Tübingen & Hohenzollern
A historic university town on the Neckar with colorful half-timbered lanes and punting, with Hohenzollern Castle and Lichtenstein Castle close by in the Swabian Jura to the south.
Tübingen lies on the Neckar River in central Baden-Württemberg, about 30 km south of Stuttgart. A classic university town built around the University of Tübingen, founded in 1477, it has around 90,000 residents, roughly a quarter of them students; Hegel, Hölderlin, Schelling and Kepler all studied here. The old town survived World War II undamaged, its colorful half-timbered houses climbing the hillside, and the Neckar waterfront, the Hölderlin Tower and summer punting are the city's calling cards. South of town rises the Swabian Jura (Schwäbische Alb), where Hohenzollern Castle, ancestral seat of the Prussian royal family, crowns a steep peak and the "fairy-tale castle" of Lichtenstein perches on a cliff edge, amid numerous caves, waterfalls and castle ruins. Climate: temperate continental; May–Sep is best for punting and hiking, autumn brings the most beautiful seas of clouds around the castles and fall foliage, and December has the chocolate festival and castle Christmas markets; winters are gray and cold, with caves and some castles closed or on reduced hours. Areas to explore: ① Tübingen's old town and riverside, a full day on foot; ② Bebenhausen Abbey and the Schönbuch forest on the northern outskirts; ③ the southern route to Hohenzollern Castle and the Zeller Horn viewpoint; ④ the southeastern route to Lichtenstein Castle, the Bear Cave and Nebelhöhle, plus the Bad Urach waterfall and thermal baths; ⑤ further afield, Sigmaringen Castle and the Upper Danube valley gorge. Getting there: about 1 hour by regional train from Stuttgart, or about 50 minutes by bus from Stuttgart Airport; buses between the castles and caves are infrequent, so driving is recommended. Recommended stay: 2–3 days. Note: Lichtenstein Castle and the caves are mostly open seasonally, so check official websites before you go; punting requires a reservation.
Top sights
- Tübingen Old Town & Market Square – A well-preserved old town in Swabia's university city. Colorful half-timbered houses cluster on the slopes, and a Renaissance town hall dec…
- Neckarfront, Hölderlin Tower & Punting – A row of colorful old houses along the Neckar, reflected in the water alongside the yellow tower where poet Hölderlin lived for 36 years. T…
- Hohenzollern Castle – The ancestral seat of the Prussian royal family and the German imperial house. This 19th-century neo-Gothic castle perches on an 855-meter…
- Lichtenstein Castle – A 'fairy-tale castle' built on a steep rock pillar at a cliff edge, inspired by the romantic novel Lichtenstein and dubbed the 'Neuschwanst…
- Hohentübingen Castle & Museum of Ancient Cultures – A Renaissance castle on the hilltop above the old town. Its museum holds some of the world's oldest figurative artworks, including a mammot…
- Collegiate Church of St. George – A late 15th-century Gothic church whose choir holds the tombs of several dukes of Württemberg. The bell tower overlooks the old town and th…
- Bebenhausen Abbey & Palace – One of the best-preserved medieval Cistercian abbeys on the edge of the Schönbuch forest. Visitors can tour the cloisters, the summer refec…
- Wurmlingen Chapel – A small white chapel on a solitary hilltop, famous for a poem by Uhland. It's a classic walk and viewpoint near Tübingen.
- Botanical Garden of the University of Tübingen – A university botanical garden on a hillside in the northern campus. Its greenhouses showcase tropical and desert plants, and the outdoor al…
- Kunsthalle Tübingen – An art gallery known for large temporary exhibitions. It has staged shows by Cézanne, Picasso and Renoir, drawing visitors from across Germ…
- Zeller Horn Viewpoint – A viewpoint on the steep edge of the Swabian Jura, facing the Hohenzollern Castle on its lone peak. It's a classic spot for photographing t…
- Bear Cave (Bärenhöhle) – The most popular cave in the Swabian Jura. It displays Ice Age cave bear bones, and above its entrance sits the retro “Traumland” amusement…
- Nebel Cave (Nebelhöhle) – A stalactite cave made famous by the novel Lichtenstein. Its roughly 450 m route features impressive stalactites and curtain formations, an…
- Urach Waterfall – The Swabian Jura's most famous waterfall. It drops in two tiers from a 37-meter cliff of moss-covered travertine, and trails lead up to the…
- Bad Urach Old Town & Palace – A spa town in a Jura valley. Its half-timbered market square and the 15th-century Urach Palace are well preserved, and you can take a dip i…
- Hohenneuffen Castle Ruins – A sprawling medieval fortress ruin on a cliff of the Swabian Jura, with walls and bastions, offering views as far as Stuttgart and the Blac…
- Sigmaringen Castle – A princely palace on a rock above the Danube. It is imposing from the outside, and inside is one of Germany's largest private armories.
- Beuron Archabbey & Upper Danube Valley – A Benedictine archabbey in the limestone gorge of the Upper Danube. Its baroque abbey church and the Grace Chapel, decorated in the distinc…
- Spreuerhofstraße – The narrowest alley in Reutlingen's old town, just 31 centimeters wide at its tightest point. Guinness certified it as the world's narrowes…
- Atomkeller Museum Haigerloch – A cave cellar where Heisenberg's team secretly set up a nuclear reactor experiment at the end of World War II. It is now a small museum abo…
- Outletcity Metzingen – A large outlet village in the town that is home to Hugo Boss headquarters, with around 150 brand discount stores spread across several bloc…
Where to eat
- Mauganeschtle – Historic Swabian restaurant below Castle Hill, known for about ten kinds of Maultaschen, with a two-level terrace overl…
- Historische Weinstube Forelle – Old Town tavern with over two hundred years of history, known for onion-roasted beef with handmade Spätzle and miller-s…
- Gasthausbrauerei Neckarmüller – Riverside brewpub on the Neckar, with a lively summer beer garden by the river and Maultaschen and Swabian lentils on t…
- Wurstküche – Swabian tavern beside the Lustnauer Tor in the Old Town, open for over thirty years, with a wooden interior, generous p…
- Schranners Waldhorn – Michelin-recommended restaurant beside Bebenhausen Abbey, a former one-star with refined Swabian dishes and a terrace o…