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Travel to the starting point in Bad Dürkheim by train, e.g. from Mannheim on tram lines 4 and 9 or from Kaiserslautern on regional (RB) and/or express (RE) trains.
(S/E) The start is at the Wurstmarktbrunnen fountain in front of the station in Bad Dürkheim. From here, walk towards the bus stops (past the station building on your right), cross Philipp-Fauth-Straße and turn into Leiningerstraße. After a few metres, you’ll reach “Stadtplatz” (with the Schall bakery – Panaderia – on your right). Cross “Stadtplatz” diagonally and turn left into “Römerstraße”. “Römerstraße” merges into “Kaiserslauterer Straße”.
(1) At number 10, turn right into “Gartenstraße”. At the end of “Gartenstraße”, walk through the Gerbertor and take the underpass beneath the B37 to get to the other side. On the other side of the B37, turn 180° to the left and after a few metres turn right again into “Gartenstraße”. At the end of this, turn left and, just past the wine bar “Zur Keschdedell”, go up the steps on the right. You’ll come out onto “Vigiliensstraße” and follow the red dot to the right. After a while, take the stairs up to the left again. Once at the top, turn left into “Sonnenwendstraße” and immediately turn right into the woods (blue bar). After a few metres, the forest path curves to the left; at the bend, go over the low wall to the right and follow the path as it winds its way uphill.
(2) At the next junction, take the path to the right and downwards. After a few metres, you will reach the Schaeferwarte. Here you have a lovely view over Bad Dürkheim. Walk up to the left of the monument and follow the Pfälzer Weinsteig signpost to the left (red wave on a white background).
(3) A few minutes later, you’ll come to an open area with a quarry, the Kriemhildenstuhl. Several information boards tell you about the historical context and the local flora and fauna. Turn back in the direction you came from and head left up the steps. Shortly after the first few steps, a steep, narrow path branches off to the left. If this is too steep for you, you can also continue straight ahead and take the wider path up.
(4) The narrow path takes you up to the edge of the quarry. Once there, you can enjoy the view over Bad Dürkheim once again. There is also a small shelter here. Walk past the shelter on the left and follow the sign for “Kaiser-Wilhelm-Höhe”.
(5) The“Kaiser-Wilhelm-Höhe” viewing tower offers a fine view of two of your hiking destinations: the Limburg monastery ruins in the foreground and the Hardenburg ruins in the valley behind. From the tower, follow the signpost for “Teufelsstein” to the left. The path to the “Teufelsstein” takes you along the “Heidenmauer”, a ring wall approximately 2.5 km long built by the Celts around 500 BC. Continue to follow the signposting for the Pfälzer Weinsteig. At a junction, keep left (the Weinsteig continues to the right) and briefly leave the Weinsteig.
(6) The wide path leads you uphill; you walk over a few natural stone steps and reach the “Teufelsstein”. This spot is ideal for a breather. From the “Teufelsstein”, follow the Pfälzer Weinsteig signpost to the left again. After a while, you’ll come to a crossroads; from your position, take the third path from the left and stay on the Pfälzer Weinsteig route, which you follow to the left at the next fork.
(7) After a steady and increasingly steep climb, you’ll come to a few steps and reach the Gayersbrunnen. A few steps further on, you’ll reach a junction (landmark: signpost with numerous directional arrows), where you continue to the right.
(8) You reach the Bismarck Tower. This is another good spot to take a break. The Bismarck Tower is open to the public, but unfortunately it is not currently possible to climb the tower.
(9) From here, continue along the Pfälzer Weinsteig towards the Lindemannsruhe forest lodge. The forest lodge is a good spot for a lunch break. It is, however, always quite busy at the weekend. Passing the forest lodge, you walk a short distance along the country road (L518 towards Altleiningen). Please stay on the left-hand side of the road; at the end of the forest lodge grounds, turn left onto a narrow path into the woods (signpost no. 1 or no. 2 in a circle).
