Reutlingen

Marienkirche, Spreuerhofstraße and the climb to the Achalm

Reutlingen's old town takes a morning and the Achalm an afternoon. See the Gothic Marienkirche, the Natural History Museum and Spreuerhofstraße, often listed as the world's narrowest street, then walk up through orchards to the Achalm tower. Use a second day for Lichtenstein Castle and the Bärenhöhle and Nebelhöhle caves.

Morning. Start at the Marienkirche at the top of Wilhelmstraße. Built between 1247 and 1343, it is one of the great Gothic churches of Swabia, and its slender west tower is visible from all over town. The Natural History Museum next door on the Weibermarkt explains the geology and fossils of the Alb, useful before heading into the hills. Walk down to the Marktplatz with its fountain, then find Spreuerhofstraße, a gap between houses so tight that most people have to turn sideways.

Midday. Trace the line of the old walls past the two surviving gates, the Tübinger Tor and the Gartentor. The Spendhaus, a former storehouse, now holds the city art museum. Lunch on Maultaschen in the old town.

Afternoon. Walk out of town to the Achalm, climbing through meadows and orchards to the ruined castle tower at the top for the best view of Reutlingen and the escarpment.

Day two. Drive or take a bus south up the Echaz valley to Lichtenstein Castle, rebuilt in the 1840s after Wilhelm Hauff's novel made the site famous. Continue to Sonnenbühl for the Bärenhöhle, named for the cave bear skeletons found inside, and the Nebelhöhle. Shoppers can spend an afternoon at the Metzingen outlets instead.

Maultaschen, Mutscheln and Wilhelmstraße döner

Reutlingen eats Swabian classics and plenty of döner. Order Maultaschen, Käsespätzle or Rostbraten in the old town inns, Zwiebelkuchen with young wine in autumn, and the star-shaped Mutschel loaf around Mutscheltag in January. For a quick lunch, the kebab shops off Wilhelmstraße and around the Weibermarkt are the local habit.

Reutlingen cooks the Swabian way, generous and unfussy. Maultaschen, large pasta parcels of meat and spinach, appear on every traditional menu, in broth or fried with onions and egg. Käsespätzle, egg noodles layered with mountain cheese and crisp onions, is the vegetarian standby, and Rostbraten, a pan-fried beef steak under a heap of onions with gravy and spätzle, is the Sunday treat. In autumn, look for Zwiebelkuchen, a savoury onion tart, served with young wine.

The town's own speciality is the Mutschel, a soft, star-shaped bread with a raised centre, baked for Mutscheltag on the Thursday after Epiphany. That evening people gather in pubs and at home to throw dice for the loaves in games with names known only locally, and bakeries sell Mutscheln in every size.

For everyday eating, the side streets off Wilhelmstraße and around the Weibermarkt are full of döner kebab shops; Turkish fast food is the town's real lunch. Italian, Vietnamese and Indian restaurants are spread through the centre, and the Marktplatz has bistros with outdoor tables in summer. Traditional inns, some in old tanners' houses near the Echaz, are the place for a slow Swabian dinner with a local beer.