On a road trip in southern Germany through the Danube valley

The Danube is one of Europe's mightiest rivers and originates in the region of Baden-Württemberg. Our journey will take place along the banks of this river, and to learn more about this special river right away, we will start our road trip through southern Germany in the town of Immendingen.

In Immendingen, you have a unique natural phenomenon related to this special river: the 'Danube Swell'. In the hot summer months, the Danube seeps drop by drop through the karst rock, causing the river to disappear underground. Only 12 kilometres away and some 183 metres lower, the Danube reappears in the Aachtopf, Germany's largest spring. From mid-May to mid-September - a bit depending on the weather - you can walk along the Danube's dried-up riverbed and, with a bit of luck, find prehistoric fossils.

Then drive on to your first sleeping place of this round trip. We spend the night at Boutique Hotel 1280 Die Krone. That number in the name indicates the year of construction of the building: 1280. This old building has been completely renovated and transformed into a beautiful, spacious and luxurious boutique hotel. Original materials like wood and stone together with newer materials like steel and glass form the basis for the interior. This hotel has character and exudes tranquillity. After a long day of travelling, I find the soft bed extra comfortable.

After a good night's sleep and a delicious breakfast at Boutique Hotel 1280 Die Krone, today an active day is scheduled. We will explore the region on foot and by bike. At Donautal in Beuron, we hire an e-bike to whizz along. We cycle through forest paths in the valley of the Schwäbische Jura, also known as the Schwäbische Alb. It is wonderfully peaceful here. Idyllic almost. No motorway can be heard here, just birds whistling. And the occasional bicycle bell from a passing fellow adventurer.

Walkers, too, can indulge themselves. In the Schwäbische Jura there are quite a few altitude metres to climb. Numerous hiking trails take you through the forest, past rock formations, caves and viewpoints with vistas over the valley. The routes are easy to follow because of the signs along the path, marked with blue and green waves.

After this active day, we check in at Hotel Berghaus Knophmacher. On the hotel terrace, we enjoy the view of the valley and a nice dinner. Tomorrow morning the alarm will go off before sunrise, for a hike to the viewpoint. So after dessert, we crawl into bed satisfied.

After enjoying the view in the early morning - it was cloudy, so we unfortunately missed the spectacular sunrise - we got in the car diversions to the fairytale castle in Sigmaringen.

Fan of a good beer now and then? Do not skip the town of Ehingen during your road trip through southern Germany. Breweries belong in this region. They were first mentioned as early as 1384. Generation after generation refined the art of beer brewing here, resulting in numerous local family breweries. Berg Bier is one of them, and Mr Nothelfer leads us around the brewery, explaining to us room by room the process of how it is brewed from local ingredients into a nice cold beer in the end. In Berg Bier's accompanying café, we can taste different brews.

We continue our road trip through southern Germany to Ulm. Ulm is Albert Einstein's hometown, although he only lived here for the first 13 months of his life. Ulm is a bustling town on the Danube and on the edge of the Baden-Württemberg region. It has something for everyone: the more active among us can go supping along the Danube - we hired a board at SUP Station Ulm and looked out over the city and nature from the Danube for eight kilometres. Delightful!