Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [422]
INFORMATION
ATM Across the street from the tourist office in the Hetzelgalerie shopping mall.
Telecafe und Internetcafe (Friedrichstrasse 8; per hr €1; 11am-10pm) Around the corner from the tourist office.
Tourist office ( 926 892; www.neustadt.eu; Hetzelplatz 1; 9.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9.30am-noon Sat Apr-Oct, 9.30am-5pm Mon-Fri Nov-Mar) Diagonally across Bahnhofplatz from the Hauptbahnhof. Has ample information on town sights, hiking, cycling and wine festivals.
SLEEPING & EATING
Neustadt’s nicest lodging options are in Haardt, a suburb northwest of the town centre. There are quite a few restaurants in Neustadt’s Altstadt, especially along Mittelgasse and Hintergasse.
DJH hostel ( 2289; www.jugendherberge.de; Hans-Geiger-Strasse 27; dm €19.90; ) A cheery, modern facility with 122 beds in rooms for one, two and four people, all with private bathroom. A 15-minute walk south of the Hauptbahnhof – cross the bridge over the tracks and head up Alter Viehberg.
Hotel Tenner ( 9660; www.hotel-tenner.de, in German; Mandelring 216, Haardt; d €79-92; ) Surrounded by vineyards, this 32-room hotel, on a quiet suburban street, offers sweeping views of the Hambacher Schloss. In fine weather, breakfast is served on the pebbly panoramic patio. To get there from the town centre, take bus 512 (€1.80, twice hourly) or drive northeast on Maximilianstrasse and hang a left onto Haardter Strasse.
Liebstöckl ( 331 61; www.liebstoeckl.de, in German; Mittelgasse 22; mains €8.60-15.80; lunch & dinner Wed-Mon, closed Tue) Has a beer garden and a hearty menu with Palatinate specialities and a few vegetarian choices (about €9).
For self-catering, there are food shops in Kellereistrasse and around Marktplatz, as well as a food market (Marktplatz; 6am-1pm Tue & Sat year-round, plus Thu May-Oct).
GETTING AROUND
The bus station (schedules posted) is in front of the Hauptbahnhof.
Free parking is available along the streets northeast of the Hauptbahnhof (north of Landauerstrasse).
Fahrrad Trimpe ( 487 070; Branchweilerhofstrasse 11; per day €10; 9am-6.30pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat), about 1.5km northeast of the Hauptbahnhof near Haltestelle Neustadt-Böbig (a stop on the rail line to Ludwigshafen), rents bikes and can deliver them to hotels.
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Deidesheim
06326 / pop 3800
Awash in wisterias, diminutive Deidesheim, one of the German Wine Road’s most picturesque – and upscale – villages, is home to 16 winemakers that welcome visitors; look for signs reading Weingut (winery), Verkauf (sale) and Weinprobe (wine tasting). The town is famed for its Christmas market.
The helpful tourist office ( 967 70; www.deidesheim.de; Bahnhofstrasse 5; 9am-noon & 2-5pm Mon-Fri Nov-Jul, 9am-12.30pm & 1.30-5pm Mon-Thu, to 6pm Fri Aug-Oct, 9am-12.30pm Sat Apr-Oct), 150m across the car park from the Bahnhof, has maps for nine signposted walking routes through vineyards and the Pfälzerwald. Down the block, the Sinneserlebnisgarten (sense-experience garden) is set to open up in 2010.
Deidesheim is centred on the historic Marktplatz, where you’ll find a Gothic church, Pfarrkirche St Ulrich ( daily), and the 16th-century Altes Rathaus, noted for its canopied open-air staircase. Inside is the three-storey Museum für Weinkultur (Museum of Wine Culture; 981 561; Marktplatz 8; admission free; 3-6pm Wed-Sun & holidays), featuring displays on winemakers’ traditional lifestyle and naive art portrayals of the German Wine Road (English brochure available).
Down an alleyway across from the Rathaus, the Deutsches Film- und Fototechnik Museum (Film & Photography Museum; 6568; www.dftm.de, in German; Weinstrasse 33; admission free; 2-6pm Wed-Sun & holidays Mar-Dec) has