Discover Böblingen: Trails, Museums and Special Experiences

Böblingen invites you to combine exercise, history and culture in many different ways. Forest trails with interactive stations sit alongside museums covering the Peasants’ War, traditional crafts and art. There is also a long themed route, a city garden with two lakes, and a chance to learn about beer and chocolate making. You can plan your stay around the experiences that interest you most.

Hiking trails for different interests

The Böblingen Forest Discovery Trail runs for 4.5 kilometres through Böblingen city forest and includes 14 stations. Longer options include the 13.7-kilometre Herzog-Jäger Trail in Waldenbuch, a premium hiking trail with numerous highlights and interactive stations, and the 23-kilometre Heckengäu Discovery Trail around Aidlingen. Along the way, you’ll find a soil education trail, a sensory area and a low-rope course. The distances make it easy to compare the routes when planning your day; each trail’s stations offer a different focus.

A short and a long circular hiking trail follow paved paths to the centre of Baden-Württemberg and explore the area around Böblingen. A sandstone stele and several sculptures mark the spot. Another way to combine nature, art and exercise is the approximately 65-kilometre main route of SCULPTOURA. It runs from Waldenbuch via Weil der Stadt to Leonberg.

Museums from local history to art

The German Peasants’ War Museum in Böblingen documents the German Peasants’ War of 1525. Visitors can print title pages from pamphlets of the Reformation and Peasants’ War using a working, true-to-scale replica of an early printing press. The German Butchers’ Museum explores the history of the traditional butchery trade. A sausage kitchen from around 1900 illustrates how meat and sausage products were made, while historic shops show how the trade evolved from the 14th to the 19th century.

The museums in Weil der Stadt and Herrenberg also each have their own focus. The Kepler Museum is divided into seven chronological exhibition areas and displays several of Johannes Kepler’s major works, mostly in their original editions. The Weil der Stadt City Museum is designed as a walk-through town chronicle, with 15 rooms across three floors. The Herrenberg Collegiate Church Bell Museum houses 36 bells that can be rung, arranged across two levels. Access involves climbing 146 steps; from there, you can look out over Herrenberg and the Gäu region. Bell concerts are regularly held on the first Saturday of each month at 5 p.m. Check the specific date before your visit. The Herrenberg City Gallery exhibits painting, graphic art, photography and sculpture, among other works.

Art, landscapes and special places

MUSEUM RITTER in Waldenbuch focuses mainly on geometric abstract art. In addition to exhibitions, it offers guided tours and art talks for adults and children. The Museum of Everyday Culture – Waldenbuch Castle is housed in the former hunting lodge of the Dukes of Württemberg, in the centre of Waldenbuch. In Grafenau, the local history museum presents rural farming and domestic life, as well as village crafts; it is part of the cultural and communications centre at Dätzingen Castle.

Those interested in landscapes and views can take in the Schönbuch Nature Park, the Swabian Orchard Paradise and the landscapes of the Korn- and Heckengäu regions from the Schönbuchturm’s panoramic viewing platform. For a different perspective on Böblingen, visit MOTORWORLD Region Stuttgart. In the listed halls of the former state airport, it displays a collection that changes daily, featuring several hundred special cars and motorcycles.

Experiences between the city garden and local treats

Böblingen City Garden is centred around two lakes and offers opportunities for boating, playing, inline skating and strolling. At the Ritter Sport Colourful Chocolate World, chocolate fans aged four and up can create their own favourite chocolate in a Family & Friends workshop; advance registration is required. At Schönbuch Brewery, visitors can learn about the individual stages of beer production. Families looking to bring different interests together can choose from a range of themes for shared outings, from the city garden to a museum visit.

Consider day-trip destinations when choosing accommodation

When looking for accommodation, it can help to decide first what you want to focus on during your stay: perhaps the hiking trails, particular museums or one section of SCULPTOURA. Weil der Stadt, Renningen, Rutesheim, Leonberg, Ehningen and Holzgerlingen are listed as suitable public transport access points for the route. Weil der Stadt, Renningen, Rutesheim and Leonberg can be reached from Stuttgart on the S6/S60; Ehningen on the S1 from Herrenberg or Stuttgart; and Holzgerlingen on the Schönbuchbahn from Böblingen or Dettenhausen.

Discover more destinations

Gäufelden, Sindelfingen, Schönaich, Leonberg, Holzgerlingen, Herrenberg, Gärtringen, Böblingen, Steinenbronn, Rutesheim, Merklingen, Mötzingen, Ehningen, Weil Der Stadt, Weissach, Renningen, Waldenbuch, Nufringen, Aidlingen, Bondorf, Grafenau, Deckenpfronn, Jettingen and Magstadt.

For the regional travel overview: Baden-Württemberg.