Germany Trip Plan:
Medieval Büdingen, rolling hills and metropolitan Frankfurt

Buedinger old town, GNU-Sven Teschke
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 1: Arrival

Shortly after landing at Frankfurt International Airport you will arrive at your inviting vacation apartment, quietly located and overlooking the outskirts of Glauberg Mountain. Go on a short excursion to find grocery stores and a good bakery located in the vicinity. The castle and the old town were built on centuries-old oak planks, set up on beech props. Still today the water levels of this at times swampy valley have to be kept rather high so that no air can reach these foundations and destroy them. In the middle of the 15th century enormous new defensive walls with 22 towers were built around the castle on the outskirts of the historic town center. Still today they are nearly completely intact and give every visitor a true experience of an authentic medieval stronghold in Germany.

Typical Buedingen half-timbered houses, GNU-Hagrid
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 2: Medieval town Büdingen and its castle

Enjoy the day discovering the many historical sights of Büdingen inclusive the partly accessible fortification wall and towers. A special attraction is the Untertor, known as Jerusalem Gate, with its bridge completed in 1503. The oldest residential building in the city is the Stone House, built completely in stone in contrast to the other half-timbered houses and constructed as an integral part of part of the city's fortification walls. The historic town hall was the center of the local market and served as a market hall, dance and play house, and upstairs as a scaffold. Today it houses the Heuson Museum.

Next you definitely have to see Castle Büdingen. It was originally built as a moated castle at times of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. The original moat doesn't exist anymore. Only a stream and an artificial lake behind the castle are reminders of the old days. Directly behind the palace is a large park. The real castle core is the outer castle courtyard with office buildings and servants' quarters from the 18th century onward. Access to the actual castle is through the inner gateway, also called Ludwigsbau. The castle is like many similar buildings now used as a museum and restaurant/hotel. The Castle Cafe and Restaurant is open all year round from Wednesday to Sunday.

Fountain in the Sprudelhof, Bad Nauheim, CC-Frank Witthaus
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 3: Thermal-Bath town Bad Nauheim

The world-famous spa town Bad Nauheim, noted for its salt springs first discovered around 650 BC, is located on the eastern edge of the Taunus mountain range. Not only Elvis Presley, who lived in Bad Nauheim during his time with the US Army in Friedberg, made it famous but also Franklin Delano Roosevelt lived here, as another example. Start you walk at the market square and don't miss Wilhelmstrasse, a street with careful renovated half timbered houses. The oldest tavern of Bad Nauheim is the Pfälzer Hof, an excellent place for maybe a lunch?

On April 24, the Landesgartenschau Bad Nauheim 2010 will open its doors! With the spa gardens, in the mid-19th century designed by Henry Siesmayer, and the newly Goldstein Park, the town of Bad Nauheim has the almost ideal townscape for Hesse's largest summer festival not to be missed! The Art Nouveau style international famed buildings, the recreated views and the old graduation house form a unique urban setting of nature and technology, tradition and modernity.

The Zeil, the main shopping street, GNU-dontworry
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 4: Shopping in Frankfurt

Frankfurt certainly lives up to its reputation as a metropolitan city when it comes to shopping. All major international labels are represented in Frankfurt, so that you can expect an exclusive shopping. From luxury goods such as perfume or jewelry, fashion of international top designers, arts and crafts, to flashy accessories designed by Frankfurt's young designers, you will find it all in this vibrant city.

Zeil is the main shopping street which attracts around half a million visitors a day! Here you will not only see the largest Douglas-branch in Europe, but also the largest department store area, such as Galeria Kaufhof, Karstadt and Peek & Cloppenburg. Moreover, all major chains are represented on the Zeil with at least one business. So you are spoiled for choice between Deichmann, Zara, Esprit, New Yorker and many other brands. Directly adjacent to the Zeil, Frankfurt's culinary mile holds a wide choice of cafes and restaurants. Nowhere else in Germany you find such diverse culinary offerings in just one street. Goethe Strasse is a quieter, elegant street where jewelers such as Cartier and Tiffany's are waiting for your visit. Perfumery Albrecht, one of the oldest perfumeries in Germany, is also found in this small, but fine street.

The Hoherodskopf (Vogelsberg), in winter, GNU-MdE
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 5: Medieval Schotten and Hoherodskopf Mountain

In the middle of the state Hesse lies Schotten, a truly medieval town. The officially recognized climatic spa town lies between 550 to 2536 ft above sea leve,l on the western slope of the Vogelsberg Mountains. Nearby are Hoherodskopf and Taufstein, the two highest peaks in the High Vogelsberg Nature Park. Schotten is visited by many tourists because of its historical flair and thanks to reliably high snowfall in winter, and many hiking opportunities during summer in the extensive forests.

Explore the lovely town and then head of to Vogelsberg, the largest volcanic area in the middle of Europe and one of the greatest expanse of ground in Hesse. The Natural Park Upper Vogelsberg is the first in Hesse and the oldest of its kind in Germany! When visiting in winter, enjoy skiing and all your other favorite winter sports on Hoherodskopf Mountain.

Upper market Gelnhausen, CC-Jens Reimann
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 6: Round trip Gelnhausen, Bad Orb and Nature Park

Today go on a scenic drive to the Emperor Barbarossa town of Gelnhausen, Bad Orb and the Nature Park Hessischer Spessart. Gelnhausen, once a Free City, is situated at the southern edge of the Vogelsberg mountains on a very old crossing of trade routes by the Kinzig River, which was formerly navigable. The old city, crowned with steeples, is an impressive example of city planning and architecture as applied in the Middle Ages. We suggest that you begin sightseeing on one of the market squares in Gelnhausen.The so-called Obermarkt, upper market, became the center of a well-planned town. The lower market square, the Untermarkt, was an important trading place for country products. Evidence of this are the well preserved Romanesque trading arcades, the Kratzhacke, an the north-side of the Untermarkt and the substructure of the Romanische Haus, which was used by the emperor's representative as residence and law-court. It was presumably built in 1180.

The Imperial Palace, also called Barbarossa Castle was founded to the same time as the town itself to the southeast of the city, on a river Kinzig island - probably on the site of a former and much older castle. It is the best-preserved imperial palace of the Hohenstaufen dynasty. Approximately 12,000 trees were used as a foundation for its construction. Because of the physical expansion of the city, the Imperial Palace is now right in the center. Today it is one of the major attractions of Gelnhausen and can and should be visited.

Continue your drive to Bad Orb, which is located between forested lush green hills in the Nature Park Hessischer Spessart. From the old town center with its lots of half timbered houses, leads a way to the more than one hundred years old park, the former Sudgelände of the salt-makers. From the heyday's of salt is still one of the original ten salt / graduation towers fully functioning and accessible. It is about 518 ft long and 59 ft high and serves as an open air inhalation area for curing guests. The here achieved salt and moisture saturation is similar to a marine climate. The high watch tower dominates the city on the 666 ft high Molkenberg hill, offering a spectacular view over Bad Orb to the Kinzig valley and in clear weather even to the Vogelsberg with its Hoherodskopf Mountain.

Castle Buedingen in winter, GNU-Sven Teschke
[ source: Wikipedia]

Day 7: Departure

We are confident that you had a most enjoyable week and will take only best memories back home with you. There are always many more things to explore and activities to choose from and we are happy to customize your special vacation in Germany. For now, have a safe trip home!

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