Forst an der Weinstraße: Wine Regions, Routes and History

Discover Forst an der Weinstraße through its wine regions, routes and layered local history. The vineyard walk focuses on vineyards and views, while tastings hosted directly by winemakers bring the wine itself into the picture. There is also a cycling route through Forst, a traditional play performed annually and historic buildings. This gives you different ways to plan your stay: walking, cycling, wine and history.

Explore the wine regions on foot and by bike

The Great Vineyard Walk is a circular route of around 3 kilometres through Forst’s wine regions. Other circular routes lead through Kirchenstück, Freundstück, Ungeheuer and Pechstein. Their names give the routes a direct connection to the wine regions. From the vineyard paths, the views extend towards the edge of the Haardt, the Palatinate Forest, the Rhine Plain and the Odenwald—a varied succession of vistas between forest and plain.

You can plan a circular walk of around 3 kilometres; by bike, the German Wine Route cycle path runs through Forst between Wachenheim and Deidesheim. The two options offer different ways to spend your time: a loop through the wine regions or a cycling route connecting Forst with the two named towns.

Wine directly from the winemakers

Forst’s wineries and historic wine estates invite you to enjoy tastings hosted directly by the winemakers. This means wine is not only a theme of the wine regions, but also something you can experience through a tasting and direct conversation with the winemakers. If you want wine to be at the heart of your choice of destination, you’ll find both paths through the vineyards and a specific tasting experience here.

Local history and a recurring tradition

A church dedicated to Saint Margaret already stood on the site of today’s village church in the 15th century. The present village church was consecrated in 1723; its 40-metre-high red sandstone tower was built in 1767. This sequence of dates makes it possible to trace several building phases at this church site.

The Hanselfingerhut play is performed every year on Laetare Sunday, three weeks before Easter. If you are planning a trip around this custom, you can use its place in the Easter season as a guide and check the date of Laetare Sunday for the year in question.

The Bismarck Cave was created at the edge of the forest in 1885 as a memorial to Chancellor Bismarck. Its origins offer a different historical perspective from the church’s history: here, the focus is on a memorial to Bismarck.

A geological perspective

The Pechsteinkopf offers another subject to explore: it is where the Palatinate’s only occurrence of younger volcanic rock is exposed. The geology and distinctive rock add another perspective to the themes of wine and history.

More to discover in the wider destination of Bad Dürkheim

The wider destination of Bad Dürkheim offers more places and themes to explore. In Deidesheim, the Museum of Wine Culture documents the relationship between people, wine and viticulture; a 2.3-kilometre walking tour leads through the historic town centre. In Bad Dürkheim itself, the Dürkheim Sausage Market has a 600-year tradition and is the largest wine festival in the world. The wines served there are award-winning and come from vineyards in Dürkheim.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Gönnheim, Herxheim am Berg, Kirchheim an der Weinstraße, Grünstadt, Wachenheim an der Weinstraße, Kallstadt, Weisenheim am Sand, Laumersheim.

Go to the overview of the wider destination: Bad Dürkheim.