Discover Hesse

Hesse combines historic cultural sites with expansive natural landscapes and a wealth of ways to spend active days. More than a third of the state consists of natural landscapes, including volcanic plateaus and gently rolling vineyards. Each of Hesse’s ten regions offers its own contrasts and cultural highlights. When choosing accommodation, it helps to first consider what you want to focus on: Would you like to explore World Heritage sites, roam through forest areas or experience Hesse by bike?

World Heritage and history in many forms

Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel is Europe’s largest hillside park, covering 560 hectares. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2013. Its historic water features are particularly remarkable: they have been preserved in their original function to this day. The park thus combines its expansive grounds with a historic purpose that remains intact in the present day.

Hesse received its first World Heritage designation for Lorsch Abbey, together with the nearby mother monastery of Altenmünster. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee’s certificate is dated 13 December 1991. Guided tours of the former imperial abbey at Lorsch may be an option for visitors. You can visit the monastery grounds, including the King’s Hall, church ruins and herb garden; the associated Altenmünster Abbey; the Zehntscheune exhibition depot; the museum centre; and the Lauresham open-air laboratory. As tour arrangements may change, check the dates for your trip.

In Darmstadt, Mathildenhöhe was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2021. The ensemble includes the Wedding Tower, the exhibition building, the Artists’ Colony Museum, the plane tree grove and the artists’ houses. Those interested in architecture and designed ensembles will find a different cultural focus here than in Lorsch’s monastic history.

Another World Heritage site takes you far back into the history of the Earth: Messel Pit was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995 and documents changes in animal and plant life up to 48 million years ago. Original finds from the pit are part of the permanent exhibition at the associated “Time and Messel Worlds” visitor centre. Check the current exhibition arrangements before your visit.

The Upper Germanic-Raetian Limes offers another way to explore history: in Hesse, it comprises 145 kilometres of land route and 10 kilometres of water route. The Saalburg, near Bad Homburg in the Taunus, is a reconstruction of a fort on the Limes. Together, the route and the structure illustrate two different dimensions of this historical subject.

Forest landscapes and outdoor trails

Kellerwald-Edersee National Park is Hesse’s only national park and protects one of Central Europe’s last near-natural beech forests. Since June 2011, it has been part of the transnational UNESCO World Natural Heritage site “Ancient and Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians and Other Regions of Europe”. The 68-kilometre Urwaldsteig trail runs through the national park to clearings with views of Lake Edersee. Its length and destination give you a concrete point of reference when exploring Hesse’s forest landscapes.

Taunus Nature Park offers a different expansive landscape: it is Hesse’s second-largest nature park, covering around 134,775 hectares. Along with the volcanic plateaus and gently rolling vineyards, it illustrates the diversity of Hesse’s natural landscapes. When planning your trip, these differences can help you decide which type of landscape you want to focus on before choosing accommodation as a base.

Cycling trips: route lengths and characteristics

For planning a cycling trip, two long-distance routes in Hesse can be compared by their stated lengths. The Fulda Cycle Route R1 is 255 kilometres long in total; the route planner lists 239 kilometres within Hesse. The quality route has been awarded four stars under ADFC criteria and runs from the heights of the Rhön into the lowlands. It is also recommended for inexperienced cyclists and families.

The Hessian Long-Distance Cycle Route R2, the Rivers Tour, is 202 kilometres long within Hesse. It crosses the state along the Ohm, Antreff, Schwalm, Lauter, Lüder, Fulda and Sinn rivers. This gives you two specific figures for comparison within Hesse: 239 kilometres for R1 and 202 kilometres for R2. For R1, you can also take into account its stated total distance of 255 kilometres and its described route from the Rhön into the lowlands.

Getting there and choosing a base

Your journey to Hesse can also factor into your choice of location. Frankfurt Airport’s regional train station offers regular connections to Frankfurt Central Station; the journey takes 15 minutes. Check the timetable for your travel date, as service patterns may change. Alongside long-distance trains, Hesse has a well-developed network of local transport services.

The Hessen-Ticket allows up to five people to travel throughout the state; check the applicable ticket conditions before using it. At the same time, your preferred daily routine remains key when choosing accommodation: the World Heritage sites, forest landscapes and cycling routes mentioned above offer different kinds of experiences. Choose your base according to the activities you want to shape your stay.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Hessian Uplands, Kassel, Werra-Meißner District, Schwalm-Eder District, Waldeck-Frankenberg, Hersfeld-Rotenburg, Fulda, Marburg-Biedenkopf, Vogelsberg, Gießen, Lahn-Dill District, Limburg-Weilburg, Rheingau-Taunus District, Hochtaunus, Wetterau, Main-Taunus, Wiesbaden, Main-Kinzig District, Offenbach, Groß-Gerau, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Bergstraße, Odenwald, Frankfurt am Main.