Hikes in Thuringia

The Rennsteig is probably known to every hiker as the oldest and also one of the most beautiful long-distance hiking trails in Germany. On just under 170 kilometres from Hörschel to Blankenstein, you can enjoy the dreamlike low mountain landscape of the Thuringian Forest and the Thuringian slate mountains. Adventure trails, rest areas and old boundary stones make the hiking experience perfect.

On the way, you will also pass the highest mountain in the Thuringian Forest, the 983-metre-high Großen Beerberg. Below the summit, the viewing platform „Plänckners Aussicht“ offers a magnificent view of the town of Suhl and over the wooded landscape to the Rhön.

Just a few hundred metres away from the Rennsteig there are also beautiful vantage points. If you are on the hiking trail, it is worth leaving it now and then for a short distance and discovering the nature of the Thuringian Forest a little off the beaten track.

Apart from the Rennsteig, one of the most beautiful hiking trails in Thuringian are the Rennsteig ladders, which connect the most important places in the Thuringian Forest with the long-distance hiking trail. The hikes vary in length and difficulty. Among the 43 signposted trails in total, hikers of every fitness level will find a suitable tour.

Hike from the spa town of Steinbach-Hallenberg past the Ruppberg and several ski jumps to the biathlon stronghold of Oberhof, make your way from the Trusetaler Wasserfall to the cosy Waldschänke Dreiherrnstein, cool off in the mountain lake on the way from Floh-Seligenthal to the Ebertswiese or learn interesting facts about the region on your hike to the nature park information centre „Kalte Küche“.

If you want to discover even more cultural highlights on your tours, Eisenach on the northern edge of the Thuringian Forest is the ideal destination. You should not miss:

• the Wartburg: the place where the Luther Bible was written is a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• the Luther House: Martin Luther's home during his school years around 1500, today a museum
• the Automobile World Eisenach: Museum of Eisenach's automotive history
• the "Narrow House": the narrowest inhabited half-timbered house in Germany is 2.05 m wide and around 250 years old
• the Bach House: museum all about Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born in Eisenach

There are also some very special experiences in nature around Eisenach. A hike through the Dragon Gorge is particularly popular with children and adults alike. Hiking along the partly narrow path in the gorge with moss-covered rocks and rushing brooks will leave you in awe.

In Wutha, not far from Eisenach, you can take a hike to the small and large Hörselberg mountains, which offer wonderful views of the Thuringian Forest. Narrow paths lead you through the mixed forest and along steep cliffs.