Discover Bad Tabarz: Nature, Water and Craftsmanship

Bad Tabarz combines views across the Thuringian Forest, trails around the spa town, water activities and a distinctive local craft. You can tailor your stay to what matters most to you: spending time outdoors, enjoying the baths or learning more about Tabarz pipe-making on a guided tour.

Inselsberg and the Nature Park Trail

The 21-metre-high adventure tower was created in 2015 from a former radio relay tower. It stands on the 916-metre-high Inselsberg; from Großer Inselsberg, you can enjoy 360-degree views across a very large part of the Thuringian Forest. The tower’s former use as a radio relay tower and its present-day panoramic views offer two distinct perspectives: its technical origins and the vista over the surrounding forest landscape.

The Nature Park Trail starts at the Nature Park Gate in the centre of Bad Tabarz and follows well-maintained paths with a series of ascents and descents around the spa town. Along the Datenberg Promenade, it passes the rhododendron garden, the climbing forest and the ski jump before reaching Seifartswiese. Its changing route and the points of interest along the way offer a different way to explore the area than a single viewpoint: here, you experience the spa town along a trail. Admission to the Bad Tabarz Rhododendron Garden is free; check local operating information before your visit.

Another option for active days is the climbing area in Lauchagrund near Bad Tabarz. It comprises 26 crags and more than 260 climbing routes, graded from 2 to 9. This offers an alternative to the Nature Park Trail, with a focus on crags and climbing routes.

Water Activities and Relaxation

TABBS – the sports and health baths in Bad Tabarz – includes a leisure pool with an outdoor section, a four-lane swimming pool and a children’s area. There is also an outdoor pool with a large sunbathing lawn, a sauna complex, and a Kneipp and natural health centre. The facilities range from the swimming pool and outdoor bathing area to saunas and Kneipp treatments. This gives you a different option for planning your day than an outdoor excursion. As operating arrangements may change for individual areas, it is worth checking the latest operating information before your visit.

Tabarz Pipe-Making Workshop

Craftsmanship is also part of Bad Tabarz’s history. The pipe-making workshop on the Inselsberg continues Tabarz’s century-old pipe-making tradition: around 1900, several businesses in Tabarz made pipes. During a guided tour, Peter Filß demonstrates the steps from raw wood to the finished pipe shape and explains the special techniques involved in making the unique pipe from Bad Tabarz. The focus here is not on the landscape, but on the process of turning raw material into a finished craft product. The tour offers a hands-on insight into a local tradition.

Getting There from Gotha

From Gotha, you can reach Bad Tabarz on Thüringer Waldbahn line 4, getting off at the Bad Tabarz stop; the journey takes about an hour. This approximate journey time gives you a guide for planning your trip. Check the timetable before travelling so you can factor the connection into your plans.

The experiences you want to prioritise can be a good starting point when choosing accommodation: the Nature Park Trail and Lauchagrund offer outdoor activities, TABBS has water and sauna facilities, and the pipe-making workshop showcases local craftsmanship.

Discover more destinations: Gräfenhain, Hohenkirchen, Apfelstädt, Wandersleben, Günthersleben-Wechmar, Ohrdruf, Waltershausen, Luisenthal.

Back to the main travel overview: Gotha.