As you stand on the edge of the Albtrauf plateau, one of Germany’s most idyllic corners unfurls at your feet: a lush patchwork of fields and forests, criss-crossed with silvery waterways. Up here, 1,000 metres above the valley floor, the earth simply falls away – like the edge of a parapet. If you walk even a fraction of this 200km-long escarpment, you’ll spy hilltop castles, juniper heathlands, dramatic rock formations and much more – while birds pirouette on the thermals, impervious to that white-knuckle drop.
The Swabian Alb’s landscape is a work of art, millenia in the making. From Ellwangen in the north-east to Tuttlingen in the south-west, the area is nurtured by the Neckar and young Danube rivers, with Lake Bodensee almost touching its southernmost tip. Shaped by volcanic eruptions and ancient inland seas, the terrain ranges from rolling vineyards to karst limestone formations – and the Albtrauf, on the northwestern edge, is a mighty crescendo.
But the landscape is just one of the Swabian Alb’s treasures. Here are five reasons to head there for yourself – discovering everything from Medieval marvels to Albert Einstein’s birthplace...