In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
About 410 kilometres from Eisenach across the heights of the Thuringian Forest, through Erfurt, Weimar and Jena to the reservoirs of the upper Saale: a journey on which Luther, Bach and Goethe are closer than the next motorway exit.
The spirit of the route
Thuringia unfolds in storeys. Down in the basin lie Erfurt and Weimar with their half-timbered houses, cathedral steps and poets’ homes; up on the ridge the Rennsteig runs as an old border path over moors, mountain meadows and winter-sports villages. Slide the door open in the morning and you may see the keep of the Wartburg above the beech forest, or banks of mist over the Saale valley, and in the evening limestone slopes glowing red above Jena. The forest has changed: where dense rows of spruce stood only a few years ago, cleared areas now open up wide views, and birches, rowans and planted beeches grow between the stumps. The stages are short, the roads winding, the villages narrow. Between the bratwurst grill, the organ concert and the show mine there is time to spare, and in the end your camper stands on the shore of a reservoir where sails tack in front of slate slopes.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Eisenach to Bad Tabarz (Großer Inselsberg) (approx. 40 km)
- The drive
- From Eisenach take the B19 south past the Wartburg, turn off at Wilhelmsthal towards Ruhla and climb through the narrow, elongated Ruhla valley to the ridge; continue via Brotterode to the Großer Inselsberg (916 m) and descend in hairpins to Bad Tabarz. Just over an hour’s driving; in Ruhla the road through town is narrow with parked cars, and near the top of the Inselsberg there are gradients of around 10 % in places.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Wartburg (UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999): the 12th-century Palas and the Luther Room, where the New Testament was translated in 1521/22; best visited in the morning before the tour groups arrive.
- Drachenschlucht south of the Wartburg: a narrow gorge with grating walkways above the stream, about three kilometres from the Hohe Sonne car park.
- Großer Inselsberg: leave the camper at the large pay car park at the Grenzwiese (about 730 m) on the road between Brotterode and Bad Tabarz, then walk steeply up to the summit in a good half hour for a panorama over the Thuringian Basin and the Rhön.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Bad Tabarz the motorhome pitch (Womo-Stellplatz) lies on the edge of town with electricity and service facilities; an alternative is the pitch at the Inselbergbad in Brotterode-Trusetal. If you want to stay in Eisenach first: the Wohnmobilstellplatz Eisenach on Karl-Marx-Straße is close to the centre with electricity and service facilities (about ten pitches, within earshot of the railway line); more pitches can be found at the Sportbad Aquaplex and at the Womopark Eisenach in the Stregda district. Check facilities and prices in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Hiking car parks on the Inselsberg and along the Rennsteig are for parking; overnight stays are signposted as forbidden in many places, and the Thuringian Forest Act prohibits driving and parking motor vehicles on forest tracks. One night to restore fitness to drive is legal in a public car park without a prohibition sign – without chairs, awning or wheel chocks. The pitches in Tabarz and Brotterode are the better choice.
- Insider tip for campers
- Do not drive up to the castle in a camper: the town has no parking for large vehicles, the access to the Burgberg is narrow, and the car park at the foot of the Wartburg fills quickly. It is better to use the pitch in town and walk up the Burgweg (a good half hour, steep) – or take the bus. In Eisenach, plan time for the Lutherhaus and the Bachhaus on the Frauenplan.
2Stage 2: Bad Tabarz to Oberhof (approx. 35 km)
- The drive
- Via Friedrichroda to Tambach-Dietharz, past the reservoir there, through the Apfelstädt valley and up long forest bends to Oberhof at a good 800 m. Wide regional roads, but plenty of cyclists and, in summer, groups of motorcyclists. Just under an hour’s driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Marienglashöhle near Friedrichroda: a show mine with a crystal grotto of gypsum spar, car park right by the road.
- Rennsteiggarten Oberhof: a botanical garden with alpine plants from many of the world’s mountain ranges, open seasonally.
