Here's another hint for tourists or locals looking for a day trip around Frankfurt and who:
1.) don't want to see the city, no matter how beautiful or culturally rich it might be.
2.) don't want to see a small town with cute Tudor houses, no matter how beautiful or culturally rich it might be.
3.) just want to get out in the country, or in short: no museums, no high brow architecture, no churches, just green, green, green. And yes, these people don't want to use a car, either.
First, take the U3 (U-Bahn) to Oberursel-Hohemark from the Hauptwache. This train goes twice an hour, take it to the very end of the line. Resist the temptation to take a walk through the cute little town of Oberursel. Literally, take a hike.
Get off the train and either follow all of the hikers heading for the Taunus Information Center or find it yourself, it's a mere 100-200 meters from the train station. Look at the departure times of the U3 for your return. They leave at 3 and 33 past the hour. At the Information Center, you'll also find a family restaurant that is reasonably priced. If you must, there is also a parking lot for people adverse to public transportation.
Now, at the Taunus Nature Park Center, you'll see that you have quite a few options. There is the famous Mühlenwanderweg that will take you all the way back toward Frankfurt-Heddernheim, where you can jump on an U-Bahn that will take you back to your hotel/train/plane/home. For people more interested in more mountainous terrain, walk in the opposite direction.
The hiking paths, or Wanderwege, are always marked by certain symbols, in this case angles, squares, bars, or stars. We decide to hike up the Altkönig, one of the highest mountains of the Taunus Region. The entire hike is a little more than ten miles, although this can be shortened or lengthened according to which symbol you decide to follow.
At the Taunus Information Center, we decide to follow the black angle for beginners, an acute angle that looks like an arrow pointing in the direction you need to go. Once you understand that this is not an arrow but merely an angle, you'll be fine. Follow this along the gorgeous brooks until you reach another path, this one featuring a black bar. Here you're almost halfway through your hike, and this is where you find all of the restaurants and can enjoy a schnitzel and a beer.
Next, follow the white St. Andrew's Cross on a dark background, or the flag of Scotland. Take this to the top of the Altkönig, then fire away with the selfies on your smartphone. If you brought your own food, the place is great for a picnic. Just remember that you're a half mile up, which means the temperatures are quite a few degrees colder and the wind more tangible.
From the top of the Altkönig, follow the St. Andrew's Cross back down or the green and yellow squares. If this is too confusing, turn on the GPS on your smartphone, which will take you back to the train station via a different route.
Sound like a plan? It should be. A hike in Germany never gets old.
1.) don't want to see the city, no matter how beautiful or culturally rich it might be.
2.) don't want to see a small town with cute Tudor houses, no matter how beautiful or culturally rich it might be.
3.) just want to get out in the country, or in short: no museums, no high brow architecture, no churches, just green, green, green. And yes, these people don't want to use a car, either.
First, take the U3 (U-Bahn) to Oberursel-Hohemark from the Hauptwache. This train goes twice an hour, take it to the very end of the line. Resist the temptation to take a walk through the cute little town of Oberursel. Literally, take a hike.
Get off the train and either follow all of the hikers heading for the Taunus Information Center or find it yourself, it's a mere 100-200 meters from the train station. Look at the departure times of the U3 for your return. They leave at 3 and 33 past the hour. At the Information Center, you'll also find a family restaurant that is reasonably priced. If you must, there is also a parking lot for people adverse to public transportation.
Now, at the Taunus Nature Park Center, you'll see that you have quite a few options. There is the famous Mühlenwanderweg that will take you all the way back toward Frankfurt-Heddernheim, where you can jump on an U-Bahn that will take you back to your hotel/train/plane/home. For people more interested in more mountainous terrain, walk in the opposite direction.
The hiking paths, or Wanderwege, are always marked by certain symbols, in this case angles, squares, bars, or stars. We decide to hike up the Altkönig, one of the highest mountains of the Taunus Region. The entire hike is a little more than ten miles, although this can be shortened or lengthened according to which symbol you decide to follow.
At the Taunus Information Center, we decide to follow the black angle for beginners, an acute angle that looks like an arrow pointing in the direction you need to go. Once you understand that this is not an arrow but merely an angle, you'll be fine. Follow this along the gorgeous brooks until you reach another path, this one featuring a black bar. Here you're almost halfway through your hike, and this is where you find all of the restaurants and can enjoy a schnitzel and a beer.
Next, follow the white St. Andrew's Cross on a dark background, or the flag of Scotland. Take this to the top of the Altkönig, then fire away with the selfies on your smartphone. If you brought your own food, the place is great for a picnic. Just remember that you're a half mile up, which means the temperatures are quite a few degrees colder and the wind more tangible.
From the top of the Altkönig, follow the St. Andrew's Cross back down or the green and yellow squares. If this is too confusing, turn on the GPS on your smartphone, which will take you back to the train station via a different route.
Sound like a plan? It should be. A hike in Germany never gets old.
0 comments