Things to do in Esslingen am Neckar will show you how romantic and charming place this is. Esslingen am Neckar should get on your travel bucket list without any considerations.
It seems that when you travel instantly, there are less and less places, giving you the »wow« factor. Sometimes your enthusiasm depends also from your expectations – less you know about a visited place, more impressed you might be at the end. And that is exactly what happened on our roadtrip when we stopped in Esslingen Germany, a small town near better known Stuttgart.
We have always wanted to see the half-timbered houses, so famous for some regions in Germany. When we realized they can be seen in Esslingen we were thrilled. But honestly told that was not the only reason for being so impressed over Esslingen. If you are wondering why even bother stopping here, when you have bigger and for many, more interesting Stuttgart just 16 kilometers away, let us give you our best reasons.
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7 Best things to do in Esslingen am Neckar, Germany
Half-timbered houses
These fairytale like houses are so beautiful we could stare at them all day long. Some say, they look like gingerbreads and they really did give this kind of impression to us too. Nevertheless, it is a fact, that these half-timbered houses in Esslingen are the oldest one in Germany. They originate from second half of 13th Century.
The old town
A walk through the old town is not inviting only because of the half-timbered houses, but also because the Esslingen town was hardly damaged during the WW2 and for that the old houses are still original and authentic.
The old town hall
Lots of German towns are famous for its clock towers, but only one is the oldest in Germany – and you guessed it, you can find it right here in Esslingen.
Castle hill / Burgsteige
One of our favorite things in Esslingen is a short hike up to the castle hill, offering some amazing views on the old town and vineyards.
Kessler wine cellar
The vineyards in Esslingen have long tradition, so no wonder that the Kessler sparkling wine has been already produced here for 190 years. With that, Esslingen and Kessler wine cellar is the German’s oldest sparkling wine producer. You can even attend a guided tour and tasting of the Kessler wine cellar, but make sure to book your tour in advance.
Local market
There is no greater joy for us than local markets, but we were in Esslingen town the wrong day to attend one here too. Oh well, the market square is still worth visiting, as it is surrounded by 3 churches and lots of beautiful half-timbered houses, where local restaurants can be found.
Little Venice
Almost every place, which we can connect with water, somehow ends up getting a nick name connected to Venice and that goes true for Esslingen too.
There are so many places in the world worth visiting and Esslingen was one of the most charming places on our roadtrip around Germany, Belgium and Holland. It might be for our lack of knowledge about it, but more we think about it, more sure we are that Esslingen is charming for it selves. We would definitely recommend stopping here to everyone, wanting to explore authentic German town, full of tradition, history and charm. Last but not least, being so close to Stuttgart, it is also a great base to explore it, as food, accommodation and everything else is much cheaper here than in Stuttgart. But if you still prefer staying in Stuttgart, make sure to do a day trip to Esslingen – you won’t be sorry and that’s a promise!
Some useful travel tips for Esslingen Germany:
- Accommodation: If you can splurge a bit more, there is a great hotel, just steps away from the old town – Hotel Best Western Park Consul Stuttgart/Esslingen. The hotel also has a beautiful roof-top terrace, offering gorgeous views over the old town and the vineyards. (Coordinates: 48.44.29.6 / 9.148.51.1)
- Food: You can already get a veggie menu for as little as 5,50€ or meat menu for 7,50€ in one of the local restaurants on the Market square.
- Beer: 3,40€ / 0,5l
Those half-timbered buildings, and the town hall are stunning. So interesting to see old towns undamaged by the war… Esslingen is definitely on my Germany to do list now!
Hi katie,
glad to read you will put Esslingen on your travel bucket list for Germany. It is always nice to see our blog posts inspire someone to visit a certain destination. We are sure you will love Esslingen too.
I visited Esslingen a few years ago as a day trip from Stuttgart and totally loved it! Fabulous place.
Hi Marie!
We could not agree more. We loved Esslingen as well. When seeing it on our schedule we did not know much about it, but at the end it was one of the sweetest German places on the roadtrip.