Welcome back to The Velvet Runway travel guides and this feature about great food and great memories in South West Germany.

Maybe South West Germany has never crossed your mind as a vacation destination, but not only is this region full of great things to do, it is also renowned for its culinary delights!

Good food is a vital part of the vacation experience and SouthWest Germany certainly delivers – particularly when it comes to local dishes made with local produce, accompanied by local beers and wines.

SouthWest Germany is also criss-crossed with well-signposted, well-maintained hiking and biking trails through glorious countryside. But it’s not only nature lovers, who enjoy the Great Outdoors. Foodies also have a terrific choice of themed trails that bring out their inner gourmet. 

So whether you decide to hike or bike, drive or take the train, there is really good food waiting for you almost everywhere in SouthWest Germany. 

Start planning your vacation to make the most of the great food and great memories in South West Germany now!

Here are a few ideas for what to see, do and eat in South West Germany.

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
The New Palace at Meersburg on Lake Constance, part of the State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Wuerttemberg by Helmut Scham @State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Wuerttemberg

Great food and great memories in South West Germany

The Asparagus Route between Bruchsal and Schwetzingen

Palace Schwetzingen
Palace Schwetzingen by Ermanno Wagner @TMBW

Sandwiched between the beautiful palaces of Bruchsal and Schwetzingen, that are maintained by the State Palaces, and Gardens of Baden-Wuerttemberg, one of Europe’s largest asparagus growing areas is just south of Heidelberg.

The mild climate and sandy soil provide the perfect growing conditions to produce the delicate flavor that makes the (mostly) white asparagus such a treat!

The biking trail (Tour de Spargel) between Bruchsal and Schwetzingen is flat and easy to ride and along the 67 mile route, taverns and restaurants serve freshly-picked asparagus prepared in a variety of ways (in season) : hot with Hollandaise sauce; cold with vinaigrette; as a partner to ham or salmon.

And year-round, there are many attractions to visit, including the Rococco palace of Bruchsal with its world class furniture and tapestry collection and Schwetzingen Palace and its impressive gardens, where white asparagus is said to have originated over 350 years ago in the King’s garden.

Heavily bombed during the war, Bruchsal has been gloriously restored while Schwetzingen has maintained royal gardens.

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
Gardens at Palace Schwetzingen by Amende @Tourism Marketing Baden-Wuerttemberg

Excellent restaurants next to both palaces are a perfect start and end to your trip. For more information, have a look at State Palaces and Gardens of Baden-Wuerttemberg and www.tour-de-spargel.de    

The Schnapps Distillery Trails: The best things in life are free

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
Sasbachwalden in the Black Forest and the Distillery Trail by Steffen Egly @Sasbachwalden Touristik

The Schnapsbrunnenwege, the Schnapps Distillery Trails, could be some of the world’s most unusual hiking routes. Along Black Forest paths, ten ‘Schnapps fountains’ offer hikers free samples of locally-distilled spirits.

The region in the Black Forest around the town of Oberkirch just south of the spa town of Baden-Baden is renowned for its small family distilleries.

These hardworking families transform locally-grown apricots, cherries and apples into Schnapps, world-class fruit brandies.

On the trails around Sasbachwalden, bottles of schnapps cool naturally in the mountain spring water of the ‘Schnapps fountains’. Hikers can help themselves to free samples or leave a few Euros for other drinks, such as liqueurs, ciders and soft drinks for children.

Great food and great memories in South West Germany

Two trails start from Sasbachwalden. Allow two hours for the northern loop (7 km/4 miles) and four hours for the southern (12 km/7.7 miles). Find out more here.

The Württemberg Wine Cycle Trail

Cyclists, who are also wine lovers, should put the Württemberg Wine Cycle Trail at the top of their ‘to do’ list.

Biking the Wine Road @Tourism Marketing Baden-Wuerttemberg

The 220 mile route links popular winemaking destinations between Niederstetten and Rottenburg am Neckar in the beautiful Tauber and Neckar valleys.

Stop and taste in wineries and Besenwirtschaften, which are smaller seasonal wine taverns that got their name from the Besen, or broom, outside the main door.

Time it right and you could enjoy one of the regular village wine festivals along the route. For more in-depth knowledge, join a wine tour or visit a wine museum.

Württemberg is Germany’s fourth largest winegrowing region and is best known for its red wine, especially Pinot Noir and local favourites, Trollinger and Lemberger.

But white grapes also thrive in the sun, producing excellent Riesling and Müller-Thurgau.

This wine road is especially nice as it is close to Stuttgart so you can easily combine a trip to the capital city of cars and culture with delicious and adventurous wines. Find our more here.

Wine Gems on Lake Constance: Resort and a Winery with a View

Not far from Lake Constance, the baroque castle Freudental is enthroned on the Bodanrück.

Wine played a role as early as 1698 when the castle was built. The craftsmen complained about the high cost of living and that no beer was available in the area.

Therefore, the client had to undertake to pay for the workers’ wine. The importance of wine is also reflected in the interior of the castle. Magnificent stucco in the form of vines, tendrils and lavish foliage decorate the ceiling of the ballroom.

Today you can spend the night in style in Freudental Castle. The property, which has been converted into a hotel, belongs to a Swiss wine connoisseur, who continues the tradition of “grape juice” there. 

