The German Fairy Tale Route (Deutsche Märchenstraße) is one of Germany’s most magical road trips, stretching over 600 km from Bremen to Hanau. Along the way, travellers can explore castles, forests, and villages straight out of the Brothers Grimm stories.
I visited the German Fairy Tale route as a guest of the German Tourist Board
Once upon a time I stayed in fairy tale castle. You could imagine Sleeping Beauty being at home there. Or Prince Charming arriving to seek out Cinderella. I was following the Fairy Tale route in Germany. Come with me and discover the land where fairy tales happened.
Table of Contents
Who were the Brothers Grimm?
First things first who were the Brothers Grimm and did they write the fairy tales. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were brothers born in Hanau at the end of 18th century. They were academics rather than story tellers. Grimm’s Fairytales were ancient folk stories collected and published by the brothers . Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Cinderella, lIttle Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Rumplestiltskin, the Pied Piper of Hamelin and Sleeping Beauty are just some of the 200 or so tales that the brothers gathered together.
What is the Germany Fairy Tale Road
The German Fairy Tale Road or Deutsche Märchen Straße meanders over 600 kilometres from Cuxhaven in the north to Hanau in the South. I say road, there is no route as such. More a collection of places with connections to either the fairy tales or The Brothers Grimm. On the way you will pass woods deep enough for Hansel and Gretel to get lost in or for a wolf lurk in. See incredibly pretty towns and pass many fairy tale castles.
From Bremen to Göttingen: My Fairy Tale Road Trip
My route along the Fairy Tale Road took me from Bremen to Göttingen by way of Hamelin. On the way to Hamelin I saw two magnificent castles and stayed in another overnight. Baron Munchausen and his tall tales were next and finally the fine University town of Göttingen.
Bremen – hone to the Musicians of Bremen
Beautiful Bremen is one is a maze of cute half timbered leading to a UNESCO listed town hall at its centre. Coffee shops and bars are everywhere in the city that was home to Germany’s coffee industry and still brews Becks beer. One of the Grimm Fairy Tales was set in Bremen. Well nearly. The Four Musicians of Bremen set off to find a better life in Bremen but actually stopped in a cute cottage before they got here. Bremen makes a great place to start your Fairy Tale Road exploration and you could easily spend a long weekend exploring. Take a read of my dedicated to spending a weekend in Bremen.
Hämelschenburg Castle – Renaissance Beauty on the Fairy Tale Route
Hämelschenburg is one of the finest Renaissance castles in Germany. It looks spectacular reflected in its moat. The same family have lived here since it was built at the end of the 16th century. You can only visit the house on a tour, but are free to wander at will through the grounds. Take time for a cup of coffee and cake in the cafe, if you sit outside there are fine views of the castle.
Visiting the Hämelschenburg chapel takes a bit of arranging, you need to book in advance. You will be rewarded for your efforts. This tiny building was one of the very first purpose built Protestant churches in the world. Inside you will find a Lucas Cranach altarpiece and some very fine carving.
- Hämelschenburg Castle
- Open: Easter – November Weekends noon – 5pm, Tuesday – Friday 12.30 – 4.30pm
- Admission: €11, church tour €4
Hamelin – the Pied Piper comes to life
At first glance not much has changed in Hamelin or Hameln since the days of the Pied Piper. Everywhere you look are impossibly cute half timbered buildings. Wander down Osterstraße to see some particularly fine buildings. Number 28, the Rattenfängerhaus (Rat Catcher House) built in 1602, was home not to the Pied Piper but a local councillor is festooned with carving. Further down the road are a pair of candy coloured houses, you can visit these as they house the museum. Most of the displays are in German but they stage a fine animatronic version of the Pied Piper.
Look down to see brass rats embedded in the cobbled street, follow them to discover the Tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. Try to make sure you are in the Markt has the hour strikes, you will be treated to a fine glockenspiel Pied Piper show. In the summer on Sunday at noon you can watch a performance of the whole Pied Piper story for free.
- Museum Hameln, open Tuesday – Sunday 11am – 6pm €6
Stay in a Castle: Schlosshotel Munchhausen
Where better to stay when exploring the German Fairy Tale Road than in a fairy tale castle. Schlosshotel Munchhausen has everything you could wish for in a castle. Towers, a moat and a grand Knight’s Hall. My only sorrow was that we had no time to properly explore the beautiful grounds. If I were to stay again I would allow lots of time to swim in the moatside pool, luxuriate in the sauna after a long walk though the parkland. You have a choice of castle rooms or spacious modern rooms in the stable block overlooking the castle.
