Bad Urach is located in the Swabian Alps and is a hiker haven filled with green forests, castle ruins, and waterfalls. It is one of my favourite places to hike.
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Bal Urach is a place of big treed hills, castle ruins, waterfalls and of course the requisite beer gardens. And my favourite part about it is that it isn’t well known by tourists. There are also different hiking routes to choose from which means that you’ll have plenty of reasons to return.
Love The Locals
Bad Urach Waterfall is an easy and popular hike with families. It is very popular with German locals who love to walk and spend time outdoors when there is good weather.
It’s not uncommon to see German children stripping down for a dip in the small burbling stream en-route to the waterfall. The stream is refreshing and the kids seem to be having the time of their lives. If we weren’t there to hike I could have spent the day paddling around the stream.
Who doesn’t like feeling like a kid again once in a while right? While Bad Urach is a popular spot for hiking, it’s primarily Germans that go there, so if you’re looking for a place with a local flavour Bad Ulrach is a good choice to see how the locals hang out on a weekend.
Related Reading: Lichtenstein Castle: 7 Interesting Things
Hiking In Bad Urach
For hikers seeking more challenging routes, there are plenty of those as well, but signs are not always clear, or even present as we found multiple times at three-way intersections with not a sign in sight. You get pretty confused but I think that’s all part of the adventure.
We choose a 10 km route with 6 points of interest along the way, including two waterfalls and Hohenurach Castle, a castle ruin dating back to the 11th century. We only hit two of those points of interest due to bad signage and running out of time.
But I thoroughly enjoyed stopping at the waterfalls for a cool refreshing break. Both waterfalls are small but beautiful nonetheless and were one of the highlights of our hike. One of the waterfalls has steps carved into the side, where you can walk to the top of the waterfall. It’s definitely worth walking up but be careful because it’s pretty slippery. Make sure you’re wearing the right shoes for this part.
Our 10km hike turned into a 15km+ one and Hohenurach Castle (which I really wanted to see and could see from a distance along the way) eluded us, despite taunting us en-route (as pictured in the top photo). If you really want to see Hohenurach Castle, my advice is to hike to it first and not last as our route suggested.
We eventually did find the trail at the very end but had to get back to Stuttgart at that point. To steal a famous movie quote from Arnold Schwarzenegger “I’ll be back.”
Related Reading: Castle Ruins in Stuttgart
Know Before You Go To Bad Urach
- Bad Urach is located only 45 minutes south of Stuttgart
- The train station is steps away from the start of the hiking trails.
- There is a food kiosk and a restaurant at the start of the trail and a hut at the top of the waterfall with a limited menu.
- You can choose between several hiking trails depending on the difficulty level.
- You might want to consider using a GPS for direction as the signage is not great and you might end up on the wrong trail.
- For more info visit the Bad Urach Tourist Information (available in English).
Accommodation in Bad Urach
Stay in Bad Urach and enjoy a few days of exploring new hiking trails and the town spas. Enjoy a night at the Flair Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, a family-run establishment where you can enjoy great views of the Swabian Alps.
Enjoy German hospitality at Gästehaus 26/2 in Bad Urach. The guesthouse is simple and homely and is highly rated. guests particularly note that the owner of the guesthouse is friendly and accommodating.
Bischoffs Hotel has a touch of sophistication and luxury. The hotel has modern furnished rooms and a beautiful sun terrace and restaurant. Enjoy a glass of wine in the lounge or spend some time in the spa. If your up for a bit of fun try out the bowling alley in the hotel. You can ask the front desk about hiking and cycling trails and how to reach them.