Neckar Valley Cycle Route Stage 5: Esslingen am Neckar - Besigheim

The baroque style flourishes here in a large palace garden, but wine also thrives wonderfully on the banks of the Neckar, on which barges and excursion boats now sail.

Even in Esslingen, steep vineyards tower over the town, at the top of which is a castle, which in reality is only the remains of the town wall. Just before the gates of Stuttgart, the Württemberg burial chapel crowns the vineyards, while down in the valley the wine museum in Uhlbach is all about the history of fine wines.

There is truth in wine, but also a great deal of poetry, which unfolds in a particularly picturesque way in Marbach am Neckar, the birthplace of Friedrich Schiller. A detour to the Schiller National Museum is almost a must before continuing on towards Besigheim, loop by loop.