Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Spitalgarten
Tucked behind the Franziskaner is the Spitalgarten, a park flanked by the original city
walls. Here your gaze will be drawn to
Romäusturm
, a lofty 13th-century thieves' tower
named after fabled local leviathan Remigius Mans (Romäus for short).
GARDEN
Kneippbad
(Am Kneippbad 1; adult/child €3.70/2.50; 6.30am-8pm Mon-Fri, 8am-8pm Sat & Sun
mid-May-early Sep)
If the sun's out, take a 3km walk northwest of the Altstadt to this
forest lido, a family magnet with its outdoor pools, slides and volleyball courts.
SWIMMING
NATURPARK OBERE DONAU
Theatrically set against cave-riddled limestone cliffs, dappled with pine and beech woods that are
burnished gold in autumn, and hugging the Danube's banks, the
Upper Danube Valley Nature
Reserve
(
www.naturpark-obere-donau.de
)
bombards you with rugged splendour. Stick to the auto-
bahn, however, and you'll be none the wiser. To explore the nature reserve, slip into a bicycle
saddle or walking boots and hit the trail.
One of the finest stretches is between
Fridingen
and
Beuron
, a 12.5km ridge-top walk of three
to four hours. The signposted, easy-to-navigate trail runs above ragged cliffs, affording eagle's-eye
views of the meandering Danube, which has almost 2850km to go before emptying into the Black
Sea. The vertigo-inducing outcrop of
Laibfelsen
is a great picnic spot. From here, the path dips in
and out of woodlands and meadows flecked with purple thistles. In Beuron the big draw is the
working
Benedictine abbey
, one of Germany's oldest, dating to 1077. The lavish stucco-and-
fresco
church
( 5am-8pm daily)
is open to visitors. See the website
www.beuron.de
(in Ger-
man) for sleeping options.
Fridingen and Beuron lie on the L277, 45km east of Villingen. Frequent trains link Beuron to
Villingen (€7.50, one hour).
Sleeping & Eating
Rindenmühle €€
HOTEL
