Special steam train journey to the German Grape Harvest Festival in Neustadt (Weinstr.)

On Sunday 4 October 2026, a special train, hauled by steam locomotive 23 042, will take you to Neustadt an der Weinstraße for the German Grape Harvest Festival or on the Kuckucksbähnel!

The train departs from Darmstadt Central Station at around 11.00. The journey continues via Bensheim, Lorsch and Hofheim (Ried), through Worms and Ludwigshafen, to Neustadt (Weinstr.), where the train is due to arrive at around 13.00.

The German Grape Harvest Festival, held in the heart of the world’s oldest wine route, is the highlight of the Palatinate’s wine festival season and holds a magical attraction for wine lovers. In ‘Haiselschern’, the hospitable Palatinate wine village, there is always a lively atmosphere, with new wine, Palatinate specialities and live music on the main stage. Amidst rustic half-timbered houses, you can let yourself be enchanted by the aromas of Palatinate cuisine and experience the grand wine festival with a selection of fine wines and refreshing wine spritzers. What’s more, on Experience Sunday from 1.00 pm to 6.00 pm, local shops and restaurants invite you to shop, relax and enjoy yourself.

For railway enthusiasts who can’t get enough of the steam train experience, our special train departs from Neustadt (Weinstr.) at around  2.30 pm and continues on to Lamprecht to board the ‘Kuckucksbähnel’. In Lamprecht, passengers will change to the original Kuckucksbähnel train, which – hauled by the steam locomotive ‘Sissi’ – winds its way through the Elmstein Valley at a leisurely pace. The return journey is then made directly to Neustadt (Weinstr.) on the Kuckucksbähnel train, arriving there at 6.20 pm.

From Neustadt, all passengers will then set off on the return journey together at around 7.00 pm, arriving at Darmstadt Central Station at around 8.30 pm.