Tobacco Route

37 KM   I   ALTITUDE 109 METRES  I   DURATION 2 HOURS   I  LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY  EASY

SHORT DESCRIPTION:

Old half-timbered houses, charming little spots and tobacco fields as far as the eye can see form the stunning backdrop for the Tobacco Route through the Southern Palatinate. Take in the delightful scent of tobacco as you cycle through picturesque farming villages and lush meadows. And why not enjoy a delicious range of local produce whilst you are there?

STARTING POINT AND HOW TO GET THERE

  • Starting/finishing point: Mehrzweckhalle Hayna (Hayna Hall)
  • Parking: There is car parking close to the starting and finishing point. How to get there: Leave the A65 via the Kandel-Nord/Herxheim-Hayna/Erlenbach exit and follow the L542 towards Hayna. The hall is in the town centre.
  • Public transport: The 554 bus that runs between Kandel and Herxheim stops regularly in Hayna.

THINGS TO SEE

 

  • Herxheim: Villa Wieser with Dorfbrunnen (Village Well), Theater Chawwerusch (Chawwerusch Theatre), traditional Tabakschuppen (Tobacco Drying Sheds), Tabakbrunnen (Tobacco Sculpture) in Hayna, international sand track racing, Museum Herxheim with a tobacco theme and an exhibition of spectacular finds from the Neolithic Age
  • Offenbach: Queichtalmuseum (Queich Valley Museum)
  • Ottersheim: Oldtimerscheune (Vintage Car Workshop) featuring historical forge and bakery, Walderlebnispfad (Forest Experience Path)
  • Rülzheim: Straußenfarm Mhou (Mhou Ostrich Farm), Badesee am Moby Dick (Moby Dick Leisure Centre)
  • Bellheim: Schwimmpark Bellheim (Bellheim Water Park), Museum Historisches Sägewerk Mittelmühle (Historical Sawmill and Middle Mill Museum), Minigolf, Sternwarte (Observatory)

 

 

PLACES TO STOP

Bellheim: Bellheimer Braustübl taverna, Bellheimer Waldstube restaurant, Ristorante Pizzeria Ischia
Knittelsheim: Waldhaus Knittelsheimer Mühle restaurant, Steverding’s Isenhof restaurant
Ottersheim: MundArt-Stube “Quetschkommod” restaurant, EisOase Ottersheim ice-cream shop, Bärenbräu Ottersheim brewery
Rülzheim: Restaurant Farmhaus at the Straußenfarm (Ostrich Farm), Gaststätte zur Krone restaurant
Herxheim-Hayna: Hotel Restaurant zur Krone
Herxheim: Wagner-Ranch restaurant

 

TOUR DESCRIPTION

Starting from the hall, follow the signs for the Tobacco Tour cycle path, cycling around the village via the roads called Feldstraße, Kreuzstraße and Friedhofstraße. Head in the direction of Herxheim. Take the left exit on the roundabout and follow the bypass (Umgehungsstraße) until you reach the sign for the Fischerhütte (Fishing Lodge). Turn left again here and then turn right straight after, continuing until you get to the next roundabout. Follow the signs until you arrive at the restaurant called Wagner-Ranch. Feel free to drop in and enjoy a break in their beer garden. Now that you are nicely fuelled up, get back on your bike and follow the Tobacco Route, heading up the hilltop until you reach the country road called Landstraße. Cross this road and carry on straight ahead to Mörlheim. Keep going until just before the church, where you will need to turn left onto Offenbacher Straße that leads to the eponymous town of Offenbach. Follow the route through the town and continue on the track towards Ottersheim. Take a right turn here and continue until you reach a crossroad and then turn left in the direction of Knittelsheim. Carry on along the tracks as far as Bellheim. Take a right turn just before the brewery. If you are travelling as part of a large group of cyclists, we recommend stopping here for a brewery tour. Then, head straight on over the gentle hills to Rülzheim. Here you can watch the chicks hatch on the exotic “Mhou” Straußenfarm (Ostrich Farm). Cross the road as you enter the town and follow the cycle path in the direction of Herxheimweyher, taking in the scent of the tobacco in the drying sheds as you go. Follow the Klingbach-Radweg (Klingbach Cycle Path) through the forest until you reach Platz St. Apollinaire in Herxheim after a little while. At this point, keep left and cycle alongside the Klingbach Stream until you are back at the Herxheim roundabout. Head left towards Hatzenbühl and then bear right onto Mittelweg just before the town. It is just straight on from here all the way back to Hayna. You just need to take one more right turn past the tobacco drying sheds and you will arrive back at the hall where you started out.

 

CONTACT

SÜDLICHE WEINSTRASSE E.V.
An der Kreuzmühle 2, 76829 Landau
Telefon +49 (0)6341 940-407
info (at) suedlicheweinstrasse.de
www.suedlicheweinstrasse.de 

Copyright photo on this page: Südliche Weinstrasse e.V. Herxheim

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