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Contact

Schwäbische Alb Tourismusverband
Marktplatz 1
72574 Bad Urach
Email:
info@schwaebischealb.de
Internet:
www.schwaebischealb.de

Swabian Alb Route
Fast forward from the age of dinosaurs to the present day

A family on a cycle tour with Hohenzollern Castle in the distance

The Swabian Alb - a striking highland region that rose up out of the Jurassic sea millions of years ago, features a combination of bizarre rock formations and gently rolling slopes. Where now the sheep graze peacefully among the juniper bushes, glowing molten rock once bubbled up into the sky: millions of years ago, the Swabian Alb was one of the most volcanic regions on earth. With its many naturally occurring phenomena and legacies of its geological past, this interesting landscape is a unique, naturally-evolved geology park. It is through this region that the well-signposted Swabian Alb Route runs for around 200 km from Tuttlingen to Nördlingen am Ries or Aalen. The region has a number of castles, palaces and ruins sitting in splendour atop the crags and mountains, and is dotted with attractive historic towns, mainly dating from Roman times or the Middle Ages, lying at the foot of the mountains or in the charming valleys.

The Urach waterfall amidst lush foliage in the Swabian Alb

You can still find rare prehistoric fossils in the area today or see them on display at one of the region's fascinating museums. The landscape still holds a number of valuable prehistoric treasures within, such as the medicinal springs that are still used to treat a range of illnesses. This geological variety, wealth of fossils and geological attractions, and fairytale dripstone caves with their fantastic underground worlds have really put the Swabian Alb on the map. Keen walkers and nature enthusiasts come to admire the peaks of up to 1,000 metres high, gently rolling mountain ridges, juniper scrub, limestone outcrops, maars, dripstone caves and waterfalls, while enjoying the tranquillity and beauty of this "wilderness paradise". Of course, there's also plenty of opportunity to sample the exquisite wine and the famously good Swabian cuisine.

 
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Basic information

  • Length
    200km
  • Themes
    Countryside and culture

Highlights in brief

  • Trossingen
    Music academy, Hohner musical instruments, harmonica museum
  • Tuttlingen
    Danube Sink, Neuhausen open-air museum
  • Lautlingen
    Stauffenberg palace
  • Burladingen
    Textile industry, castle ruins
  • Sonnenbühl
    Bärenhöhle and Nebelhöhle caves, Lichtenstein Castle
  • Engstingen
    Automobile museum
  • Bad Urach
    Waterfalls, Falkenstein cave and Schiller cave
  • Heidenheim
    Hellenstein Castle
  • Aalen
    Roman Limes museum, museum of geology and palaeontology, "Tiefer Stollen" visitor mine
  • Nördlingen
    Town wall with 18 towers, railway museum