Bad Dürkheim - Traces of the Celts & Romans

At Bad Dürkheim station, cross over the forecourt (the Wurstmarkt fountain here is worth seeing), cross the traffic light and immediately turn left, along Mannheimer Straße to Römerplatz, cross it and continue to Stadtplatz. From here follow the marking Pfälzer Weinsteig (red-white with a white grape). Continue straight ahead until the path turns right into Gartenstraße. The marking leads out of the city area. The historic houses on Gerberstraße are worth seeing, a short stop is worthwhile here. Continue through an underpass (Kaiserslauterer Straße). From Vigilienstraße it goes uphill into the Palatinate Forest. The first viewpoint is Schäferwarte, a small pavilion built in 1930 by the Drachenfelsclub. We continue to follow the Pfälzer Weinsteig marking to Krimhildenstuhl. This is the best-preserved Roman quarry north of the Alps, which was in operation around 200 BC. Various inscriptions and rock carvings, made by the Roman legionaries of the 22nd Legion, are fascinating. Following the Weinsteig marking, go to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Höhe lookout tower (nice view of the Limburg monastery ruins). Along the “Heidenmauer,” a Celtic ring wall built around 500 BC, we continue. The next highlight of the tour is the Teufelsstein. The sandstone boulder was a Celtic sacrificial site. It now goes slightly downhill to the “Schlagbaum.” From here, follow circular route 11 towards the Weilach ruins. Pass these to the Palatinate Forest hut “An der Weilach,” which offers a rustic weekend inn with Palatinate home cooking. We follow circular route 3 to Forsthaus Weilach. On the right is a parking lot, turn into this and from here continue following the red bar marking. Under chestnut trees it now goes always south towards Bad Dürkheim. We come out of the Palatinate Forest and reach the street “Heckenpfad.” Follow it until it leads into Leistadter Straße. Until Kaiserslauterer Straße. Here, we can already see the Dürkheimer Riesenfass, which is open for a visit almost daily. Continue on Weinstraße Nord, through the spa park, up the stairs to the Upper Spa Park, further to Ludwigskirche and Ludwigsplatz. From here you can either walk back downtown via the pedestrian zone or follow Kurgartenstraße and cross the street to Bad Dürkheim station via the already known traffic light. 

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Sturdy footwear is recommended

Wurstmarkt parking lot free parking

The tour is recommended in every season.  However, the Palatinate autumn with its colorful foliage and the chestnuts, which can be found especially in the northeastern section of the tour, is a very special experience.