Germany: A Day Trip To Esslingen am Neckar

On our recent trip to Germany, we visit the beautiful medieval city of Esslingen – or Esslingen am Neckar if you want its full name. From our base just outside of Speyer/Hockenheim in Germany, our day trip to Esslingen started at the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart before taking the short 15 minute drive to the centre of Esslingen. We’ve been to Stuttgart numerous times –usually for the Cannstatter Volksfest (Oktoberfest), but until recently didn’t realize Esslingen was so close or we’d have visited it sooner!
Why should anyone visit Esslingen?
Sitting on the Neckar River (just past Stuttgart), Esslingen has numerous bridges and canals throughout the town and they appear out of nowhere – and there’s always another one just around the corner. With more than 200 half-timbered houses, there’s no shortage of what many of us consider the definitive “look” that defines the architecture of Germany.

Another worthwhile trip is to the walled city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber if you want an abundance of half-timbered houses, shops and buildings (see link below).

Related: Day Trip To Tübingen

Related: Rothenburg ob der Tauber

When we arrived, there was a shortage of parking spaces as the town was setting up for the Oktoberfest celebrations that were to begin the following day (Saturday). Fortunately we got a spot right by the bridge that enters the town – right beside the canal. A lot of our initial pictures were taken just a few steps from the car.

(click pictures for larger versions)

TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

Esslingen am Neckar, TravelBloggers.ca, Iain Shankland, Gail Shankland

We had no definitive plan when arriving in Esslingen – we just figured we wander around aimlessly and see what we see.

Crossing onto the bridge to get pictures of the Eiszeit Restaurant [///speared.princes.record], located at the point of the Rossneckarkanal, we then headed back to the left along Abt-Fulrad-Strasse towards the Marktplatz.

Entering the old town was a bit of a let-down initially, but that was only at the beginning of our meandering walk through the alleys and walkways of this beautiful town. Once past the initial roadway and down an alleyway, the town was captivating and there was no shortage of picture-taking opportunities.

We probably spent at least 90 minutes just wandering around taking in the sights and enjoying the atmosphere. We didn’t rush, and unless you stop for something to eat or drink, that’s about all you’ll need to schedule time-wise to see everything. It was a perfect complement to our day out to the Porsche Museum and Cannstatter Volksfest!

If you go:

SatNav Directions: Marktplatz Esslingen – Marktpl.18, 73728 Esslingen am Neckar
What3words: ///bunny.ordering.topical
Google: P8V4+3J Esslingen, Germany
Parking is plentiful around the town centre (Marktpltz)
We parked here: ///pity.scan.graver

Text: Iain Shankland | Photography: Iain & Gail Shankland