In Hochtaunus, discoveries range from Roman remains to viewpoints and hiking trails. Guided tours of Saalburg Roman Fort lead into the fort interior, the outer civilian settlement and the Limes. Outside, the Hochtaunus Limes Adventure Trail follows the course of the Limes hiking trail or Limes cycling route for more than 30 kilometres, from Glashütten to Ober-Mörlen. This offers a chance to explore history both on a guided tour and along a longer route.

Experience Roman History on Site

Tours at Saalburg cover several areas: the fort interior, the outer civilian settlement and the Limes. The “extra muros” tour places a special focus on the area beyond the fort walls. It passes through the civilian settlement and the outer area, including the fort baths, an inn, defensive earthworks and the Limes. When choosing a tour, you can take these different perspectives on the site into account. Check current trail conditions before setting out.

Another way to explore everyday history is at the Hessenpark open-air museum in Neu-Anspach, in the Hochtaunuskreis district. A family trail shows children and adults together how people lived and worked in the past, and what their homes were like. The focus is therefore not just on individual buildings, but on different aspects of everyday life in earlier times. For travel by bus, route 63 connects Wehrheim and Neu-Anspach/Anspach railway station with the Neu-Anspach/Anspach Hessenpark stop. Check the connection before your journey.

There are also practical facilities for arriving by bicycle at the open-air museum: six charging stations for e-bikes are available right there. At a bicycle service station, visitors can carry out minor repairs and maintenance themselves.

Kronberg Castle and Its Views

Kronberg Castle stands on a rocky spur on the southern slopes of the Taunus. It was built as an imperial castle on Staufer crown lands, probably in the 12th century. The nearly 44-metre-high free-standing tower offers sweeping views of the surrounding area; on a clear day, the view extends as far as the Spessart and Odenwald. Here, landscape and architectural history can be explored together at a specific site.

Since 2008, the Museum at Kronberg Castle has presented a permanent exhibition on the castle’s history in the north wing of the Middle Castle. Important for planning your visit: the museum and the castle interiors can only be visited as part of a guided tour. So check current tour dates before your visit. For a comparison of historical themes, you could also visit Oberursel: after extensive renovations, the Vortaunus Museum in Oberursel opened as a modern regional museum in summer 1987.

Choose Trails by Length and Landscape

Those looking to compare shorter and longer routes will find options at different scales. The Windeck health-climate hiking trail (WE2) is an easy, 3.33-kilometre circular route that starts and ends at the Windeck car park in Königstein im Taunus. It runs mostly sheltered from wind and sun around the Großer Feldberg, the highest mountain in the Taunus. By contrast, the Limes Adventure Trail runs for more than 30 kilometres from Glashütten to Ober-Mörlen. The stated distances can help you choose without specifying a walking time; check trail conditions before setting off.

The Hochtaunus Health Climate Park covers around 20 square kilometres in Schmitten im Taunus, Glashütten, Königstein im Taunus, Kronberg im Taunus and Oberursel (Taunus). It has 12 gateways and nearly 30 trails. As routes may be updated, it is advisable to check the current trail layout before your hike.

The Weiltal Trail is a longer route with a clearly defined course. It starts near the source of the Weil at the “Rotes Kreuz” car park near Schmitten, follows the Weil through Weilrod and runs for a total of 47.5 kilometres to Weilburg on the Lahn. The Hochtaunuskreis Anniversary Trail offers a different focus: it was created in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Hochtaunuskreis district and connects cultural and historical sights with views of nature. The two routes thus offer different ways to explore: a continuous trail along a river, and a route linking cultural history with the landscape.

More Discoveries

At the Opel Zoo in Kronberg, visitors can touch and pet domestic animals in the petting zoo and feed them with the food provided there. The zoo’s educational programme can be booked individually and, led by qualified biologists and educators, teaches visitors about animals and the protection of species and nature. It can complement classroom learning or provide a shared leisure experience; booking an appointment is required.

Discover more destinations: Usingen, Friedrichsdorf, Neu-Anspach, Kronberg, Grävenwiesbach, Bad Homburg Vor Der Höhe, Weilrod, Königstein Im Taunus, Glashütten, Oberursel, Steinbach, Schmitten, Wehrheim.

Back to the main travel overview: Hesse.