This wine-making town in Pfalz sits among rolling vineyards, with its historic main square and the Deutsches Weintor marking the entrance to Germany's wine region.
Neustadt an der Weinstraße sits in Germany's Rhineland-Palatinate region, where you'll find Gothic churches like the 14th-century Collegiate Church, and streets lined with half-timbered buildings from the 1500s. The town comes alive during the German Wine Festival when thousands gather for the vintners' parade, while Hambach Castle and four other medieval fortresses dot the surrounding hills. You can walk through almond orchards in spring or follow hiking paths into the Palatine Forest.
Exploring the Old Town
The 14th-century Gothic Collegiate Church rises above Neustadt's medieval center, with intricate ceiling paintings and colored glass windows from five centuries. Walk through the narrow streets to find the Casimirianum, built in 1578 as a university, and stop at the Steinhäuser Hof to see its Renaissance-era stone carvings. In the market square, the Old King's Fountain dates to 1575, while the whimsical Elwedritsche Fountain depicts local folklore creatures - bird-like beings that exist only in regional tales.
Wine Culture and Festivals
During the German Wine Festival in late September, you can join thousands watching the German Wine Queen coronation and the region's largest vintners' parade. The wine calendar starts earlier, with the Gimmeldingen Almond Blossom Festival in March or April, when pink and white blossoms cover the hillsides. Local wine events continue through summer in nearby villages - try the Eselshautfest in Mußbach or Andergasser Fest in Hambach, where local winemakers pour their latest vintages alongside regional dishes.
Castles and Historic Sites
Five medieval castles circle Neustadt, each with its own story. At Hambach Castle, 30,000 people gathered in 1832 for what appeared to be a county fair but was actually a protest for democracy. You can walk to Wolfsburg and Winzingen Castle from the town center, while Haardt Castle sits among the vineyards. For a longer hike, follow the trail to Spangenberg Castle in the Elmstein Valley.
Museums and Cultural Sites
Step into the Railway Museum to see restored steam engines, or visit the Palatine Bible Museum to examine centuries-old religious texts. The Otto Dill Museum contains paintings of local landscapes, and Villa Böhm regularly changes its art exhibitions. At the "Getreidekasten" Vineyard Museum in the Herrenhof, you'll learn about wine-making techniques through tools and displays from different eras.
Getting Around and Day Trips
Regular trains run from Neustadt to Mannheim (30 minutes), Ludwigshafen (25 minutes), and Heidelberg (45 minutes). On weekends from May to October, the historic Kuckucksbähnel steam train chugs through the Palatine Forest to Elmstein. The 97-kilometer Deutsche Weinstraße (German Wine Route) passes through town, with marked paths for both walking and cycling through the wine country.
