Thuringia

Where Martin Luther translated the New Testament under the alias of Junker Jörg, where Goethe pictured instead a museum and where German students dreamed of a nation state: Wartburg Castle is a national symbol of Germany unlike almost any other. With the end of Germany's division, it regained its place in the centre of the country, and since 1999 it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site as 'the ideal castle'. Wander through almost a thousand years of German history within its historic walls above Eisenach.

Getting there: 2 hours 30 minutes by train from Berlin to Eisenach.

To the west of Bad Langensalza, with its historic old town that was restored in 1990, you can walk along the wooden planks of the treetop trail through the canopy of Hainich National Park. Discover Germany's largest contiguous deciduous forest, which won a place on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011, from above, at eye level with its unspoilt beech trees.

Getting there: 45 minutes by Hainichbus from Eisenach to the treetop trail.

Since 2023, Erfurt has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its Old Synagogue, home to the Erfurt Treasure, the mikveh, which was discovered in 2007, and the Stone House, the excellently preserved old town contains unique architectural relics of the Jewish medieval community. Discover the historical heritage and modern Jewish life of the community, which has grown since the fall of the Wall.

Getting there: 30 minutes by train from Eisenach.

This former residence city in the centre of Thuringia is rich in big names: in addition to its many palaces and parks, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that is 'Classical Weimar' includes the former homes of Goethe, Schiller and Herder, as well as the Duchess Anna Amalia Library. Cranach the Elder and the Younger painted their masterpieces in Weimar; Bach, Liszt and Strauss also composed here. Moreover, Walter Gropius helped lead Weimar into the modern age. A museum is dedicated to his Bauhaus, which in 2019 moved into a new cube-shaped building for the 100th anniversary of its founding.

Getting there: 15 minutes by train from Erfurt.

Leave the stress of everyday life behind and immerse yourself in another world. And not just figuratively: under the impressive dome of the Toskana Therme , you can dive into a fascinating illuminated world and enjoy dreamlike sounds under water. The 'Liquid Sound' concept is internationally recognised as an EXPO 2000 project. This huge bathing and sauna complex in the spa and wine town of Bad Sulza, which was a public spa in the GDR era, now fulfils every wellness wish.

Getting there: 20 minutes by train from Weimar to Bad Sulza.

Johann Sebastian Bach himself once played here: in 1739, the musician was invited to Altenburg to test the pipes and keys of the castle church organ built by Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost. The instrument passed the test and can be heard even today, as it was then, at impressive concerts in a magnificent Baroque setting.
A very different kind of splendour unfolds in this region every autumn: this is when the saffron, which brought great wealth to Altenburg in the 15th century, blooms, as it has been cultivated in the region again since 2016.

Getting there: 2 hours 15 minutes by train from Bad Sulza.