- Weimar, Erfurt and Eisenach are all on the main rail line and easy to combine
- The Wartburg is where Luther translated the New Testament into German
- The Rennsteig is one of Germany's best-known long-distance walks
- Don't leave without trying a Thuringian bratwurst
- Airports
- Frankfurt (FRA), Leipzig/Halle (LEJ), Berlin Brandenburg (BER)
- Best time to go
- May-October; December for Christmas markets
- Type
- Region
Thuringia calls itself the green heart of Germany. It sits right in the middle of the country, a land of wooded hills, castles and small, cultured cities. Goethe and Schiller wrote in Weimar, Bach was born in Eisenach, Luther hid in the Wartburg, and the Bauhaus was founded in Weimar in 1919. The Thuringian Forest in the south offers some of the best walking in central Germany.
It is ideal for a culture-focused trip by train, with a few days in the hills added on. For more on the country, see our Germany guide.
Things to do
- Weimar – Goethe's house, Schiller's house, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library and the Bauhaus Museum, all in a compact town. See our Weimar guide.
- Erfurt – the state capital has the cathedral and St Severus's Church side by side above a vast square, and the Krämerbrücke, a medieval bridge lined with inhabited houses. Its Old Synagogue is one of the oldest surviving in Europe.
- The Wartburg, Eisenach – a UNESCO-listed hilltop castle where Luther translated the New Testament. Eisenach also has the Bach House museum.
- The Rennsteig – a ridge-top trail of roughly 170km through the Thuringian Forest, easy to walk in sections.
- Buchenwald Memorial – the former concentration camp on a hill above Weimar is a sobering and important visit.
- Gotha – the Baroque Friedenstein Palace, home to the ducal family linked to Britain's royals through Prince Albert's Saxe-Coburg and Gotha dynasty.
- Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes – former mine galleries filled with colourful mineral formations.
- Jena – a lively university and science city in the Saale valley.
Where to stay
| Area | Why stay there |
|---|---|
| Weimar | Classical culture and a beautiful town centre |
| Erfurt | Best transport hub with a big medieval old town |
| Eisenach | The Wartburg and western Thuringian Forest |
| Oberhof or Ilmenau | Walking and winter sports in the forest |
Getting there
Thuringia has no airport with regular UK flights. Frankfurt is roughly two and a quarter hours from Erfurt by ICE, Leipzig/Halle is around 45 minutes by train, and Berlin about two hours or so on the fast line to Erfurt.
By rail from London, take Eurostar to Brussels and connect via Frankfurt. Erfurt is a major rail junction, with fast trains to Munich, Berlin and Frankfurt, so Thuringia fits easily into a wider rail tour of Germany.
Best time to visit
May to October is best for walking and gardens. Weimar's onion market in October is a long-standing local festival. December brings Christmas markets to Erfurt and Weimar, and in winter Oberhof has cross-country skiing and biathlon events.
Erfurt, Weimar and Eisenach are each well under an hour apart by train, so you can stay in one and visit the others as day trips.
Top attractions in Thuringia
LandmarkBrandenburg Gate
Berlin's neoclassical city gate, crowned by the Quadriga, once trapped behind the Wall and now the symbol of a reunited…
LandmarkEast Side Gallery
The longest surviving stretch of the Berlin Wall, painted in 1990 by artists from around the world and now an open-air…
LandmarkNeuschwanstein Castle
King Ludwig II's fairy-tale castle on a crag in the Bavarian Alps, the inspiration for Disney's Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Thuringia on the map
Frequently asked questions
Weimar or Erfurt as a base?
Weimar is smaller and more refined, with most sights on foot. Erfurt is larger and livelier, with better rail connections. Both work well.
What is Thuringia famous for?
German classical literature in Weimar, Martin Luther and the Wartburg, the Bauhaus, the Rennsteig trail and its grilled bratwurst.
Is the Rennsteig hard to walk?
Not particularly. It follows a forested ridge with moderate climbs, and most people walk it in stages over several days, or just do a section.
Written by
Anna Beach, family & practical travel editor
Anna knows which beach has shade at 3pm and which car hire excess is a rip-off. She covers sun, islands, family trips and practical travel tips.
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