- Lotto Thüringen Arena am Rennsteig and the ski jumps at the Wadeberg: biathlon and winter-sports history up close, with roller-ski training in summer.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Wohnmobilstellplatz Oberhof on the edge of town with electricity and service facilities; also a caravan pitch at the biathlon stadium, which may be occupied or closed during competitions. Quieter and with sanitary facilities: Oberhof Camping am Lütschesee north-east of the town, a campsite in the forest by the Lütsche reservoir.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Oberhof lies in the Thuringian Forest Nature Park; in the town and at the sports venues the town’s parking and overnight rules apply, and they are strictly enforced on World Cup weekends. Do not stay overnight in forest car parks along the Rennsteig – forest tracks must stay clear at night for timber haulage and emergency services.
- Insider tip for campers
- Check the competition calendar before you travel: during biathlon and luge World Cups (usually December to February) pitches and access roads are booked out or closed for weeks. If you want to make quick progress, use the A71 through the Rennsteig Tunnel, just under eight kilometres long – but for the scenery you are better off on the regional roads.
3Stage 3: Oberhof to Ilmenau via Schmücke and Masserberg (approx. 80 km)
- The drive
- Along the ridge from Oberhof over the Schmücke (about 910 m) to the Rennsteig-Kreuz near Allzunah, on via Neustadt am Rennsteig to Masserberg; from there via Großbreitenbach and Gehren down to Ilmenau. Winding high roads with wildlife crossings and timber lorries, and open cleared areas again and again over some 30 kilometres. A good two hours of pure driving time.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Schneekopf (978 m) with a lookout tower, reached from the Schmücke in just under an hour along the Rennsteig; on the way, raised bog areas at the Großer Beerberg, the highest peak of the Thuringian Forest.
- Masserberg: a spa resort at about 800 m with the Rennsteigwarte, whose platform gives views across the Slate Mountains as far as the Franconian Forest.
- The cleared areas themselves: where the bark beetle killed off spruce from 2018, you now see rows of planted beech, fir and larch behind game fences – forest conversion in fast-forward.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In the Meyersgrund near Ilmenau-Manebach there is a year-round campsite in the forest by the Ilm (now run as Naturcamp Meyersgrund), quiet and a starting point for the Goethewanderweg. In Ilmenau itself there is a simple motorhome pitch at the Festhalle; check facilities in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The high ground around the Schmücke and the Vessertal belongs to the Thuringian Forest UNESCO Biosphere Reserve; in the core and management zones, a keep-to-the-paths rule and strict regulations apply, and sleeping in a vehicle is taboo. The car parks at the Schmücke and at Rennsteig crossings are day car parks for walkers.
- Insider tip for campers
- The state of the forest has calmed down markedly in 2026: according to ThüringenForst, only about 28,000 cubic metres of beetle-infested timber arose up to 11 August 2026 – a good one per cent of the amount in the same period of 2024, when the bark beetle caused around 3.5 million cubic metres of damaged timber over the whole year. Clearing and planting work is still going on, however, and forest tracks and individual footpaths may be closed – take barriers seriously and avoid cleared areas in storms (edge trees break easily). Because of the wildfire risk in dry summers, no open fires and no barbecues at the forest edge. There are hardly any filling stations in Neustadt and Masserberg – fill up in Oberhof or Ilmenau beforehand.
4Stage 4: Ilmenau to Erfurt via Arnstadt (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- From Ilmenau take the regional road along the tributaries of the Gera to Arnstadt, then the B4 across flat farmland into the Thuringian Basin to Erfurt. Well built, just under an hour; in Erfurt expect ring roads and trams, and the old town itself is unsuitable for motorhomes.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Goethehäuschen on the Kickelhahn near Ilmenau, where in 1780 Goethe wrote “Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh” on the wooden wall – a climb of a good hour from the town.
