Discover Hameln-Pyrmont

Hameln-Pyrmont offers a wide variety of discoveries: in Hameln’s old town, the Pied Piper open-air play is part of a long performance tradition; hiking trails, castles, museums and spa parks provide other highlights. The examples below show how varied a trip can be.

Culture among old towns, castles and museums

The Pied Piper open-air play has been performed every year since 1956 on the terrace of the Hochzeitshaus in Hameln’s old town. Performance dates vary by season; check the current schedule for your travel dates. The Hameln Museum complements the Pied Piper story with a collection described as probably the largest in the world. It also offers a journey through time, from the first traces of settlement to the recent past.

Places and collections outside Hameln offer their own highlights, too. Schwöbber Castle in Aerzen is a landmark of Weser Renaissance architecture, while Hämelschenburg Castle in Emmerthal is considered a major work of this style. Aerzen is also home to the Domänenburg cultural centre, a cultural attraction. Pyrmont Fortress and Castle have historic state rooms and an art gallery; the museum in Bad Pyrmont Castle houses a collection on the town and its spa history. Coppenbrügge Water Castle houses a museum. The Museum of Agricultural Technology and Farm Work in Börry features collections of agricultural equipment.

Hiking trails, caves and cycling tours

Two hiking routes offer clearly different distances and landscapes. The 225-kilometre Weserbergland Trail passes castles and palaces and leads through half-timbered towns and countryside. The 80-kilometre Ith-Hils Trail offers historic sites, lakes and caves, as well as breathtaking views along the way. In Coppenbrügge, the Ith is designated as a hiking area. At 225 kilometres, the Weserbergland Trail is much longer than the 80-kilometre Ith-Hils Trail; the former passes castles and palaces and leads through half-timbered towns, while the latter offers historic sites, lakes and caves.

The Schillat Cave in Hessisch Oldendorf offers a special kind of visit: it can only be visited as part of a tour with a qualified cave guide. The tour includes a 3D show and a ride about 45 metres underground in a glass-enclosed lift. Since specific visit dates must be checked separately, it is worth looking up the schedule before you travel.

There are also two different points of reference for cycling trips. The four-star Weser Cycle Route runs through the district of Hameln-Pyrmont. The 800-kilometre KulturRoute crosses the district. The four-star Weser Cycle Route runs through the district of Hameln-Pyrmont, while the 800-kilometre KulturRoute crosses it.

Spa parks and special attractions in Bad Pyrmont

Several unusual attractions come together in Bad Pyrmont. The spa park has a palm garden described as by far the largest open-air palm grove in Europe north of the Alps. The Dunsthöhle is an attraction featuring carbon dioxide emissions. The spa and landscape park in Bad Münder includes mineral springs and a graduation tower.

Ewilpa® Bad Pyrmont is located in the Bergkurpark. This public themed trail is about three kilometres long and has 13 stations. Station 14 is in the paid-entry spa park. The trail is freely accessible to everyone; gathering items for free is expressly encouraged except at Station 14. These access and gathering rules are a practical feature of a visit, setting it apart from the guided visits to Schillat Cave.

Choose the right focus

For a cave visit, the guided format and scheduling also matter.

Discover more destinations: Bad Pyrmont, Hessisch Oldendorf, Hameln, Lauenstein, Bad Münder Am Deister, Aerzen, Emmerthal, Salzhemmendorf, Coppenbrügge.

Go to the main travel overview: Lower Saxony.