Thuringian Forest: Wartburg to Weimar

Route description

Eisenach is where Johann Sebastian Bach was born, and the Wartburg above it is where Luther hid while translating the Bible. Allow half a day for the castle and the town, then drive south-east into the forest.

The road climbs to the Großer Inselsberg, one of the highest points of the Thuringian Forest, where the Rennsteig long-distance trail crosses. Follow the forest roads along the ridge to Oberhof, a winter sports resort with ski jumps and a biathlon stadium, and on to Ilmenau, where Goethe walked up the Kickelhahn to write one of his best-known poems.

Descend east through the Schwarza valley to Saalfeld, whose Fairy Grottoes are a former mine turned into the most colourful show cave in the world. It is a good stop in any weather, and the small old town has a castle ruin above the river.

Finish north in Weimar, the town of Goethe, Schiller and the Bauhaus, with parks along the Ilm and several museums; a full day is not too much. The forest roads are winding but well surfaced; snow is common from December to March.