Naturpark Schönbuch Nature Reserve Swabian Alps Region

For back-to-nature hiking and cycling, make for this 156-sq-km, lushly forested nature reserve. It's interwoven with 560km of marked trails. With a bit of luck and a pair of binoculars, you might catch a glimpse of black woodpeckers and yellow-bellied toads. The nature reserve’s beech and oak woods fringe the village of Bebenhausen and its well-preserved Cistercian abbey. Bebenhausen, 7km north of Tübingen via the L1208, is the gateway to Naturpark Schönbuch. Buses run at least twice hourly (€2.30, 15 minutes).