Harz Mountains & Wernigerode

Northern Germany's highest mountains: ride a narrow-gauge steam train up the Brocken, with the World Heritage half-timbered towns of Quedlinburg and Goslar nearby.

The Harz mountains in north-central Germany straddle Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony and Thuringia and are the highest range in northern Germany, topped by the Brocken at 1,141 m. Wernigerode is the most convenient base for exploring the Harz: this "colorful town" has a fairy-tale castle and a half-timbered old town, and is the starting point of the Harz Narrow Gauge Railways' Brocken line. The highlights fall into four areas: first, Wernigerode Castle and old town, plus a steam-train ride up the Brocken and a hike back down; second, to the east, the World Heritage old town of Quedlinburg, Halberstadt Cathedral, and around Thale the Bode Gorge, the Hexentanzplatz (Witches' Dance Floor) and the Titan RT suspension bridge at the Rappbode Dam; third, to the west, the World Heritage old town of Goslar and the Rammelsberg Mine, which combine well with the Oker Valley, the Bad Harzburg treetop walk and Torfhaus; fourth, in the southern Harz, Stolberg, Falkenstein Castle and the Kyffhäuser Monument. Weather-wise, May–Oct is best for hiking, with golden forests in autumn; in winter the Brocken is often covered in snow and rime ice, and steam trains in the snow are a sight to see; on April 30, Walpurgis Night brings witch festivities across the region, liveliest in Thale and Schierke. Getting there: Wernigerode is about 2.5–3 hours by train from Berlin, Hamburg or Hanover (usually changing in Halberstadt or Goslar); regional trains and buses serve the main towns, but a car is recommended for the gorges, dams and castles. Mountain weather is changeable, so bring a windproof jacket even in summer. Allow 3–4 days.

Top sights

• Wernigerode Castle – A neo-Gothic fairy-tale castle on the hill south of the small town. Its interiors show 19th-century aristocratic life, and its terraces ove…
• Wernigerode Old Town & Town Hall – A market square ringed by colorful half-timbered houses. The twin-spired town hall is one of Germany's most beautiful, and the town also ha…
• Harz Narrow Gauge Railways – Brocken Line – Ride a meter-gauge steam train from Wernigerode up the winding track to the Brocken summit. It's the most iconic experience in the Harz.
• Brocken – At 1,141 meters, the highest peak in northern Germany. It is the gathering place of witches in Goethe's Faust and has a national park museu…
• Quedlinburg Old Town – A World Heritage town with more than 1,300 half-timbered houses, often called Germany's best-preserved medieval half-timbered old town.
• Bode Gorge – One of Germany's most spectacular rock gorges. The 10 km trail from Thale to Treseburg winds past rapids between granite walls more than 20…
• Quedlinburg Castle Hill & St. Servatius Church – The heart of this UNESCO World Heritage town. The Romanesque abbey church holds the tomb of King Henry I and the famous Quedlinburg Treasur…
• Hexentanzplatz – A cliff plateau 454 metres above the Bode Valley, said to be a gathering place of witches. Visitors can take a cable car up or down and enj…
• Rosstrappe – A granite cliff opposite the Hexentanzplatz. A horseshoe-shaped hollow in the rock comes from the legend of a princess who leapt across the…
• Titan-RT Suspension Bridge & Rappbode Dam – Beside the Rappbode Dam, Germany's tallest dam, you will find a walking suspension bridge about 483 metres long and roughly 100 metres abov…
• Rübeland Caves (Baumann's Cave & Hermann's Cave) – Germany's oldest open show caves: Baumann's Cave and Hermann's Cave, known for its blind salamanders. They are in the small Bode Valley tow…
• Ilse Valley & Heinrich Heine Trail – A classic hiking trail that follows a stream and small waterfalls up from Ilsenburg. The poet Heinrich Heine once climbed the Brocken by th…
• Halberstadt Cathedral – One of the most important Gothic cathedrals in central Germany. Its treasury is one of the best-preserved collections of medieval church tr…
• Falkenstein Castle – A well-preserved 12th-century hilltop castle above the Selke Valley, where the legal code Sachsenspiegel was written. It also hosts birds o…
• Regenstein Castle Ruins – The ruins of a castle carved into a sandstone hill on the northern edge of Blankenburg. Many rock-cut rooms can be climbed and explored, an…
• Devil's Wall – A jagged sandstone ridge that stretches between Blankenburg and Ballenstedt. It is one of the earliest protected natural landscapes in Germ…
• Blankenburg Castle & Baroque Gardens – A Baroque summer palace of the Dukes of Brunswick. The terraced Baroque gardens and small castle at the foot of the hill can be explored fo…
• Wurmberg (Braunlage) – At 971 metres, the highest peak in Lower Saxony and home to the largest ski area in northern Germany. A cable car goes up for views of the…
• Stolberg (Harz) – A town of half-timbered houses in a valley of the southern Harz. It is the birthplace of the Reformation thinker Thomas Müntzer, and a cast…
• Kyffhäuser Monument – An 81-metre colossal monument built on the ruins of a medieval imperial castle, and the legendary site where Barbarossa is said to sleep in…
• St. Cyriakus Church, Gernrode – A 10th-century abbey church from the Ottonian dynasty, preserved in nearly original form. It contains the oldest replica of the Holy Sepulc…

Where to eat

• Zeitwerk – The only Michelin-starred restaurant in the Harz region, where chef Robin Pietsch builds creative tasting menus around…
• Café Wien – A century-old pastry shop in a half-timbered house dating to 1583, known for its house-made Sacher cake and Mozart cake.
• Altwernigeroder Kartoffelhaus – A potato-themed restaurant in an old half-timbered house, serving Harz classics and trout, and consistently among the m…
• Weißer Hirsch Hotel Restaurant – A historic hotel restaurant across from the Town Hall, serving guests since 1717, known for Harz game and herb-crusted…
• Grüne Gurke – An affordable, homestyle spot on the north side of town, known for oversized handmade schnitzels and the East German-st…

Itineraries

• Harz Mountains Historic Towns & Narrow-Gauge Steam Railway – Depart from Hanover to traverse the northern foothills of the Harz, exploring half-timbered towns and riding a narrow-g…