Weekend Trip to Reutlingen: The Perfect 48-Hour Plan

Reutlingen, the city at the foot of the Swabian Alb, is perfect for an intensive 48-hour city break. The former Free Imperial City combines mediaeval flair with modern urban living and offers a surprisingly packed programme spanning culture, nature and cuisine. Here's a well-thought-out plan for making the most of two days.

Day one is best started with a leisurely breakfast in one of the cafés around the Marktplatz. You shouldn't miss the Marienkirche with its eighty-metre-high tower – the climb is rewarded with a magnificent panoramic view over the city, and on clear days, as far as the Achalm and the edge of the Alb. Right next door lies one of Reutlingen's landmarks: the narrowest street in the world, which at just thirty-one centimetres at its tightest point holds a place in the Guinness Book of Records and is an obligatory photo opportunity.

For the morning, a stroll through Gartentorstraße with its owner-run boutiques and galleries is well worth it. For lunch, head to the Gerberviertel, once home to the leather craftsmen and now home to small restaurants serving Swabian and Mediterranean cuisine. The afternoon is all about nature: a short bus ride takes you to the Achalm, a local mountain standing seven hundred metres high. The roughly thirty-minute climb is rewarded with a panorama that ranks among the finest in all of southern Germany. The Achalmturm offers a place to stop for refreshments, complete with a beer garden.

Spend the evening at the franz.K cultural centre, a former Franciscan monastery that today hosts a lively programme of concerts, theatre and cabaret. Day two begins with a visit to the Natural History Museum, whose dinosaur exhibition is a particular hit with families. After that, it's worth taking a detour to the Metzingen outlet centre, just twenty minutes away, which with over a hundred designer brands is the largest of its kind in Germany. In the late afternoon, return to Reutlingen to round off the day with dinner at the covered city-wall restaurants, before setting off home in the early evening. Reutlingen proves that you don't need to travel to Berlin or München for an eventful weekend.

The old town sets the scene for the start: around the Marktplatz with its town hall and Marienkirche, Reutlingen shows its historic side – curiosity included. Spreuerhofstraße is said to be the narrowest street in the world and is worth the one snapshot nobody wants to miss. From there, continue through the Tübinger Tor into the shopping lanes.

If you're after some greenery, you'll find it at the Pomologie: the former orchard is now a city park with mature trees, meadows and a garden-show heritage – perfect for a lunch break. From there, it's worth looking up towards the Achalm: the local mountain with its tower rewards the short climb with a panorama over the city and the edge of the Alb.

Lunch is Swabian: Maultaschen, lentils with Spätzle and Rostbraten feature on the menus of the inns in the town centre, along with regional beers and Alb wines. Cafés and ice-cream parlours take over in the afternoon – the concentration around Marktstraße and Wilhelmstraße is pleasingly high.

Culture fills the afternoon: the Kunstmuseum in the Spendhaus showcases the woodcut tradition around HAP Grieshaber, while the Heimatmuseum tells the city's history as a former Imperial City. Those who prefer shopping can head to Wilhelmstraße – one of the busiest shopping streets in the region.

The evening offers plenty of choice: wine taverns and bars in the old town, theatre and concerts at the franz.K cultural centre or the Stadthalle – as the region's unofficial capital, Reutlingen has a reliable evening programme. In summer, everyone sits outside until the lanes fall quiet.

Sunday takes you out and about: the edge of the Alb begins right on the doorstep – hikes to the Rossberg, the Nebelhöhle or Lichtenstein Castle turn the city trip into a day out in nature. In spring, Gönningen is worth a visit for its tulip blossom, while in autumn the orchard meadows glow with colour.

Alternatively, stay urban: brunch in the town centre, a stroll through the side streets and a detour to neighbouring Tübingen – the neighbouring town is just minutes away by train and adds a touch of Neckar flair to the weekend.

Families are well catered for: playgrounds in the Pomologie, the Natural History Museum and, in summer, the outdoor swimming pools cover all ages; the Achalm loop can also be tackled with a pushchair via the alternative carriage road.

Practical matters: Reutlingen is easily reached by train from Stuttgart and Tübingen with frequent connections, and multi-storey car parks line the town centre. Distances are short and the cobbles are typical of an old town – comfortable shoes are all the specialist equipment you need.

That's how 48 hours fill up almost by themselves: Imperial City history and the narrowest of lanes, a local mountain and the Pomologie, Swabian cuisine and the air of the Alb edge. Reutlingen doesn't push itself forward – but it delivers reliably, and that's exactly what makes the weekend trip so pleasantly straightforward.

And if you still have questions after the 48 hours, the best place to ask them is over a Viertele in a Gasthaus: Reutlingen locals are happy to explain their city – from the fine-dust joke to the legend of the Achalm. By then, at the latest, it becomes clear why the region so values its unofficial capital: honest, well located and with more charm than first glances reveal.

The weekend trip ends as it began – relaxed. And the Achalm is already beckoning for next time.

If you like, you can jot down seasonal destinations for your next visit right away: the tulip blossom in Gönningen in spring, the wine-village summer in the town centre and the Christmas market beneath the Marienkirche – Reutlingen has its own occasion ready for every season.