Are you new to or looking to discover new adventures in Deutschland (Germany) with your family?  Don’t miss the hiking experiences of the Barfußpark, barfusspark, or barefoot parks.  The Barfußpark (Barefoot Park in English) are a unique experience of taking off your shoes and letting your feet explore different textures, temperatures, and elements.  Kids of all ages will enjoy this experience.  There are many of these Barfußpark around Deutschland (Germany) and for this article we are going to explore the Barfußpark at Dornstetten.  Dornstetten is an easy family day trip from Stuttgart, Germany.  Without further ado, let’s go explore a Barfußpark, barfursspark, or barefoot park. 

What is a Barfußpark?

Are you a nature lover looking for a unique hike that your kids will love?  Look no further that a Barfußpark (Barefoot Park) which is a hiking location that allows you to strip off your shoes and experience the feel of natural ground and various different materials with your bare feet.   If you have never heard of or experienced a Barfußpark then Germany is a great place to tryout your first one.  There are many of these types of parks around Deutschland and it is believed to be because of all the benefits that come along with walking barefoot.  Several groups/studies believe that walking barefoot on natural surfaces, e.g. grass, sand, or mud, is actually good for you and helps normalize your body.  Some of the believed benefits are that it helps improve your body’s balance, gives you better control of your feet, and even helps fight off things like the common cold.  Is this true?  Honestly I don’t know.  Health benefits or not, I do know that my kids and I enjoyed walking barefoot through the Dornstetten Barfußpark.  

Getting to BarfussPark Dornstetten

Mommy And Me Travels was in Stuttgart, Germany so we visited the Barfußpark Dornstetten on a day trip.  This was an easily accomplished family adventure as the location of the barefoot park is about 30 minutes south of Stuttgart.  The drive itself is easy.  The harder part is discovering exactly where the Barfußpark is located.  When you look online for the address it shows Silberwaldstrasse 22, 72280 Dornstetten, Germany.  This will get you to the general location but not to the actual park (at least it didn’t for us).  There is a parking area nearby this address that is a short walk through some woods to get to the entrance of the barefoot park.  This is where we parked because we didn’t know better.  You should keep circling around the road as there is a small parking area right next to the Barfußpark entrance.  The parking fee is exact change only so make sure you bring a few small coins with you.  I would guess that you would need a max of 4 or 5 Euro for your trip.      

About the Barfußpark Dornstetten

Now let’s cover the fun stuff, the actual experience of the Barfußpark Dornstetten.  When you arrive at the entrance there are free lockers (1 Euro to secure then returned at the end) to place your shoes and small bags into.  Here is where you should leave that extra set of clothes (we will get to the items to bring later).  There is no entrance fee for this adventure but they do have a donation box at when you finish the path.  At this barefoot park, there are 2 trails you can choose.  There is a long path and a short path.  We did the longer path and it took us about 1 ½ hours.  It wasn’t more difficult, it just had added texture stops along the way.      

Walking the course

After departing your locker, you will walk a short distance to the first stops on the paths.  Here your feet will be tantalized with cold water, different types of balancing areas, a trampoline, and a rope climbing area.  Also in this area are kid friendly obstacle courses and a playground.  Both the long and short paths start with this family fun.  The shorter hike will split off to the right and has a sign showing the “easy” route.  We chose the longer path and it just meant that we got to experience more of the different sensation areas along the way.  You can expect to feel rocks, mulch, glass, grass, corks, gravel, thick mud, different textured wood beams, and many many more materials along whichever path you choose.      

Tip for the Parents: 

I will “warn” you, some of the obstacles may hurt your feet, at least they did mine.  My kids however didn’t seemed bother at all.  They loved the different sensations from the different materials that they were experiencing.  They also loved crawling all over everything and getting super dirty.    

Things to remember to pack

If you are traveling like us to one of these Barfußpark for a day trip then you only need to pack a few things:  [ ] Refillable Water Bottles [ ] Sunblock [ ] Change of Clothes for each kid [ ] Bug Spray [ ] Baby Carrier if needed (no strollers if possible) [ ] Mini First Aid Kit (just in case the kids get a cut or scratch on their foot) [ ] Camera or Smartphone to capture the memories 

Tips for the Parents:

Don’t over think your packing.  You will not want to be loaded down while you are walking and playing with your kids.  Pack a very small bag of stuff that you can squeeze in the locker with your shoes.  

Finishing Your Barfußpark Adventure

As you finish up your hike, you will want to get cleaned up. As you make your way back to your locker, you will see an area with hoses.  These hoses are to let you wash off your feet.  Remember to be courteous of others, and remind your kids to be as well.  You should use the drain areas to clean your feet so that everyone around you isn’t getting sprayed with mud.  Right next to the washing area is a small bier garden where you can grab lunch or a snack.  We like to snack after a hike so we grabbed some pretzels and finished our changing and cleanup.  

Wrap Up

There you have it!  Our first experience at a Barfußpark, barfusspark, or barefoot park.  Don’t just take our word for it, check out these TripAdvisor Reviews.  We can’t wait to try some of the other Barfußpark around Deutschland.  Have you ever been to a Barfußpark, barfusspark, or barefoot park?  We’d love to hear your experience.  Share it with us below in the comments.  Not been yet?  Does this sound like something you’d enjoy doing?

Looking for other ideas for trips near Stuttgart with kids?  Check out our 3 Day Munich Guide, Therme Erding Waterpark, Dinosaur Park, and Nueschwanstein Castle Visit With Kids.  A great city to check out on a day trip is Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber, guide from Like Where You’re Going.

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