Summer holidays in Europe offer endless options to travel. Being based in the Netherlands allows easy access to so many other countries via plane, train or car.  My Facebook feed is full of friend’s happy holiday photos from Spain, Sweden, Italy, Slovenia,  and beyond.Our choice this year was the Harz region in Germany. 

This decision was based on easy accessibility (less than a day’s drive from home in The Hague), as well as the opportunity to visit my partner’s elderly aunt who lives there.  We also planned to hike in the forest and explore the small villages and cities in the region.  My partner was keen to relive a memory from his youth of a steam train ride there.  The Harz offered all this and so much more. Here’s some highlights and tips should you also choose to visit. 

Ilsenburg

This was our first stop, where we stayed in a lovely AirBnB apartment just outside of the centre.  My partner’s aunt had moved to Ilsenburg from Austria when she was young.  When East and West Germany split in 1949, she was separated from family until the 1990’s.  Though she spoke no English, and I no German, it was fascinating to see her old photo albums with glimpses of what life was like here in the last few decades. 

The town itself is tiny, but charming, with beautiful buildings.  We enjoyed a long walk through the surrounding forest, and lunch at the lake.  

Wernigerode

Only a 20 minute drive from Ilsenburg, it was a whole different experience to spend the next two nights in the centre of this bustling city.  Offering a wide range of shops and restaurants, it’s best known as a base for visitors from all around the world to board the steam train (see below).  The Wernigerode Castle is well worth a visit, the inner courtyard is breathtaking. 

By chance we discovered that it was easier (and free) to park at the Wildpark Christianental, where we enjoyed meeting the goats and other animals, then walked up to the castle through the forest.

Another highlight was a one hour horse ride just outside of the centre at Reiterhof Wernigerode.

Harz Narrow Gauge Railways

For over 125 years, the Harz Narrow Gauge Railway steam trains have “choo-choo’d” their way through the countryside.  Though hard to capture the sounds in words, that beautifully haunting steam whistle echoes daily across the landscape with regular services to the top of the Brocken mountain.  The day we chose to ride was wet and foggy, but this even added to the experience.  Later, the sun shone through and we decided to disembark at Schierke and walk down the mountain to the next stop, Drei Annen Hohne, to return to Wernigerode.  Overall, it’s an incredibly unique experience that prompts so many emotions and makes memories. 

Hexentanzplatz (Witch’s Dancing Place)

A short gondola ride on the Seilbahnen Thale Gondola to the top of this mountain takes visitors to what used to be a pagan meeting place, but has become a modern day “witch theme park”. 

We found that a little overwhelming, so escaped by walking down the mountain – and back up the other side to Rosstrappe.  This hike took us a little over two hours and was tough at times, but the views were well worth it.  There is also a chairlift to and from the Rosstrappe peak, but we opted to walk around 45 minutes back to the base.    

Quedlinburg

Visiting this city is like stepping back in time.  It was UNESCO heritage listed in 1994 as it hosts over 2000 half-timbered historic houses spanning five centuries.  The castle, gardens, shops, restaurants and cobblestone streets all merge into a beautiful kaleidoscope that I could spend days exploring.  I hope to return some day as our short visit was not nearly enough.

More information

The Harz National Park is huge and we visited only a small part.  We discovered most of the places above by chance, and I’d also recommend the excitement of exploring this region on your own.  If you do wish to plan ahead, we found Wikipedia one of the most useful sites for English language information, or visit the tourist board website: https://en.harzinfo.de/  Wishing you wonderful adventures, wherever you end up!

Extra Travel Tips

• Carry cash. It’s not common to pay by card and not possible in some places.
• Don’t expect English.  Limited information is in English.  Google translate can help.  
• Shops are closed on Sundays.  Stock up on a Saturday if you are cooking.
• AirBnB is great for accommodation.  We booked most of our stays last minute, and found spacious, self contained apartments in good locations for 60-80 euros a night. Our hosts spoke limited English but the AirBnB auto translation messages helped here.
• Tourist Tax is 2-3 euros per person per day. Pay directly to your accommodation, in cash. In exchange, you receive a booklet with tourist information and free bus transport.  
• Increase your data plan.  Wifi is available but we found in many places it was slow and unreliable.  Instead, increasing my Dutch mobile data plan was a better option.
• Learn some history.  Understanding more of this will enhance your experience.  This area falls under what used to be East Germany and also has rich folklore.