72h on the go with the Pfalzcard
A review by the Wolf family, Bille (42), Henning (45), Felix and Tom (both 12)
Friday (Arrival)
We arrive at our small holiday home on the German Wine Route and our host surprises us with the Pfalzcard by way of welcome. "It is brand new and this brochure outlines all leisure facilities to which you have free admission during your holiday in the Palatinate region."
Friday, 3 pm
Our kids are thrilled, one hour later they are on the bus to the neighbouring town to cool off in the Kalmitbad outdoor pool in Maikammer. We accompany them on the free bus journey, but then we opt for a wine tasting session in the local wine shop.
Friday, 6 pm
While exploring, we stumble across a quaint wine bar in Maikammer. We enjoy an uncomplicated and authentically Palatinate experience, pick up our thoroughly soaked kids and head off for dinner.
Saturday, 9.30 am
Over breakfast we decide to go on a cycling tour. First we take the bus to Kallstadt where we hire bikes for the whole family. On our short tour through a few wine-growing villages, we balance out our calorie budget between hearty biking routes and tasty bites to eat.
Saturday, 11 am
In the Palatinate region, you can take a deep breath of soothing salty air; this is just what we get to experience on our cycling tour of the graduation tower in Bad Dürkheim.
Saturday, 1 pm
We almost missed the open-top double-decker bus. It goes from attraction to attraction just like tourist buses do in the major cities in Germany. We can travel for free on this wonderful vehicle too which takes us up to Hambach Castle – the cradle of German democracy offering a journey into the past.
Saturday, 7 pm
From the castle we walk down to the wine-growing village of Hambach. Friends have recommended a restaurant in the village that we absolutely MUST try! What can we say, it was incredibly tasty and we are stuffed! Luckily there is a bus to take us back.
Sunday, 10 am
On Sunday at 10 am we are ready to check out of our holiday home. Everything is soon packed in the car and we are on our way to Landau. Tom is our lizard friend and lizards on the hiking tour only made him happy for a short while. There's no doubt that we are all heading to the reptile centre.
Sunday, 2 pm
There is just one last stop before we start our final journey home. We still need to say hello to our old Stone Age friend Herxi, so we head to the historical Museum Herxheim. Herxi and the other archaeological finds add a touch of Indiana Jones to our fading historical memories.
7000
All those years ago, the first farming culture, the Linear Pottery culture, took root in Central Europe and carried out a remarkable death ritual in Herxheim – cannibalism in the Neolithic period.
Salt
In the past, salt in the Rhine valley often came from natural brines that were let running down the thorny walls of graduation towers to increase their salt content and then collected.
The Palatinate region is known for two things that fold
Firstly, there is the annual bizarre Folding Bike Cup, where people pedal to their heart's content following an annual theme, and secondly, the folding metre stick – the measuring device with a suspension lock was invented by brothers Franz and Anton Ullrich here in 1886 and presented for the first time at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889.
Whether swimming pools, playgrounds, castles, zoos, cycling tours or family hiking tours, the Palatinate region offers an abundance of fun and adventure for both adults and children. Find out more information and peruse what is on offer for your family holiday on the German Wine Route.
The Wolf family put the Pfalzcard through its paces. The activities on offer can be combined in any number of ways and this allowed them to discover things that they didn't have on their itinerary before their holiday. We are passing on the tip so that you can also enjoy all its benefits during your holiday with us!
