Distance from base: 225 km

We are going to Bad Dürkheim to the Sausage Market which is the biggest wine festival in the world. It has been called the wine version of Munich's Oktoberfest. Have fun with the carnival rides and enjoy the good regional food and wines of the “Pfalz”.

The Wurstmarkt (literally "Sausage Market"), one of the largest, most traditional and entertaining public festivals in Germany welcomes you with over 150 different wines in over 50 different places - from the mellow Riesling to the fines ice-wine. This market is 570 years old, and still as young as ever - the Dürkheim festival of festivals - the main event of the year in the Pfalz. The entertainment along with the wine is one of the distinctive features of the festival.

The landmark of the Wurstmarkt is the world's largest wine barrel known as Dürkheimer Riesenfass (or just Fass or Därgemer Fass for the locals). It has a diameter of 13.5 meters and can hold 44 million gallons of wine, but has been transformed into a multi-level wine shop and restaurant. A visit during the festival is a must!

Whether in the large wine halls or at the traditional "Schubkärchler" - small traditional wine stands with scrubbed wooden tables worn smooth over the years - the Dürkheim wine loses none of its flavor wherever you drink it. Or if you prefer to enjoy a fine wine in a more tranquil and intimate atmosphere, the "Weindorf" - the wine village - is the place for you.

And if you can't handle the thought of a day only with wine, rest assured that they also supply a beer hall and non-alcoholic options.

The culinary event has been celebrated for around 600 years, and what started as a fair for local farmers and wine growers now attracts more than 600,000 visitors drinking hundreds of thousands of liters of wine annually.

History:
By the 12th century, growers began to gather here to sell their produce to the pilgrims heading to the chapel (Michaeliskapelle) on top of a nearby mountain (Michaelsberg). By 1417, the event was known as Michaelismarkt. The festival eventually became known as the Wurstmarkt in 1832 due to the large number of sausages on sale. While pilgrims continued their plight on St. Michael's Day until the 15th century, the Wurstmarkt is now an attraction in itself.