Rhineland-Palatinate

Rhineland-Palatinate is a paradise for hikers. The Moselsteig runs for 365 kilometres in 24 stages from Perl to Koblenz through the vineyards, while the Rheinsteig stretches around 320 kilometres high above the Rhine. For day hikes there are the Traumschleifen ("dream loops") in the Hunsrück and Saarland: more than 100 circular trails between 5 and 20 kilometres long.

Eltz Castle has never been destroyed and has belonged to the same family since the 12th century, now in its 34th generation. The Reichsburg Cochem towers high above the Moselle. At Trifels Castle in the Palatinate, not far from our alpaca bubbles, the imperial regalia were kept in the Middle Ages, and in 1193 Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner here.

Near Bremm, the Moselle winds in a tight loop around the Calmont, Europe's steepest vineyard with gradients of up to 65 per cent. On the Rhine, the Loreley rises 132 metres above the river, in the heart of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley UNESCO World Heritage Site, best discovered by boat.

The Geierlay suspension bridge in the Hunsrück is 360 metres long and hangs 100 metres above the valley, and admission is free. The Volcanic Eifel is home to tranquil maars such as the 72-metre-deep Pulvermaar. In the south of the Palatinate, bizarre red sandstone formations such as the Teufelstisch (“Devil's Table”) rise out of the forest in the Dahner Felsenland.

Rhineland-Palatinate is home to six wine regions, from the Ahr to the Palatinate. Since 1935, the German Wine Route has wound its way through wine villages for around 85 kilometres, and every September Bad Dürkheim celebrates the Wurstmarkt, one of the largest wine festivals in the world. In Rheinhessen, Germany's largest wine region, you'll stay in a bubble tent right on the winery.