Things to Do in Walldorf, Germany

Walldorf is a working town rather than a tourist destination: most visitors come for SAP or for business, and the old centre is small. But there is enough for a pleasant half-day — a museum in the house John Jacob Astor's money built, a cluster of historic churches, asparagus fields and forest walks — and some of south-west Germany's best-known sights are less than half an hour away. This page lists what is genuinely worth seeing.

In Walldorf itself

Astorhaus and Museum im Astorhaus

The Astorhaus was built with the $50,000 that John Jacob Astor left to his birthplace and opened in 1854 as a poorhouse and orphanage. With its park, it is the town's most attractive historic spot. Inside, the volunteer-run local history museum shows Astor memorabilia, a recreated 19th-century farmhouse interior, farming and forestry tools and Roman finds from Walldorf. Opening is limited (traditionally the first Sunday afternoon of the month) — check museum-im-astorhaus.de. More: Astorhaus and the Astor legacy.

Historic churches

A short walk links the late-Baroque Catholic church of St. Peter (1787, enlarged 1961–63), the neo-Gothic Protestant town church (1856–1861), the small Laurentiuskapelle (1783) with the half-timbered "Börse" beside it, and the former synagogue of 1716. Details: St. Peter's and the historic churches.

Stolpersteine

Small brass memorial stones set into pavements across the centre name Walldorf's Jewish residents who were persecuted and deported under the Nazi regime. Local historians occasionally run themed walks, including on resistance to the Nazi regime.

Asparagus country

The light, sandy soils around Walldorf are ideal for white asparagus, which has been grown here for generations. From roughly April to 24 June (St John's Day, the traditional end of the season) many farms sell directly from roadside stands, and local restaurants put Spargel on the menu. The town celebrates with its Spargelmarkt in June.

Forest walks

Walldorf has extensive woodland within its boundaries — the name itself is usually read as "village by the forest". The woods are flat, criss-crossed with paths and popular for walking, running and cycling. See sports and recreation.

AQWA Bäder- und Saunapark

Walldorf's municipal pool and sauna complex is a good option for families and on hot summer days. Opening hours and prices are published by the operator.

Football at FC-Astoria Walldorf

FC-Astoria Walldorf plays in the fourth-tier Regionalliga Südwest. Home matches are an easy way to see local sport on a weekend.

Nearby: the best day trips

Heidelberg (15 km)

The castle ruins, the Baroque old town, the Old Bridge and the Philosophers' Walk — about 15–20 minutes by S-Bahn from Wiesloch-Walldorf station. Our Heidelberg day-trip guide has a full itinerary.

Schwetzingen Palace and Gardens (about 12 km)

The former summer residence of the Electors Palatine, with one of Germany's most remarkable 18th-century gardens — French formal parterres, an English landscape garden, a "mosque", a Roman-style water castle and a rococo theatre. Schwetzingen also calls itself an asparagus capital and holds its own asparagus festival.

Speyer (about 20 km)

Speyer Cathedral, the largest surviving Romanesque church in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, plus the Technik Museum with aircraft, the Soviet Buran test shuttle and a submarine. Across the Rhine, in Rhineland-Palatinate.

Hockenheimring (about 10 km)

The motor-racing circuit at Hockenheim hosts touring-car, motorbike and other events, plus a motor museum.

Mannheim and the wine country

Mannheim, about 30 km north, has a huge Baroque palace, the Kunsthalle art museum and the Jugendstil water tower. To the east, the vineyards of the Badische Bergstraße and the Kraichgau begin just beyond Wiesloch; west of the Rhine, the German Wine Route runs through the Palatinate. The wider picture: Walldorf in the Rhine-Neckar region.

Last reviewed on 5 October 2026.