The traditional mining town of Aalen provides a great stopping point as a tourist. Lying seventy kilometres to the East of Stuttgart, it is easy to reach by car although the town is particularly noteworthy for its opportunities for cycling and hiking, with many visitors each year flocking to the Limes Hiking Trail which stretches up through a tree-lined walkway and through the surrounding countryside. The Thermal Baths provide a Romanesque ambience, with pools offering 34 degree water from the ground as well as saunas and solariums.

Rich in musical history, the town holds its annual Jazz festival in association with the local Music school. One of the largest jazz festivals in Germany, it is held annually in November and attracts many international, national and local artists of many different genres; Miles Davis played the festival in 1991. Even if you miss the festival, be sure to take in the Artists’ Hotel and the Piano Bar, which are some of the venues for the festival.

Aside from the festivities, you can take a tour down the winding streets of the town and take in the picturesque Fachsenfeld Castle which was built in the sixteenth century and features an Art Nouveau library. The gallery space attached to the Castle is also home to a fine collection of impressionist paintings.