goretz wrote:There is a lot of rock climbing and castle ruins exploration available in the Sud-Pfalz, which also happens to be on the southern end of the German Wine Road (Deutsche Wein Strasse). The wine road runs north-south along the west side of the Rhine River valley and is right on the edge of the Pfalzerwald, which is the largest unbroken stretch of forest in Germany.

There aren't any big peaks in the Pfalzerwald, but it is a beautiful forest. In the southern part (Sud-Pfalz), there are many good crags for climbing. There is a good climbing guide (in German) available at local outdoor stores.

The area between Bad Durkheim and Annweiler has an abundance of vineyards, castles and crags. I highly recommend it. The wines in the region are very good, inexpensive and completely acceptable if you are not a wine snob. Nothing like a nice dry wein-schorle (white wine and sparkling mineral water) after a long day of hiking, climbing and castle hunting!