Things to do in Hesse
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Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme
Built in 1913 as a municipal bathhouse on the site of a Roman steam bath, the gorgeous Kaiser-Friedrich-Therme are fed by water naturally heated to 66.4°C. Ask for a sheet in English on 'bathing like the ancient Romans' by availing yourself of a succession of saunas and pools. Bathrobes and towels can be rented; swimsuits are unnecessary as, in keeping with Saunakultur, this place is 'textile-free'. Actually, bathing suits are completely forbidden only in the sauna (you just wear a towel); elsewhere, nudity is merely a recommendation. Tuesday is for women only. The minimum age is 16.
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National Park
Hesse's first national park, established in 2004, encompasses one of the largest extant red beech forests in Central Europe, the Kellerwald, and the Edersee, a serpentine artificial reservoir 55km northeast of Marburg and about the same distance southwest of Kassel. Some 400 springs feed creeks that, as one brochure puts it, are 'a true paradise for the fire salamander'. Larger land animals include red deer; overhead you may see eagles and honey buzzards and, at night, various species of bat.
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Kloster Lorsch
Founded in the 8th century, and Unesco-listed in 1991, Kloster Lorsch was an important religious site in its heyday, especially for the Carolingian dynasty. A visit to the monastery makes a nice excursion from Darmstadt, despite few of the original buildings having been preserved (the Königshalle and Altenmünster are the most accessible). The complex has three museum sections - one on the history of the abbey, the second on life in Hesse, and a third on tobacco, which was cultivated in Lorsch in the late 17th century.
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Ig-Farbenhaus
Set in Frankfurt's leafy Westend, the monumental, Bauhaus-influenced IG-Farbenhaus, seven storeys tall and slightly curved, was erected in 1931 as the prestigious headquarters of IG-Farben, the mammoth German chemicals conglomerate whose constituents included Agfa, BASF, Bayer and Hoechst. White-collar staff based in this building carried out the banal work of coordinating the production of the company's most notorious product, Zyklon-B, the killing agent used in the gas chambers at Auschwitz.
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Wollheim Memorial
Facing the southwest end of the building, the Wollheim Memorial, in a little pavilion marked '107984', screens 24 interviews (also viewable on the excellent website) with former slave labourers who worked in IG-Farben factories such as IG Auschwitz, so big that it had its very own corporate concentration camp, Buna/Monowitz. Slave labourers who lived to write about their experiences with IG-Farben include Primo Levi and Elie Wiesel.
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Three Day Frankfurt to Munich - Romantic Road, Rothenburg, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein
3 days / 2 nights (Departs Frankfurt, concludes Munich, Germany)
by Viator
Travel down the most picturesque stretch of road in Germany on this multi-day trip and marvel at historic landmarks of the Bavarian region at your own pace.Vi…
Not LP reviewed
from USD$475.24 -
Rhine Valley Trip from Frankfurt including Rhine River Cruise
Varies (Departs Frankfurt, Germany)
by Viator
See the best of Germany's Rhine River Valley on a half-day or full-day trip from Frankfurt. As a time-friendly way to see the Rhine Valley, both trips include a…Not LP reviewed
from USD$92.79 -
Full Day Tour to Rothenburg
11 hours (Departs Frankfurt, Germany)
by Viator
Set off on this full day coach tour from Frankfurt to Rothenburg, through the picturesque Spessart mountains. On the banks of the river Main you'll pass Wurzbur…Not LP reviewed
from USD$136.64 -
Black Forest and Strasbourg Day Trip from Frankfurt
by Viator
See two countries in one day on your Black Forest and Strasbourg day trip from Frankfurt! Traveling by luxury coach, you'll visit the spa town of Baden-Baden in…Not LP reviewed
from USD$198.12 -
Town Palace
Fulda's 'Baroque City' tag rings true at the palace (Stadtschloss). The era's extravagance amazes in the Speigelkabinett (Chamber of Mirrors) and grandiose Fürstensaal, a banquet hall decorated with reliefs of tipsy-looking wine queens. Climb the tower for a town vista. Also, there are pretty views from the Green Room over the gardens to the Orangerie .
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Cathedral Museum
Don't pass through Fulda without visiting this museum (Dommuseum). Its treasures include Jewish gravestones (in the artefact-packed front yard), the spectacular Silver Altar and a spooky thing reported to be part of the skull of St Boniface (it even wears a headdress). Look through the cloakroom's glass floor to the foundations of the original basilica.