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
Meersburg New Palace with Winery Overloooking Lake Constace @TMBW

Stand next to large wooden barrels and let your gaze wander over Lake Constance. This special view is offered by the Meersburg State Winery, which is housed in the former riding stables of Meersburg Castle.

Prince-Bishop Johann Franz von Stauffenberg had the wine cellar built in the former city moat in the early 18th century. Until the secularization of 1802, the castle and later the newly built castle in Meersburg were the seat of the Prince Diocese of Constance.

The prince-bishop’s winery fell to the then Grand Duchy of Baden and became Germany’s first wine-growing domain. Today the state winery Meersburg belongs to the state of Baden-Württemberg and has several vineyards on the banks of Lake Constance.

Yach Bread and Tettnang Hops

In the southern Black Forest, a couple of hours southwest of Stuttgart, is the unspoiled Yach Valley.

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
@Tourismus Marketing Baden-Wuerttemburg GmbH

Here, many farming families still bake their own bread the traditional way. Now, the Brotweg Yach, the Yach Bread Trail, links several of these farms, so that hikers can enjoy both the landscape – and the bread! 

The clearly-marked path is seven miles long and takes in clear streams, dense forest and lush mountain meadows.

Hikers can stop for refreshments at family-run farms. Vesper (German for a hearty snack) is a tradition in these parts: slices of smoked local ham, fried potatoes with soft white cheese, apple juice and that homemade bread.

With luck, you will arrive just as a loaf comes out of the wood-fired oven!  Have a look here for more information.   

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
Hop Cones at Tettnang

Grown near Lake Constance, Tettnang hops are SouthWest Germany’s gift to the brewing world. Learn why by walking the Tettnang Hop Trail.

Along its 2 miles are orchards and hop gardens, plus spectacular views of Lake Constance and even the snow-tipped Alps.

Learn about the hop-growing tradition that dates back to 1150 and, of course, the art of brewing. The tour starts at the Krone Brewery in the center of Tettnang and finishes at the Hopfengut Nº20 hop farm.

Discover more about growing and drying hops, then visit the brewery, museum, shop and restaurant to complete the ultimate hop experience. Have a look here for more information.

Cheery and Beery: Two of SouthWest Germany’s Beer Trails

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
Outside at Rothaus Brewery @TMBW by Christoph Duepper

Beer Culture City: that is the self-proclaimed title of the small, historic community of Ehingen, 90 minutes southeast of Stuttgart.

And, with four breweries that produce some 43 different beers, it is no idle boast! The 550-year-old Berg Brewery is a family business dating back nine generations.

Local barley, malt, hops and water are the ingredients for their eight bottom-fermented beers and five seasonal brews.

The town’s other breweries are the Schwanen Brewery, the Brauerei Schwert and the Brauerei zum Rössle.

All are on the Bierwanderweg, the Beer Hiking Trail, whose 9 mile route also includes historic buildings and the scenic Danube Valley. 

Two hours south of Stuttgart, one of SouthWest Germany’s best-known breweries is also Germany’s highest, set 3,300 feet up in the Black Forest.

Originally a small monastic brewery, Rothaus became the Baden State Brewery. Now, after 220 years, it is a favorite of beer lovers around the world. Along the brewery’s Zäpfle Weg (Zäpfle Trail) are information boards and pavilions with explanations of beer making: everything from raw materials and the art of brewing to environmental responsibility.

You can even peer through a window to watch 60,000 bottles being filled every hour.

A popular selfie spot is the Zäpfle Fountain, where a giant beer bottle sprays water from the spring used for brewing. Find our more here.

Chill in a spa at Baden-Baden – South West Germany’s International, Elegant and Affluent Spa Town

When it’s time to wind down at the end of the day, why not visit one of South West Germany’s many spa towns and try a relaxing spa.

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
The Casino in Baden-Baden


Baden-Baden is, without question, SouthWest Germany’s most elegant spa town. In the 19th century, European royalty flocked to this elegant oasis an hour west of Stuttgart.

Today, two thermal baths are open to all. Perhaps the world’s most glamorous public spa is the Friedrichsbad house in an ornate 19th‐century building built right over the Roman bath ruins.

Back then the Romans called the bath, Aqua Aurelia but today, they call it the Roman-Irish bath and bathers relax in the warm thermal waters as the Romans did centuries ago. The program has 17 stages, including steam and dry rooms. It takes several hours and is completed textile free.

Great food and great memories in South West Germany
Caracalla Spa in Baden-Baden @Baden-Baden Tourismus

Less formal is the modern Caracalla spa with marble whirlpools, an aroma steam bath, wellness lounge and indoor/outdoor pool. Over the years, Baden-Baden has grown into an international resort spa town complete with luxurious hotels, cafes, opera, museums, beautiful gardens and exciting horse races.

It is a place for the rich and famous but also extremely affordable so that everyone can enjoy the amenities and natural resources. In addition to the two public spas, the surrounding forest and wine hills have paths meant for hiking and biking; places for hot-air ballooning; wine tours; and dining outdoors. Have a look here to find out more

Information courtesy of VKLarsonCommunications on behalf of Tourism Marketing Baden-Wuerttemberg

Photo credits: given under each photo, where applicable