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Getting to Bensheim-Auerbach by public transport
- RB 67/68 from Frankfurt, Bensheim-Auerbach stop
- RB 68 from Heidelberg
Departure from Heppenheim
- RE 60 towards Frankfurt or Mannheim
- RB 67/68 towards Frankfurt
- RB 68 towards Heidelberg
(S) The third stage of the Burgensteig starts at the station forecourt in Bensheim-Auerbach. In front of the station building, turn left towards Otto-Beck-Straße and then immediately right, following Otto-Beck-Straße until you reach Darmstädter Straße.
Cross this road at the pedestrian crossing and turn right. At the next opportunity, turn left ("Neuer Weg", play street). Follow this road until you reach a T-junction opposite the Protestant community centre.
Turn left again ("Bachgasse") and cross the street. Walk towards a signpost. Turn right here onto Kirchweg. The paved path leads uphill in a left-hand bend.
In the following right-hand bend, a narrow path branches off to the left. Go down the steps here. At the bottom, cross a car park. In the rear right-hand corner, a footbridge takes you over the Mühlbach stream. Here you will also find the sign for the Burgensteig (blue castle on a white background)
(1). After a while, you will come to another car park with public toilets. On the other side of the car park, turn right into Bachgasse, which takes you uphill towards Fürstenlager.
Pass through a barrier, which also marks the entrance to the Fürstenlager, and continue uphill on the gravel path.
On the right, you will now see a pond, the Schwanenteich (swan pond). Turn right in front of it and cross a wooden bridge.
After the bridge, turn left. There are a few seats under a chestnut tree here. Follow the path along the Schwanenteich, pass another small pond on your left and after a while you will reach the first building of the Fürstenlager.
Pass the building and walk to the left through the courtyard to the main path, which you then follow to the right.
(2) At the signpost "Fürstenlager", turn right. Now the path climbs quite steeply uphill towards the Friendship Temple.
Pass the Friendship Temple and take the first sharp right turn uphill. At the top, you will have a wide view of the vineyards, the Odenwald and the Rhine Valley.
Here, turn left and walk along the top of the vineyards.
(3) You will pass the Lions Club Bergstraße shelter on your left and continue towards a seating area with a view under the (newly planted) Ludwigslinde tree.
There, the path leads you to the left and then immediately to the right.
Now walk along Dr.-Lommel-Weg until you reach Marienplatz. Here, turn right and follow the signpost for Kirchberghäuschen, Bensheim, Starkenburg and Heppenheim. The wide forest path now leads you downhill.
You will reach another car park. Walk past it and you will see a table and bench on your left. Continue straight ahead on the other side of the car park, past the Bensheim water tower.
Continue straight ahead until you reach a fork. Take the second path on the right, a narrow forest path. Keep left at the following forks. The path runs parallel to the main path, which you will return to after a while.
You will come to the main path at a crossroads and see a seating area a little further ahead. Pass this on your right and turn onto the wider path that runs alongside the field.
After a long stretch straight ahead, you will come to a barrier. Turn right before the barrier.
(4) The path leads you out of the forest in a left-hand bend (bench) and above the vineyards towards the Kirchberghäuschen. This is a good place to take a break.
Walk straight ahead through the beer garden and at the end take a narrow staircase steeply down to the right. Keep left at the first fork. The path continues steeply downhill.
After a while, you will come to a T-junction, where you turn left. The path is now a little wider. After a few metres, the ground changes from gravel to asphalt and you walk downhill through the vineyards towards Bensheim.
You will come to a T-junction and turn right here into Kalkgasse. Before the entrance to Bensheim City Park, turn left down a cobbled lane.
At the end of the lane, you will come to a tarred path. Turn left here and go down the steps to the right in front of the steel gate with a cross.
(5) At the end of the steps, turn left along Nibelungenstraße and pass under the (pedestrian) bridge of the Franciscan monastery. You will pass the site of the former synagogue in Bensheim on your left.
At the pedestrian traffic lights, cross Nibelungenstraße and turn right into Platanenallee.
After the Pegasus variety theatre, turn left onto Augartenstraße. A few metres further on, turn right onto Hunsrückstraße.