You’ll come to a junction; here, leave trail markers 1 and 2 and walk straight ahead, following the red dot downhill towards Wachenheim and Bad Dürkheim. After walking downhill for a while, you’ll reach a wider path; walk a few metres to the left, then immediately turn right back onto the narrow path. At the next opportunity, keep to the right, then you’ll come to a fork. Here, leave the Red Dot trail markers again and take the wide forest path to the right. You’ll now stay on this forest path for quite a while, as it leads you along the slope through the woods. You follow it initially round a left-hand bend, keep left at the next fork and then keep right. Between the third and fourth forks, you pass a raised hide right at the left-hand edge of the path. After the fourth fork, the wide forest track leads slightly uphill again onto a forest track gravelled with red sandstone chippings.
(10) After about 50 m, you walk towards a square wooden post. There are no trail markings on your side of it. A narrow path branches off to the left at this post. There you will also see a tree with a yellow cross. Follow this path and walk downhill again until you come to a wide forest track once more. Here, you continue to the left (Yellow Cross). Immediately after this junction, you’ll come to a so-called shelter arch on the right-hand side. You could seek shelter here in the event of a rain shower. At the next junction, you leave the Yellow Cross route and turn right towards the Schlosseck ruins and the Frankenthaler Hütte.
(11) After a long, steady descent, you will see a wooden post with signposts on your right. This is where you head up to the Schlosseck ruins. The detour is well worth it.
(12) After you have walked up the winding path, you will find yourself in front of the Schlosseck ruins. This spot is ideal for a short break. Afterwards, follow the same path back down to the gravel forest track and continue to the right. At a left-hand bend, take a sharp left. You can use the sign reading “No exit onto the B37” as a guide.
(13) Once you reach the bottom, cross the B37 taking all necessary precautions, turn left on the other side and shortly afterwards turn right at a car park with a transformer hut. Cross the car park and follow the forest path to the left towards the Hardenburg ruins. Follow the Isenach stream as far as the Waldschlöss’l restaurant, where you turn sharply right and continue uphill to the Hardenburg ruins.
(14) Walk through the imposing gate of the Hardenburg ruins. On the other side, continue to the right. If you have enough time, it is well worth visiting the ruins. Opposite the entrance to the ruins, your route continues towards the Limburg monastery ruins. There are several signposts to the monastery ruins; please follow the one marked ‘3.3 km’ (blue sign).
(15) After the left-hand bend, you reach the Lindenklause forest restaurant. Here you have the opportunity to stop for a bite to eat. In the warmer months, there is also a beer garden with a view of the castle.
At the next junction, keep left and always follow the signpost to the Limburg monastery ruins with the shortest distance indicated (blue markings). At the next fork, take the middle path. You’ll come to another signpost with lots of directions. The path on the right leads to a car park, but you should turn left and continue towards the monastery ruins; from here, it’s another 1.4 kilometres following the blue markings. You’ll walk past the Schlangenweiher pond, turn right at the end into a car park, cross the car park and follow the tarmac path to the left. After a few metres, you’ll come to another signpost. Here, leave the blue markings and follow the yellow markings to the right towards the monastery ruins. It’s another 1.4 kilometres from here. It’s a bit longer than the blue route, but definitely the more scenic path.
At the end of the narrow path, you’ll reach a car park; cross this and head left along the road. From here, it’s about 600 metres further. Walk along the footpath on the right-hand side. The path then turns into a track that leads you slightly above the road to the ruins.
(16) Once you reach the monastery ruins, you can either walk straight past them or take a look inside. If you’re craving a Pfälzer Weinschorle or something similar, you’ll find what you’re looking for at the Klosterschenke Konrad 2. Leaving the monastery, turn left, walk past the car park and you’ll come to a meadow with a few trees just behind it. Cross this diagonally from where you are and walk down a narrow path with lots of steps towards Bad Dürkheim. Once at the bottom, you’ll pass the Protestant church in Grethen and head opposite into “Kastaniengasse”. Follow this for approx. 190 m, then a path on the left runs parallel to the B37, leading back to the starting point of your circular walk.
(17) You walk along the street “In der Fürth” past the main cemetery. The street turns into “Limburgstraße”. Follow this straight on until you reach “Gaustraße”. Head half-right towards the station (“Leiningerstraße”) past the “Stadtplatz”. Now cross “Philipp-Fauth-Straße” and you have reached your destination, the Wurstmarktbrunnen (S/E).