- Arnstadt: the Bachkirche, where Johann Sebastian Bach had his first post as organist, and the doll town “Mon plaisir” in the Schlossmuseum, with scenes of courtly and middle-class life around 1700.
- Erfurt: the Krämerbrücke with its inhabited half-timbered houses, the Domberg with cathedral and Severikirche, the Old Synagogue (part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Jewish-Medieval Heritage of Erfurt” since 2023) and the Petersberg Citadel.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Wohnmobilstellplatz “Tor zur Stadt” in the west of Erfurt with electricity, service facilities and sanitary facilities; on the eastern edge of the city the Campingpark Erfurt with full campsite operation, as well as the Wohnmobilpark Trautmann. Ask the operator in advance about connections to the centre by bus, tram or bike.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): In Erfurt’s city centre and in the car parks on the Domplatz, staying overnight is not an option; multi-storey car parks have height limits. A pitch on the edge of the city is the only sensible solution here.
- Insider tip for campers
- Erfurt no longer has a low-emission zone: Thuringia’s only low-emission zone was lifted in 2021 following a ruling by the Thuringian Higher Administrative Court, and no sticker is needed. The weekly market on the Domplatz is worth a visit for Thuringian sausage, vegetables and bread; on event days (for example during the Domstufen-Festspiele in summer) the square is closed.
5Stage 5: Erfurt to Weimar (approx. 25 km)
- The drive
- Take the B7 east across the open farmland plateau, half an hour’s drive. If you have time, go via Ettersburg and the Ettersberg, round the north of the city.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Classical Weimar (UNESCO World Heritage Site): Goethe’s house on the Frauenplan, Schiller’s house, the Duchess Anna Amalia Library with the Rococo Hall (timed-entry tickets, book early).
- Bauhaus sites (UNESCO World Heritage Site): the main building of the Bauhaus University, Haus Am Horn on the edge of the Ilmpark and the Bauhaus Museum at the Weimarhallenpark.
- Park an der Ilm with Goethe’s Gartenhaus, and the Buchenwald Memorial on the Ettersberg – allow half a day for the latter.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Pitch at Hermann-Brill-Platz by the stadium, about 500 m from the old town: roughly 20 pitches on a mixed car park, water and electricity for a fee (only for some of the pitches), disposal of grey water and cassette, stay limited to 24 hours according to users; toilet and shower in the neighbouring swimming pool. With sanitary facilities and more peace: Camping Tiefurt in the east on the Ilm, or the Campingplatz Ettersburg north of the town.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Staying overnight in Weimar’s city centre is not provided for; the streets around the old town are residents’ parking zones. Hermann-Brill-Platz is the official place for short stays.
- Insider tip for campers
- Weimar’s old town is narrow and partly pedestrianised – do not drive into it in a camper. A combined ticket is worthwhile for the Klassik Stiftung exhibitions. Arrive early at the pitch: during events at the stadium or in the season, the pitches are often taken by midday.
6Stage 6: Weimar to Jena and the Dornburg Castles (approx. 40 km)
- The drive
- Take the B7 across the plateau and down a long descent into the Saale valley to Jena, then the B88 downstream along the Saale beneath the shell-limestone slopes to Dornburg. A steep, narrow village road leads up to the castles. About an hour’s driving.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Jena: the Zeiss Planetarium, the Botanical Garden and the view from the JenTower over the limestone slopes of the Saale valley.
- Jenzig: a climb up the limestone hill above the Gembdental, with orchid slopes in early summer; part of the Saale-Horizontale, which circles Jena for about 70 kilometres.
- Dornburg Castles: the Old Castle, the Rococo Castle and the Renaissance Castle on the shell-limestone edge high above the Saale, plus terraced gardens in which Goethe spent weeks in 1828 after the death of the duke.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Camping “Unter dem Jenzig” on the north-eastern edge of Jena, on the Saale and the Saale cycle route, with electricity, service facilities and sanitary facilities; it is a quarter of an hour by bike into the city centre. More campsites lie downstream between Jena and Dornburg-Camburg.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The shell-limestone slopes around Jena are largely a nature reserve; hiking car parks on the edge may be used for parking, but not for overnight stays. In Dornburg the car park at the castles is small and hardly suitable for larger motorhomes.