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Kochbrunnen
Want to actually taste the hot spa waters for which the city is known (indeed, named), said to have wonderful pharmacological powers? Head to the Kochbrunnen - inside the stone pavilion are four free-flowing spouts. A sign recommends drinking no more than 1L a day, though if you can down more than a mouthful you deserve a beer.
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St Michael's Church
Fulda's history started here. A still-standing reminder of the abbey that made this town, this remarkable church (Michaelskirche) was the monastic burial chapel. Beneath classic witch's-hat towers, a Carolingian rotunda and crypt recall Fulda's flourishing Middle Ages, when the abbey scriptorium churned out top-flight illuminated manuscripts.
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Heidelberg Half-Day Trip from Frankfurt
6 hours (Departs Frankfurt, Germany)
by Viator
Visit the romantic city of Heidelberg on a half-day trip from Frankfurt. With an expert guide to show you around, you'll explore the ruins at Heidelberg Castle …Not LP reviewed
from USD$92.79 -
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Museum Wiesbaden
Renovated in 2006, the Museum Wiesbaden specialises in 20th-century painting, sculpture and installations, including works by Russian expressionist Alexei Jawlensky (1864-1941), who lived in Wiesbaden for the last 20 years of his life. New sections on pre-20th-century art and the natural sciences are set to open in 2011.
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Frankfurt City Hop-on Hop-off Tour
1 day (Departs Frankfurt, Germany)
by Viator
Experience the essential things to do in Frankfurt aboard a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour. With the choice of two different routes, you'll see all the histori…Not LP reviewed
from USD$22.57 -
Four Day Frankfurt to Munich - Romantic Road, Hohenschwangau, Neuschwanstein
by Viator
Explore some of Germany's historical and scenic treasures along the Romantic Road and Heidelberg on this 4-day tour from Frankfurt to Munich. See picturesque la…Not LP reviewed
from USD$700.94 -
Heidelberg and Rhine Valley Day Trip from Frankfurt
12 hours (Departs Frankfurt, Germany)
by Viator
Visit two of Germany's most charming places on a full-day trip from Frankfurt. With an expert guide to show you around Heidelberg, you'll explore the ruins at H…Not LP reviewed
from USD$185.58 -
Neuschwanstein Castle Day Trip from Frankfurt
14 hours (Departs Frankfurt, Germany)
by Viator
Visit the fairy-tale Neuschwanstein Castle on a must-do day trip from Frankfurt! The castle is one of Germany’s most famous attractions, and this tour is the ea…Not LP reviewed
from USD$310.97 -
Four Day Christmas Delight - Leipzig, Dresden and Plauen
by Viator
Experience Christmas festivities in the heart of Germany on this multi-day tour from Frankfurt. Engage your senses and observe regional towns celebrating the si…Not LP reviewed
from USD$595.61 Advertisement
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Guided Rothenburg Day Trip from Frankfurt
by Viator
Visit Rothenburg ob der Tabuer in the Franconia region of Germany on a full-day trip from Frankfurt. Accompanied by an expert guide, you'll take a guided Rothen…Not LP reviewed
from USD$185.58 -
Three Day Frankfurt to Munich - Romantic Road, Heidelberg, Rothenburg
by Viator
Travel along the picturesque Romantic Road and reach quaint little towns such as Dinkelsbuhl, Nordlingen and Donauworth, with their high gabled houses and cobbl…Not LP reviewed
from USD$468.97 -
Märchenstrasse
The 600km Märchenstrasse is one of Germany's most popular tourist routes. It's made up of cities, towns and hamlets in four states (Hesse, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Bremen), many of them associated with the works of Wilhelm and Jakob Grimm.
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Dom
Inside the baroque Dom, built from 1704 to 1712, you'll find gilded furnishings, plenty of putti (figures of infant boys), some dramatic statues (eg to the left of the altar) and the tomb of St Boniface, who died a martyr in 754.
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Nuremberg Day Trip from Frankfurt
by Viator
Discover Nuremberg, a city as aesthetically pleasing as it is historically interesting! On your full-day trip from Frankfurt, you'll visit Nuremberg's Old Town …Not LP reviewed
from USD$219.44
