High Taunus: Roman Roads, Castles and Open-Air Museum

The Hessenpark Open-Air Museum is located in Neu-Anspach in the Hochtaunuskreis district. Its family trail shows children and adults together how people used to live, dwell and work. Exploring everyday life in the past can therefore also be a focus of a visit to the High Taunus. Roman history, castles, museums and hiking trails add further highlights.

Roman Roads and Guided Tours

At the Saalburg Roman Fort in Bad Homburg, guided tours take visitors through the interior of the fort, the outer civilian settlement and along the Limes. The “extra muros” tour passes through the settlement and the outer area; highlights include the fort’s bathhouse, hostel, ramparts and the Limes. Those interested in Saalburg can explore the different areas of the fort and its surroundings. Check the current tour schedule before your visit.

A longer route option is the Limes Adventure Trail in the High Taunus. It follows the course of the Limes hiking trail or the Limes cycling route and runs for more than 30 kilometres from Glashütten to Ober-Mörlen. This offers two distinct ways to explore the area: guided tours at Saalburg and an extended route along the course of the Limes. Check trail conditions before setting out on the Limes Adventure Trail.

Kronberg Castle and Museums

Kronberg Castle stands on a rocky outcrop on the southern slopes of the Taunus. It was probably built in the 12th century as an imperial castle on Hohenstaufen crown lands. Since 2008, the Museum at Kronberg Castle in the north wing of the middle castle has presented a permanent exhibition on the castle’s history. The nearly 44-metre-high free-standing tower offers wide-ranging views over the surrounding countryside; on a clear day, the view extends as far as the Spessart and Odenwald. The museum and the castle’s interiors can only be visited as part of a guided tour. Plan your visit around the current tour schedule.

Another museum destination is the Vortaunus Museum in Oberursel, which opened in the summer of 1987 as a modern regional museum following extensive renovation work. The Hochtaunuskreis Anniversary Trail, meanwhile, was created in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Hochtaunuskreis district. It connects cultural and historical sights with views of nature, offering a distinctive blend of cultural and landscape experiences.

In Kronberg, Opel Zoo also offers a special opportunity to connect with animals: at the petting zoo, visitors can touch and stroke the animals and feed them with food available at the zoo. The zoo’s educational programme, led by qualified biologists and educators, teaches visitors about animals, species conservation and nature conservation. It can complement classroom learning or provide a shared leisure experience; booking in advance is required.

Hiking Trails by Length and Character

The Windeck health-climate hiking trail (WE2) is an easy, 3.33-kilometre circular route starting and ending 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. Its stated length and circular-route format provide a clear guide when choosing a trail; check the trail conditions in advance.

The Weiltalweg offers a much longer route: it begins near the source of the Weil at the “Rotes Kreuz” car park near Schmitten, follows the Weil through Weilrod and covers a total of 47.5 kilometres before reaching Weilburg on the Lahn. The Hochtaunus Health Climate Park covers around 20 square kilometres across Schmitten im Taunus, Glashütten, Königstein im Taunus, Kronberg im Taunus and Oberursel (Taunus). Its network comprises 12 portals and nearly 30 trails. Another hiking trail, the Anniversary Trail, connects cultural and historical sights with views of nature. The routes therefore differ in whether you are looking for a short circular walk, a longer distance or a trail combining cultural and natural highlights.

Getting Around Hessenpark

For travel to the open-air museum, bus route 63 connects Wehrheim and Neu-Anspach/Anspach station with the Neu-Anspach/Anspach Hessenpark stop. Check the current timetable before travelling. Six e-bike charging stations are available directly at the museum. There is also a bicycle service station where visitors can carry out minor repairs and maintenance themselves. Check the latest information about these services before your visit.

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

Back to the main travel overview: Hesse.