Bad Dürkheim

A weekend from the graduation house to the Hardenburg

A weekend covers Bad Dürkheim. On Saturday, walk the graduation house in the Kurpark, see the Schlosskirche and Ludwigskirche, climb to the ruined Limburg Abbey for the view over the vineyards, and eat at or near the Riesenfass. On Sunday, go up the Isenach valley to the Hardenburg and the Celtic Heidenmauer.

Saturday morning: start in the Kurpark and walk the length of the graduation house while the brine runs, then cross into the old centre to see the Schlosskirche, whose tower is one of the tallest in this part of the Palatinate, and the classicist Ludwigskirche built with backing from King Ludwig I of Bavaria.

Afternoon: climb through the woods to Limburg Abbey. The ruined basilica was a Salian foundation from the early 11th century, and the view east over the vineyards to the Rhine plain explains why they chose the hill. Come down for a late lunch at a wine tavern.

Evening: eat at or near the Riesenfass, then take a slow walk back through the centre.

Sunday: head up the Isenach valley to the Hardenburg, the Leiningen counts' castle, given its present form in the 16th century and wrecked in the late 18th. In the afternoon walk to the Heidenmauer, the Celtic ring wall above town, or ride tram line 4 out to Mannheim for its palace and squares.

Saumagen, Schorle and the Dubbeglas habit

Bad Dürkheim eats Palatinate food made to go with wine. Order Saumagen with Leberknödel and Bratwurst, drink Weinschorle from the half-litre dimpled Dubbeglas, and taste Riesling in growers' courtyards. Eat once in the Riesenfass barrel restaurant, use the seasonal tavern gardens at the edge of the vines, and ask for Federweißer in autumn.

Palatinate cooking is hearty and unfussy, built to go with wine. The dish everyone names is Saumagen, a pork and potato mixture cooked in a pig's stomach casing, sliced and fried, usually with sauerkraut. Expect it alongside Leberknödel (liver dumplings) and Bratwurst on a typical tavern plate, often served together as a trio.

The drink is just as local. A Weinschorle, white wine topped with sparkling water, comes in the half-litre Dubbeglas with its dimpled sides, and locals drink it steadily on warm afternoons. Riesling dominates the vineyards around town, and many growers sell by the glass in their own courtyards.

For the setting, eat once in the Riesenfass, the enormous barrel beside the Wurstmarkt meadow. Otherwise look for small Weinstuben in the centre and the seasonal tavern gardens on the edge of the vines, which open in the warmer months and serve simple food with the grower's own wine. In autumn, ask for Federweißer, the cloudy young wine, with onion tart.

When the Wurstmarkt fills Bad Dürkheim in September

September is Bad Dürkheim's big month, when the Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt, a wine festival despite its name, fills the second and third weekends around the giant cask. The harvest follows into October, almond trees flower along the Wine Route in March, and May and June suit hiking in the Palatinate Forest.

The town's calendar turns on September. The Dürkheimer Wurstmarkt fills the second and third weekends of the month around the giant cask, and despite the name it is a wine festival first. Arrive by tram, expect long queues, and leave the car at home.

The harvest follows in late September and October, the best time for vineyard walks, with new wine in the taverns. Spring is the other good window: the almond trees along the Wine Route flower early, usually in March, and May and June bring long evenings for hiking in the Palatinate Forest.

Winter is quiet. The one fixed date worth catching is the first Saturday in Advent, when ringers at the Burgkirche, Schlosskirche and Ludwigskirche ring the town's bells together at 17:00. On 18 March the Burgkirche bell is rung by hand to remember the 1945 air raid.

For day trips, Neustadt an der Weinstraße lies about 15 km south, Heidelberg is across the Rhine, and the cathedral city of Speyer is an easy drive. Ludwigshafen is on the same tram line.