- Insider tip for campers
- With large vehicles, park in the valley in Dornburg and walk up – the village road to the castles is steep and narrow, and turning round at the top is difficult. In Jena the multi-storey car parks have height limits; supermarkets with large car parks are found on the arterial roads.
7Stage 7: Dornburg to Saalfeld via Rudolstadt (approx. 70 km)
- The drive
- Back through Jena and along the B88 upstream via Kahla, Orlamünde and Uhlstädt to Rudolstadt, then on to Saalfeld. A well-built valley road with roads through villages, with the Saale cycle route running alongside. About an hour and a half.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Leuchtenburg high above Kahla with a porcelain exhibition and a walkway out into the void above the Saale valley; the approach is uphill, with a car park below the castle.
- Heidecksburg in Rudolstadt: the Baroque residence of the Princes of Schwarzburg with a ceremonial hall and a view over the town.
- Saalfeld Fairy Grottoes (Feengrotten): a former alum-slate mine with stalactite-like mineral formations in many colours and the “Märchendom” (Fairy-Tale Cathedral); inside it is only 8 to 10 °C all year round.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Reisemobilplatz at the Saalfeld Feengrotten in the Feengrottenpark, with electricity and service facilities, a few minutes’ walk to the grotto entrance. In Rudolstadt the Stellplatz SaaleStrand on the river is an alternative with electricity and service facilities.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The banks of the Saale between Kahla and Rudolstadt are in many places landscape protection or flood areas; overnight stays in car parks on the Saale cycle route are rarely tolerated. With the pitches in Rudolstadt and Saalfeld there are enough legal alternatives.
- Insider tip for campers
- On the first weekend in July (2026: 2 to 5 July) the big Rudolstadt Festival takes place in Rudolstadt – then pitches and campsites in the Saale valley are full for days. Book Feengrotten tours at weekends in advance; take a jacket. In Saalfeld the market day in the old town is worth a visit.
8Stage 8: Saalfeld to Schleiz via Hohenwarte and the Bleiloch reservoir (approx. 75 km)
- The drive
- From Saalfeld via Hohenwarte to the Hohenwarte reservoir, then on winding high roads via Drognitz and Ziegenrück through the Slate Mountains to the Bleiloch reservoir near Saalburg and across to Schleiz. Lots of bends, narrow bridges and roads through slate-clad villages; around two hours with photo stops.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Hohenwarte dam with the pumped-storage plant and a view over the winding reservoir, excursion boats from Hohenwarte.
- Ziegenrück on a loop of the Saale with half-timbering and a hydropower museum; beyond it the Bleiloch reservoir, by volume the largest reservoir in Germany – known together with Hohenwarte as the “Thüringer Meer” (Thuringian Sea).
- Schleiz: the Bergkirche above the town and the Schleizer Dreieck, one of Germany’s oldest natural road-racing circuits (since 1923), which today runs partly on public roads.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: On the Bleiloch reservoir there are the Campingplatz Kloster near Saalburg with electricity, service facilities and sanitary facilities right on the shore, and the Stellplatz Saalburg Beach. On the Hohenwarte reservoir there are several campsites, for example the Hopfenmühle near Drognitz and the Portenschmiede. Reserve early in high season; many permanent campers.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): The shores of both reservoirs belong to the Thuringian Slate Mountains/Upper Saale Nature Park; at bathing spots and shore car parks, overnight stays are mostly signposted as forbidden. If you want a pitch with a view of the water, book a campsite – there are enough of them at the Thüringer Meer.
