Walk from Pratteln to Birseck Castle in Arlesheim

Walk from Pratteln to Birseck Castle in Arlesheim

Difficulty: T1 / ✶✶
Distance: approx. 12 km
Duration: approx. 3 h 30
Ascent: 497 m
Descent: 458 m
Highest point: 663 m
Stations: Pratteln – Talbach – Adlerhof – Stallacher – Schauenburg – Hoher Bannstein – Eichmatt – Schloss Birseck – Ermitage – Dorf Arlesheim
Best time to hike: April – October

If you feel like a walk in the woods, without crowds of strollers, but not far from civilization, with the additional attraction of the ruins of Birseck Castle, I recommend the route from Pratteln to the village of Arlesheim, in the canton of Basel – Landschaft.

At first, the route leads through the village of Pratteln, where there is also a medieval castle. After a few hundred metres, however, the buildings are left behind and the path continues through the forest.

Then, following the scent of bear garlic, we reached the Schauenburgflue viewpoint, a precipice partially covered by tree branches. These vertical rock formations are popular, especially among rock climbers.

Continue towards Birseck Castle, which is located on the outskirts of Arlesheim. The castle itself did not make much of an impression on me. However, its location high on a rock, the view from the top and the beautiful ponds in the area (part of the nature reserve Ermitage – Chilchholz), create an amazing atmosphere and encourage you to stay longer. In addition, at the foot of the castle there are caves and unusual rock carvings.

On Wednesdays and Sundays, you can enter the castle grounds from 2pm to 5pm.

Finally, the best view of the entire fortress is on the road to the village of Arlesheim, where this tour already ends.

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