waterfalls and forests make every tour a pleasure. Especially at the Albtrauf often with grandiose distant view, not seldom on imposing castles. Here hiking dreams come true.
Sure, it can be a bit crowded at some vantage points on weekends, but as soon as you move on, you have nature to yourself again when hiking. The Swabian Alb stretches between Stuttgart and Lake Constance.
Excursion destinations Swabian Alb
Some of the most beautiful excursion destinations in the Swabian Alb, where I always like to go: Grobes Lautertal with Wimsener Cave, fairy-tale Lichtenstein Castle with the nearby Nebelhohle, Blautopf in Blaubeuren, Hohenzollern Castle and the wildly romantic Urach Waterfall.
Hiking Swabian Alb
When hiking in the Swabian Alb, I especially like the typical ups and downs of the low mountain range and the amazing views along the Alb ridge. A little bit of fitness is not bad, but most of the tours are easily manageable even for occasional hikers.
The premium hiking trails are especially beautiful, here are a few of my favorite tours:
- Hike from Raichberg to Hohenzollern Castle: sensational view from the Zeller Horn and lots of variety along the way
- Dreifurstensteig: first crisply up to the Dreifurstenstein with super views from the Albtrauf and later colorful orchards
- Lichtenstein Castle and Nebelhohle cave: fairy-tale photo motifs plus colorful nature mix of forest and meadows
My Swabian Alb gourmet tip: Alb lentils and albsamico.
Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg: Lake Constance
Why Lake Constance is worth a visit
Hach, the Swabian sea! Especially in the Mediterranean flair around Constance I always feel a bit like at the Mediterranean Sea. Ships in the harbor, plantains on the promenade, palm trees on the Mainau, picturesque Meersburg and the surrounding vineyards … it feels like a vacation in the south. It is – in Germany.
And if that’s not enough: Lake Constance is bordered by three more countries.
Destinations Constance Lake Constance
Around Lake Constance, there are several places of interest: There is of course Constance itself, Meersburg, but also Lindau with its unique harbor entrance.
By boat, you can easily combine several destinations into a mini-cruise or a day trip, for example from Constance to Bregenz. From Friedrichshafen you can take the ferry to Romanshorn, from there it is worth a trip to the nearby St. Gallen.
My Lake Constance tips:
My Lake Constance tip: Bodenseefelchen and the wines from Lake Constance.
Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg: Black Forest
Why the Black Forest is worth a visit
The Black Forest is probably the most famous of the Baden-Wurttemberg destinations. Dense, deep green forests, gorges, lakes and idyllic villages are ideal for all those who like to spend their vacations individually – outdoor enthusiasts as well as bon vivants. Even Bollenhut and cuckoo clock are (again) mega in.
Excursion destinations Black Forest
From the Black Forest in the south around the Feldberg to the northern Black Forest near Calw, the possibilities are immense – from trekking camps to wine caching. I therefore recommend here just a few of my personal highlights.
Hiking and enjoyment go particularly well together in the Black Forest, the Black Forest connoisseur trails or also the Baiersbronn hiking heaven combine the most beautiful places in nature with delicious breaks.
With the birds at eye level, you can walk along the tree-top trail on the Sommerberg in Bad Wildbad; next door, the new suspension bridge awaits those with a head for heights, as well as a forest bathing room. For blueberry season, you should bring a basket, there are masses of the delicious fruit to pick here in the northern Black Forest.
Here are a few more tours I like to recommend:
My Black Forest tips:
- Forest bathing in the Black Forest
- Hornisgrinde and Mummelsee
My Black Forest pleasure tip: Black Forest cherry cake.
Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg: Heilbronner Land
Why the Heilbronner Land is worthwhile
A stone’s throw from Stuttgart and therefore great excursion destinations are the places around Heilbronn. I also really like the city itself, especially since the redesign on the occasion of the Garden Show 2019 with exciting architecture and green oases in the middle of the center.
Excursion destinations Heilbronner Land
In spring and autumn it is really fun to hike or bike through the hilly vineyards. Eight out of ten Wurttemberg wines grow here. The 470-kilometer Wurttemberg Wine Trail also runs through the region. On many weekends, wine bars in the vineyards or wine taverns invite you to taste the good wines.
My Heilbronner Land Tips:
My tip for enjoyment in the Heilbronner Land: the local wines, especially the Lemberger.
Excursion destinations Baden-Wurttemberg: Stuttgart region – Sights& Insider tips
Stuttgart is modern, cosmopolitan – and quite attractive as a city break destination. Ideal for a short vacation over the weekend and perfect as a starting point for excursions in Baden-Wurttemberg.
Stuttgart’s charm is the mix. The variety. Whether you are a shopping queen, a wine lover or a nature lover – the Swabian metropolis has something up its sleeve for everyone.
In my City Guide Stuttgart you will not only find a lot of sights and insider tips, but also a program proposal for a perfect weekend in Stuttgart to print out.
My Stuttgart tips:
- Stuttgart old town: stroll from Schlossplatz to the bean district
- Enjoy the view from Stuttgart’s television tower
- visit the Porsche Museum or the Mercedes Benz Museum
- ride the zigzag
- Hiking on the Blaustrumpfler trail
- wine tasting in the wine museum Uhlbach
- Shopping in the market hall and picnicking on the Karlshohe