- Insider tip for campers
- The roads around the reservoirs have tight hairpins and gradients over 10 %; with a caravan combination keep to the main routes and check minor roads to shore villages on the map beforehand. Incidentally, the Rennsteig ends a little way upstream on the Saale in Blankenstein – by old custom you throw into the Saale the pebble you took from the Werra at Hörschel near Eisenach.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- In Germany, wild camping outside designated sites is not allowed. A single night in public car parks to recover before continuing is tolerated, provided there is no prohibition sign and nothing looks like camping: no awning, no furniture, no wheel chocks, no waste water.
- Thuringia: the Thuringian Forest Act prohibits driving and parking motor vehicles in the forest outside public roads and car parks. In the Thuringian Forest UNESCO Biosphere Reserve (Vessertal, Schmücke, Schneekopf), in nature reserves such as the Jena limestone slopes and on many reservoir shores, additional bans apply. Fines are set by the nature conservation authorities of the districts.
- Rennsteig car parks, cross-country ski car parks and sports venues in Oberhof are not overnight places; the municipalities carry out checks, above all at weekends and during major events.
- Aids: park4night, Campercontact and the pitch directories of the specialist press; the tourism websites of Eisenach, Erfurt and Weimar list their official pitches. Comments on facilities are often out of date – call the operator.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Pitches in Eisenach, Oberhof, Erfurt, Weimar, Rudolstadt and at the Feengrotten have service facilities; on the ridge between Schmücke and Masserberg provision is thin – fill and empty your tanks before the ridge stage.
- Empty the cassette and grey water only at service points. Many Thuringian stations work with coin machines; carry small change. In winter, water taps in the high ground are often switched off.
- Tap water is drinking water everywhere. Springs and fountains on the Rennsteig are often marked “Kein Trinkwasser” (not drinking water).
- Gas: grey German exchange cylinders are available at filling stations, in DIY stores and at most campsites; LPG filling stations are easy to find in the towns of the Thuringian Basin, but rare in the forest villages. Foreign cylinders are not exchanged.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Speed limits: motorhomes up to 3.5 t as for cars (in built-up areas 50, outside them 100 km/h, recommended speed on the motorway 130 km/h); over 3.5 t up to 7.5 t 80 km/h outside built-up areas and 100 km/h on the motorway, above that 60 km/h outside built-up areas and 80 km/h on the motorway; combinations 80 km/h, 100 km/h on the motorway with a 100 km/h approval. In the forest villages 30 km/h often applies, and on ridge roads often 70.
- Low-emission zones: there are none on the route. The Erfurt low-emission zone, the only one in Thuringia, was lifted in 2021 following a ruling by the Thuringian Higher Administrative Court. If you arrive via other large cities, check the situation with the Federal Environment Agency.
- Tolls: no vignette for cars and motorhomes; the lorry toll applies to goods vehicles over 3.5 t. For motorhomes registered as lorries, clarify the classification with Toll Collect.
- Winter: situational winter-tyre requirement with the Alpine symbol. Oberhof, Schmücke and Masserberg are snow-sure – from November to March expect snow, ice and closed ridge roads, and carry snow chains.
- Alcohol limit 0.5 per mille, 0.0 for novice drivers on probation and under-21s. Mobile phones only hands-free. Bike racks must not cover the number plate and lights, otherwise a light board with number plate is required.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Hiking boots with tread – the Burgweg to the Wartburg, the Drachenschlucht, the Rennsteig and the Jenzig are stony and slippery after rain.
- A warm jacket for the Feengrotten (8 to 10 °C) and for evenings on the ridge, where it is much cooler than in Erfurt even in summer.
- Tick protection and long trousers: cleared areas with tall grass and brambles on the Rennsteig are tick territory.
- Coins for the service machines at the Thuringian pitches.
- Bikes: the Saale cycle route, the Ilmtal cycle route and the paths in Erfurt and Weimar save you searching for parking in narrow old towns.
- An offline hiking map of the Thuringian Forest – there are dead spots for mobile signal on the ridge and at the reservoirs.
As of 2026-09. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
