September 25, 2026, 3:14 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
On September 22, 2026, it was that time again in Berlin: The TRAVELBOOK Award was once more presented. Among the categories was the most beautiful villages in Germany, with five contenders on the shortlist. One of them: the picturesque Dörrenbach in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Dörrenbach in the Palatinate
The small village of Dörrenbach in Rhineland-Palatinate has around 1,000 residents and is a resort on the German Wine Route. The wine village is located in the southern Palatinate, directly by the Palatinate Forest in the Bad Bergzabern region and not far from the French Alsace.
Its history of more than a thousand years dates back to 992, when Dörrenbach was first mentioned in documents under the name Turrenbach. However, the residents of Dörrenbach themselves suspect that their charming gem existed even before that.
The so-called “Sleeping Beauty Village of the Palatinate,” which even crowns its own Sleeping Beauty every other year, was already declared the most beautiful village of the Southern Wine Route in 1975, according to the Dörrenbach Info Page.
What makes the Palatinate’s Dörrenbach so special?
Dörrenbach is a dreamy village full of tranquility and romance, rich in fairy-tale settings. Whitewashed half-timbered houses with deep brown beams and colorful flowers line the partly cobblestone streets. At the center is the Historic Town Hall, a Renaissance building in half-timbered style erected in 1590/91.
The approximately 10-square-kilometer wine village is not only picturesque but, due to its sunny location and fertile soils, is also ideal for cultivating grape varieties such as Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc, as well as Dornfelder, St. Laurent, Regent, and Merlot, according to a Palatinate Info Page.
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What can you experience in Dörrenbach?
First of all, visiting Dörrenbach is worthwhile for its picturesque scenery alone. Attractions in Dörrenbach include the Town Hall, the medieval fortified church complex, the Kolmerberg Chapel, and the open-air theater with an adjacent barbecue area in the middle of the forest. Additionally, the Guttenberg Castle ruins on the Schlossberg, about three kilometers away, can be visited. From the Stäffelsberg observation tower, you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Rhine Valley, Alsace, the Odenwald, and even the Black Forest, according to the Palatinate Info Page.
Additionally, you can hike around Dörrenbach, for example, through the vineyards and the Palatinate Forest. According to the Dörrenbach Info Page, there are more than 40 kilometers of hiking trails around Dörrenbach. The fairy-tale hiking trails “Brothers Grimm” and the “Sleeping Beauty Circular Trail” are particularly nice for families. Guided hikes are also offered in Dörrenbach. The rural village’s surroundings can also be explored well by bicycle. Dörrenbach’s leisure offerings also include wine tastings.
For all the information on the other contenders for the title of Germany’s most beautiful village, read more at TRAVELBOOK.
Methodology for the TRAVELBOOK Award
Again this year, we say it: All nominated regions, countries, and others for the TRAVELBOOK Award are already winners. Even if they didn’t achieve overall victory. This also applies to the village of Dörrenbach in Rhineland-Palatinate. Because: Every hidden gem travel destination has already made it to the shortlist in advance, having been selected from a large number of contenders in a category.
The TRAVELBOOK editorial team asked the community on Facebook and Instagram for help and consulted experts from the travel industry to create the shortlist. For the first time this year, not only TRAVELBOOK readers but also BILD readers voted. In total, more than 150,000 votes were cast to determine the trend travel destinations for 2027.