The forest floor softly beneath your feet, the sun peeking again and again through the canopy of trees, and close by, a woodpecker keeping time to the rhythm of your footsteps. Abruptly the forest throws open its curtains on the view of the Rhine plain with its vineyards and villages, where delicious refreshment awaits you.

The new long-distance hiking trail with the label »Pfälzer Weinsteig« promises to be a delight for all the senses.

Extending over more than 153 kilometers, this, the longest of the three Palatinate long-distance hiking trails, offers a lot of opportunity to enjoy the best of the forests and vineyards. In ten scenic stages, the trail leads to the German Wine Gateway in Schweigen, the southern end of the Palatinate Wine Route. You set off in Neuleiningen that is not only worth mentioning when viewed through the hikers rose-tinted glasses as the start of your tour, but also when examined objectively, it is an exceptionally pretty village that would entice you to stay a little longer if only there were not so many other charming places waiting to be discovered. So we continue onwards: Descending into the Neuleiningen valley and then climbing back up to the village of Battenberg, where the forest commences at the last houses on the edge of the village. Comfortably, but steadily hiking uphill you will be regaled by the lush, verdant green – and look forward to a break in the forester’s lodge restaurant, Forsthaus Lindemannsruh. Indeed, the many guesthouses and Palatinate forest huts are a real plus point of this tour. Palatinate hospitality and hearty delicious snacks such as Saumagen (stuffed pig’s stomach), Bratwurst (fried sausage) and Leberknödel (liver dumplings) may hinder your progress. Indulge at your peril!