Discover Dinkelsbühl: Old Town, Culture and Trails

Dinkelsbühl combines local history and Late Gothic architecture with an annual festival and several routes for walking or cycling. This offers a range of options for planning your trip: the Old Town and its architecture, the Kinderzeche festival, outdoor activities, an evening programme or the Wörnitzstrandbad river pool. Some activities are tied to an annual date or a particular season.

History and architecture in the Old Town

The House of Dinkelsbühl History – War and Peace is housed in the Old Town Hall and explores the city’s history over more than 800 years. Its focus is therefore on a long history; the time span gives you a sense of the city’s historical scope.

St. George’s Minster was built to plans by Nikolaus Eseler between 1448 and 1499 and is considered one of the finest Late Gothic hall churches in southern Germany. Its construction period, architect and building type give the minster its distinctive architectural character. The House of History and St. George’s thus offer two different points of focus: the city’s history and a Late Gothic church.

Kinderzeche: Festival dates and Zeughaus

The Kinderzeche takes place every year on the weekends around the third Monday in July. If you would like to plan your trip around the festival, check the current dates in advance. The Kinderzech-Zeughaus offers another way to explore the subject: it preserves and displays faithful reproductions of the costumes and the props used in the historic Kinderzeche festival play. The festival and the Zeughaus are both connected to the Kinderzeche, but they differ in what you would plan for: an annual event date or the costumes and props on display.

The Old Town and routes on foot or by bike

The official city tour follows 17 stops through Dinkelsbühl’s Old Town. For a longer walk, there are two circular routes with different distances and itineraries. The 13.1-kilometre “Land-Wald Natur” circular trail starts at Altrathausplatz, leaves the Old Town through the Wörnitztor and runs mainly through the Mutschach recreation area. Here, the precise route can be considered together with its starting point and length.

The 8.8-kilometre “Stadt-Land-Fluss” circular trail follows the Wörnitz and passes through Rain, Seidelsdorf and Burgstall on its way back to Dinkelsbühl. The distances of 8.8 and 13.1 kilometres make for a direct comparison, while the starting points and routes distinguish the trails. The long-distance Via Romea Germanica, in turn, passes directly through the historic Old Town. It adds another hiking route without being the same as either of the two circular trails.

For cyclists, the 107-kilometre Wörnitz Cycle Route runs from Schillingsfürst via Dinkelsbühl, following the Wörnitz to Wassertrüdingen, Oettingen and Donauwörth. It is a longer route that passes through several named towns; the circular trails are distinguished by their respective routes around Dinkelsbühl and their stated distances. Dinkelsbühl’s Kesselholz has also been home to a mountain bike park since July 2022, with three forest trails at different difficulty levels for beginners and more experienced riders. The park focuses on its trails and difficulty levels, while the Wörnitz Cycle Route covers a 107-kilometre journey.

Evening programme, river pool and mountain bike trails

Dinkelsbühl’s night watchman leads an evening tour through the illuminated Old Town. He blows his night watchman’s horn, sings the verses of his night watchman’s song and talks about the duties of a night watchman. The exact dates for this recurring visitor programme may change seasonally, so check them before your trip.

From September to May, bands playing a range of styles perform every Friday at the Schrannenkeller, with free admission. This seasonal concert programme differs in timing from the annual Kinderzeche festival in July. Check the current concert calendar to plan your stay for a Friday that suits you.

The Wörnitzstrandbad is one of Bavaria’s last river pools. It has a large sunbathing lawn, a play area and views of Dinkelsbühl’s Old Town. Alongside the trails, architecture and evening programme, it offers a swimming spot located right by the river.

The three forest trails in the Kesselholz mountain bike park cover different difficulty levels and are suited to beginners as well as more experienced riders. Together with the Wörnitz Cycle Route, they offer two distinct cycling options: forest trails graded by difficulty and a 107-kilometre route along the Wörnitz.

Discover more destinations: Windsbach, Leutershausen, Insingen, Bechhofen, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Triesdorf, Burk, Ornbau.

Return to the regional travel overview: Ansbach.