Bodenwerder – The Tall Tales of Baron Münchhausen
No fairy stories in Bodenwerder but a real person who told heavily embroidered stories of his life. Baron Munchhausen is one of those figures that people think they know about but are a bit hazy when pushed … at least I was I until I visited Bodenwerder. Baron Munchhausen (distantly related to the Schloss Munchhausen but never resident) was a minor nobleman who ended up in the Russian court. In one story he rides on a cannonball over a Crimean battlefield to get an idea of the lie of the land and then led his troops to victory. His stories were published and he became famous. Bodenwerder itself is a small, sleepy half timbered hamlet. Make sure not to miss the excellent museum which tells the Baron’s story well. Next to the museum is one of the best children’s playgrounds I have ever seen with slides and the like themed on the Baron’s stories.
- Munchhausen Museum
- Open: Easter – October, Tuesday – Sunday 10am – 5pm
- Admission: €4.50
Corvey Abbey – A UNESCO Gem on the Märchenstraße
Two things I love. As UNESCO heritage site and an abbey. I was always going to love Corvey Abbey. When you stand outside, you see a vast white 18th century building that could be a palace, might be an Abbey. What I was not prepared for was to step into one of the oldest buildings in Germany. Tucked to one side is the Abbey church built on the orders of Charlemagne. Inside, up high, is a dias where the King Emperor would sit. He had a bird’s eye view of the altar and everyone else could see him. On the day we visited sun glinted off the extravagant Baroque interior.
You can choose to visit just the Abbey church or to explore the rest of the Abbey complex. If you love books and gardens then a tour of the rest of the Abbey is for you. Start with the cool, calm cloisters. Then head up for a series of seriously impressive enfilades. One of them is filled with books. Thousands and thousand of books. A bibliophiles heaven. Outside are beautiful gardens. Make sure to visit the cafe, the potato soup was especially good when we visited.
- Corvey Abbey
- Open: March – November
- Admission: €14, Abbey church only €5
Göttingen – The University Town of the Brothers Grimm
Göttingen styles itself “City of Science”. Forty Nobel prize winners have studied here at one time or another. The Georg-August University was founded in 1734 by Georg-August the Elector of Hannover, better know in the UK as King George II. The Grimm brothers studied law and were professors here. Albert Einstein stayed in the hotel that I stayed in.
Once upon a time Göttingen had walls, you can still walk around ramparts where they once stood. 45 minutes is enough to for a circuit. Once you’ve beaten the bounds head for Markt in the centre of town. Keep an eye open for the Ganseliesel or Goose Girl, reputedly the most kissed girl in the world. It is tradition that graduating dosctoral students kiss the statue, having first been towed there in a cart by their friends.
One side of the Marktplatz is dominated by the huge Rathaus or town hall, where you will find the tourist office. We ate in the magnificent arched Rathaus cellar. Behind the town hall is the magnificent St Jacobkirche. A service was just beginning when I visited and so I only caught a glimpse of the stunning striped interior.
Göttingen – need to know
- Where to stay – Hotel Gebhards, oldest hotel in Göttingen, next to the ramparts, short walk to the train station and town centre.
- Where to eat Bullerjahn underneath the Rathaus serves traditional German food
How to travel the German Fairy Tale Route
Flew into Hamburg and then caught a train to Bremen, but there are direct flights to Bremen from Stansted. From Göttingen I caught a train to Frankfurt and then flew back to London. You really need a car to explore the route. I was on a press trip but would return and make time to walk or cycle in the beautiful countryside. For more fairy tale inspiration take a look at the Märchenstraße website.
What to read before you go
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Before I embarked on my journey along the Fairy Tale Route I read two versions of Grimm’s fairytales. First of all Brothers Grimm: The Complete Fairy Tales, which has it name implies was thick volume with all the stories. Next I turned to Philip Pulman Grimm Tales, this is slenderer and not only tells the tales but also has a little bit about the origins of them and where they appear in other folk traditions. For more ideas about what to read in Germany take a look at my blog post.
On a previous German road trip we discovered the transformed Landschaftpark Duisburg Nord, stayed in Coldiz Castle, explored the UNESCO treasures of Weimar and Brutalist Chemnitz. On other visits we cycled around Lake Constance and visited Berlin with our teens.
