I have the possibility of a trip to the Rhineland-Pfalz in mid-February & while the weather may not be great, I never want to pass up a trip! Would probably be staying in the Heidelberg or Kaiserslautern areas. I don't ski but would like to take the opportunity to sled or walk one of the groomed winter wanderwegs. Does anyone know of facilities in the area accessible by train/bus for a day trip?
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19091 posts
IF you stay in Heidelberg, there are hills surrounding the town. You might find sledding there. Or, you can take to train to Karlsruhe (40-45 min), then catch the streetcar (S1) from in front of the Bahnhof to Bad Herrenalb, in the Black Forest (about 38 min).
The website for Bad Herrenalb (in German) shows a variety of winter sports, including sledding, snowshoeing, and dog teams available in town. There are plenty of hiking trails around the town, but I don't know if any are groomed.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
That area isn't consistently cold enough to support any kind of winter sports infrastructure. The upper Rhine valley is actually the warmest region of Germany. You may see some snow, but it usually falls in a light coat, and then melts within a few days. The closest winter sports area is probably Willingen in northern Hessen, but I don't think they have winter walking trails there. The Pfalzerwald and Odenwald mountain ranges (the mountains you see on either side of the very broad upper Rhine valley) get a little more snow, but even these don't receive enough consistent accumulation.
For nearly guaranteed winter sports, you have to head south to one of the resorts in the Alps, like Oberstdorf or Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Oberstdorf is about a 3 hour drive from Heidelberg, so too far for a daytrip.
Feldberg, the highest mountain in the Black Forest, also has a ski resort, but it's almost as far away as the much better Alps.
Posted by
Paradise
6623 posts
That's a slow time of year for tourist stuff. One Feb. event that might interest you - Fastnacht or Carneval. Mainz' Rose Monday parade on Feb. 16 is a major draw. Basel, CH celebrates 1 week later. K-town is very close to Mainz. Heidelberg is further away (and actually in Baden-Wuerttemberg, not Rheinland-Pfalz.)
Posted by
OP
Franklin, NC, USA
35 posts
Thanks so much for the info. Will check out accomodation in Bad Herrenalb - warm soaks after winter walks would be wonderful. Russ, I didn't think about Fasnacht. We've been to Mardi Gras in NO & in Mobile AL (more family friendly)
It would be fun to see the celebration in Mainz - thanks for the suggestion.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19091 posts
I've stayed at four places in Bad Herrenalb since 2001. Only one place still shows up on the list of accommodations. That's Kühler Brunnen, where I spent my first night,. It right across the park from the Therme (Spa). However, it appears to be completely booked in February.
Tom might be right about the snow being iffy in the Black Forest. I've only been there once in the winter, between Christmas and New Year, and they got over a foot of snow the night before we arrived. They didn't seem to know what to do with it, so maybe it's not that common.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
8938 posts
As well as the Fasching/Fastnacht Parade in Mainz on Rosen Montag, there will also be one in Frankfurt on Sunday and the Klaa Paris Parade in Frankfurt Heddernheim on Tuesday.
There is usually snow up on the Feldberg in the Taunus most of the winter, just don't quote me on it. So far the winter has been mild, quite a lot like last year. This would be in Hessen though, about 45 min. north of Frankfurt and not Rhineland Pfalz.