A fact I have not yet revealed about myself- I hate to drive. I have my license, but my preferred means of getting about is either by public transportation or on my trusty bike. When I cycle, I’m slow but steady, and on a weekend day, I often manage to clock up quite a few miles. Although the town in which I live is nothing special, there are a whole slew of great places within peddling distance- the Rhine and the Bergstrasse ranking tops amongst those places most easily reached.

But does a day trip on a bike necessarily qualify as travel? Since it gets you out of the house, prompts you to meet new people, and introduces you to new sights, it seems safe to conclude that on many levels, that would be a yes.

Last month I took advantage of cloudless, unseasonably warm Sunday to venture out on cycle in the direction of Heidelberg, along the Bergstrasse, a route I have taken many times before. The perfect weather, coupled with the scent of thousands of trees in bloom, prompted me further on than I’d previously ventured, and I found myself in the outskirts of a little town by the name of Weinheim. I decided to explore. Heading towards its marketplace, I found myself in another world. The hilly landscape and bustling cafes prompted thoughts of northern Italy. Toss in not one but two castles in the hills, along with a perfectly manicured palace garden, and you have the recipe for one exceptional charmer of a town. And there was something special in thinking that I had managed to make it there entirely under my own steam.

This got me to thinking. How many other little towns are there out there that would be so easily missed by someone hurrying from Point A to Point B? They must number in the hundreds. Stripes readers, what are your very own favorite little gems just outside your doorstep?