Imagine fairytale Germany: green mossy walls and a romantic river, tower castles and colorful wooden homes. What if I told you a place like this actually existed. This is Tübingen. When I visited a friend in Stuttgart a couple years ago, the one place she really wanted to take me to was Tübingen to go on the Stocherkahnfahrten. Yes, I know that is a mouthful. It means “punt ride.” This a German raft that you take along rivers. It fits many people with its wooden plank seats and has a driver similar to a Gondola. So we had it planned that we would visit!
I have to say, Tübingen is one of the prettiest towns in Germany. The mood was set just right between the buskers playing the accordion and the kora as well as the artist painting life in action. Time really seemed to slow down here. You never would have guessed it was just a random weekend in the middle of April.
We took the bus here (normally you can take the train, but it was not running that day). It was no more than 2 hours by bus from Ostfildern, but it would definitely be faster by train and especially from Stuttgart. The city center is just about a few minutes walk from the station and you know immediately that you have reached it.
Before crossing the bridge of the Neckar River to the beautiful city center you can stop to buy your tickets for a Stocherkahnfahrten at the visitor center and tourist information office. You can buy these tickets for about 13 euros here at the tourist office, which really is not a bad price the experience you get. The time of year these rides go on is dependent on the weather. The rides usually run from May to September, but we got really lucky with the good April weather! I say good, but just wait until you read my other posts from this trip. I suppose Germany isn’t too different from Minnesota, really nice some days and not so nice others.
The punts ended up being one of maybe the coolest things I have ever done. It is a different kind of boat than what I am used to, as it feels less sturdy with the planks that make up the seats that are easily removable. If you had to choose one thing to do in the city this is what you should do because it is so unique to Tübingen and provides the most beautiful view of the buildings lining the river.
We gots tickets for the next ride on the hour so we had a bit of time to explore the city beforehand. You have to do both because you see a very different side of the city via walking and via the river. Walking made it feel much more like a small German city: a big church, a cute main square (we caught a wedding here!), and little boutiques. This was where life was happening. The boat showed a more idyllic side: a life people take time to enjoy.
But lets set some expectations about this ride, because its not a like a private Gondola going through Venice. There will be other people on the boat and you need that because it is so big, it needs the weight balance. You could end up with tourists or some locals just out to enjoy some sunshine. Its just good to expect the company of others because they will also be in your photos.
The ride only lasts about an hour which means you also have plenty of time to see the “altstadt” or the old city during a day visit to the city. Here is what we did with the rest of our time in Tübingen.
At the end of the bridge, we started walking to the left where we hit Holzmarkt. This is the cute little square I was talking about. There was a fountain in front of the Stiftskirche and the accordion player. If the weather is nice you will definitely find a busker of some sort here. Its a great entrance into the city.
From here we continued walking through the old city until we hit the Marktplatz, which is the German word for Market Square. This is the main square of German towns because it is traditionally where market were held. Today you’ll find many cafes and hopefully a market of sorts! The town hall also sits in the square with its neo-renaissance style that dates back to the 14th century. It is a popular place to get married so if you are lucky like us, you will maybe catch a special event going on. I thought it was a sweet place to have a wedding, or at least the photos.
After Marktplatz we continued on to Burgsteige and walked up the hill to Castle Hohentübingen. Here you can walk into the courtyard to enjoy the architecture from the middle ages or go inside to visit the University of Tübingen’s prehistoric art museum. We didn’t go inside as the exhibits do require a bit of time (and money), but the castle is still worth it just for the views. It is maybe not the most extravagant castle to walk around, but it is nice and because it is on a hill, it has a nice view of the small city. It is a nice place to take a seat on the wall and take a break with a little something to look at.
There are a few other museums you can visit in Tübingen as well. I recommend if you are looking to save a little money by going to somewhere free is the “Stadt Museum Tübingen” which is the City Museum. This is the museum we ended up visiting in place of the one at the castle. They have exhibits for all ages. You can find exhibits on the history of the city (which I found to be the most interesting), art including Lotte Cleaner and portraits, and social exhibits. There are constant rotations of exhibits so make sure to look up what they have before you go! This is also a great stop if you are looking for a public restroom! I would highly recommend visiting a museum here. It is the best way to learn about a foreign city. Even if you aren’t a reader, just the artifacts themselves here were really interesting.
Of course in all this sight seeing we made a stop for lunch. We ended up at a taco place called Pico Teca which has a lunch menu on Fridays and Saturdays. It obviously was not the best Mexican food I have had as someone from the USA and who has visited Mexico, but it was still good and really unique! We had a vegan version of tacos that was unlike anything I have ever had, in a good way! We also stopped in and out of many shops looking at cute clothing, souvenirs, and home goods. There was not a shortage of things to do and see in Tübingen.
Before we left we went into St. George’s Collegiate Church, the church is in Holzmarkt. It was so gorgeous I would never have even thought that it wasn’t a Catholic church. It had pillars and wooden beams stretched out across the ceiling in a nice shaping. We also got lucky because there was a professional choir rehearsing in there at the time, so we sat and listened for a bit. I love moments like these that feel like hidden gems as its just a moment you stumbled upon. Everyone can walk around the city and go on the river, but not everyone just stumbles in on a beautiful choir rehearsal. Those make the best memories.
From here we said our goodbyes to Tübingen and called it a day. The city is lovely, but it definitely is a better day trip than a place to stay. I think it would be a great a place to live though. It is a college town, so it is big enough to have things to do and great restaurants (everything you need), while also maintaining a small town charm and a slower pace of life. I would easily come back to Tübingen and recommend it to anyone visiting the Baden-Würrtemburg area of Germany.
The Journal of Wanderlust 