After a left-hand bend, there is a gap in the wall on the right, where you turn and walk up the steps.
Cross Knodener Straße and continue along the narrow path on the other side. At the end of the narrow path, turn left onto Fliederweg. Walk along this path past a playground until you reach a right-hand bend. In this bend, go up a few steps on the left into Wingertsweg.
Follow this road to the right and shortly afterwards turn left into the street called "Auf der Schwell".
You will come to a crossroads with a signpost. Cross the crossroads and continue straight ahead towards Hemsbachturm and Hambacher Kreuz. Follow the road "Am Hinkelstein" downhill until you reach "Gronauer Straße".
Once there, turn left towards Bensheim-Zell. Immediately after the Bensheim-Zell sign, cross the Meerbach stream on the right, walk up the forest path and turn right at the next intersection (follow the signs for the Burgensteig trail)
(6). You will reach a signpost (green). Here you can choose between the easier (straight ahead) or more challenging (left) route. Both paths meet again at the top.
Note: The challenging route is not recommended in rainy weather or shortly after rain, as it is very slippery.
For the challenging option, take the left path. After a while, the easier option will come from the right and you turn left.
At the top, you will pass another water tower, with a bench in front of it where you can take a breather.
You will hike along above the vineyards. At the next crossroads, continue straight ahead slightly uphill. The gravel path turns into a narrow forest path. You will reach a T-junction and turn right here.
You will come to a wider path, where your trail continues uphill to the left.
Keep left in front of a prominent rock and right at the next fork.
(7) You will reach the Hemsberg with the Bismarck Tower (commonly known as the Hemsberg Tower) and have the opportunity to take a break here.
In front of the refuge, turn left and then right back down the mountain. At the next fork (signpost: NSG Hemsberg von Bensheim-Zell), turn right.
After a few metres, turn left onto a narrow path.
(8) You will come out of the forest and have the opportunity to take a short break at a table with two benches and enjoy the view. Then turn left along the vineyards until you reach a T-junction.
Turn right here and left again at the next T-junction (signposted Hambacher Kreuz, Starkenburg, Heppenheim).
At the next fork, keep right, then left at the next one. The road climbs slightly.
(9) At the T-junction (signposted "Hambach"), turn right and after a few metres you will reach the Hambacher Kreuz.
Before the crossroads, turn left and walk down the paved road to Hambach. At the bottom, turn right and walk through the village.
After passing the "Hambacher Tal" bus stop, you will come to a fork in the road after a while. Take the forest path on the left (private road, rescue point AP236).
This path takes you uphill through the forest for a long stretch. Do not leave the main path at any junctions (orientation: follow the Burgensteig signposts)
(10) After what feels like an eternity, you will come to a right-hand bend and pass an amphibian pond with a place to rest. Continue to follow the main path.
(11) You will reach a crossroads with a signpost and a shelter called "Helenenruhe". Here, turn right towards Starkenburg, Heppenheim and you will come out of the forest.
Keep right at the next fork. After a while, you will come to a car park with a playground behind it. Keep left here towards Starkenburg and the youth hostel.
(12) Walk up the paved path, passing the Starkenburg observatory on your right.
(13) Once you reach the courtyard of Starkenburg Castle, it is worth taking a short tour, which ends with a view of Heppenheim and the Rhine valley from the Schneckenturm tower.
Leaving the castle gate, turn left and walk down the paved road until you see a sign on the right saying "Altstadt Fußweg 5 Minuten" (Old Town Footpath 5 Minutes). (Don't get too excited, it takes longer than that).
Turn here and follow the path until you come to a paved vineyard path. Turn right here.
(14) Walk through the vineyards until you reach a car park with a pavilion where you can take another break.
Turn left in front of the pavilion and walk down the paved Starkenburgweg to Heppenheim until you reach the Kleiner Markt intersection. Cross the B460 and turn right into the pedestrian zone.
Stroll along the pedestrian zone until you reach "Postplatz". Cross the B3 and turn half left onto "Ernst-Schneider-Straße".
(E) Finally, turn right onto Kalterer Straße. Heppenheim train station and your destination are directly in front of you.
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