Northbound along the German Fairy Tale Route to the Sea – medieval towns with historic timber framed houses. Visit charming towns like Hamelin, Marburg and Bremen as well as Berlin, Germany’s Capital City!
German Parliament Reichstag Berlin ©Thomas H.Giesick
German Fairy Tale Berlin Rail Tour. Who did not go to sleep dreaming about “Little Red Riding Hood”, who did not fear for the seven little goats hiding from the wolf, and who did not set out into the forest, searching for “Rumpelstiltskin”? To honor the two brothers who brought us so much joy, fun, and excitement, take a journey along the Fairy Tale Route and find out where the Brothers Grimm lived and worked, see the places and landscapes in which their fairy tales are set.
The rail tour includes unrestricted 2nd-class Rail tickets and there is an option to upgrade to 1st-class Rail for all of the rail tickets except for Day 1 and 2. This is just US-$ 239 per person. This includes seat reservation on all long distance rails. (see the tableau this is already included in the price of your tour). Here you also find everything else that is included: rail tickets and admissions.
Price per Person
| two sharing a double room | one in a single room | three sharing a triple room |
| US $ 1,439 | US $ 2,259 | US $ 1,239 |
Would you like to submit your personal information so we can check availability for your specific travel dates for this beautiful tour? On our BOOKING INQUIRY page, you find a form which you may use to forward your personal information:
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DAY 1 Frankfurt
It only takes 11 minutes from the Airport local train station located below baggage claim in arrival Hall 1 of Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) to Frankfurt Central Station. The fare is covered by the “Frankfurt Card” which is already included in the price of the vacation package. Your hotel is located within a short walking distance of Frankfurt Central Station. Frankfurt is a very modern metropolis which nevertheless offers many historic sites such as the Romerberg (hill of the Romans) with its beautifully restored timber-framed houses, of course the Goethe Haus where the world famous poet once lived, the Paulskirche, symbol for democracy and freedom in Germany, “Alt-Sachsenhausen“, wherein Schellgasse number 6 you will find Frankfurt’s oldest timber-framed house which was built around 1291, to name only a few of Frankfurt’s historic landmarks.
Frankfurt Romer and Hanau ©Thomas H. Giesick
The Frankfurt Museum Riverbank is one of the most important locations for museums in Germany and Europe. The exhibition buildings are lined up on both sides of the Main riverbank, several famous museums are to be found in the city center. Visit the “Stadel“, the German Museum of Architecture as well as the Museum of Applied Art or the “Schirn Kunsthalle” to name only a very few. Don’t miss out on Frankfurt’s “Zeil“, a huge pedestrian zone where shopping is the name of the game. So, if you arrive early enough in Frankfurt, visiting this interesting metropolis is certainly worthwhile.
DAY 2 Day trip to Hanau, Gelnhausen und Steinau an der Strasse
Today you will visit places where the Grimm Brothers were born and grew up: Hanau, Steinau an der Strasse, and Gelnhausen. On Hanau’s market square one can see the monument reminding us of the two famous brothers. The monument stands right in front of the “Neustadter Rathaus” (Neustadter Town Hall) with its attractive sandstone façade. You may want to take a look at the “Deutsche Goldschmiedehaus” (German Goldsmith House) which is now a museum showing the tradition of the goldsmiths in Hanau. Also Castle Philippsruhe, located within the lovely historic park “Wilhelmsbad” and the Marienkirche (Marienchurch), its sanctuary is the city’s oldest preserved building, are worth visiting.
In Gelnhausen´s Old Town you may want to visit the ruins of an imperial fortress which was used by Emperor Barbarossa as well as the witch tower, built in the middle of the 15th century as a turret.It was also used as a dungeon for those unfortunate ones accused of being witches. Yet another short drive takes you to the Brothers Grimm city of Steinau an der Strasse. The Brothers Grimm lived here for seven years during their childhood. The Amtshaus (office house) where they lived was already 200 years old when they moved here in 1791. Visit the picturesque Old Town of Steinau an der Strasse and see where the Grimm Brothers lived. At your convenience take the train back to Frankfurt where your hotel is located.
Marburg Grimm dich Pfad and Kassel Wilhelmshohe ©Deutsche Märchenstraße e.V.
DAY 3 Marburg and Kassel
It takes about an hour by train from Frankfurt Central Station directly to Marburg. You may store your baggage right at the lockers which are available at the Rail Station (for a small fee). Here in Marburg, the Brothers Grimm studied law. In their free time, they started researching folk-literature, writing down several traditional fairy tales which until then had not been recorded in written form. Marburg’s historic Old Town, called Oberstadt (“Upper town”) will enchant you with narrow alleys, historic buildings and the charm of times long ago.
Visit the impressive Landgrafenschloss (“Landgrave castle“), which gave the town its name, dating back to the 10th century.
The Elisabethkirche (“The Church of St. Elizabeth”), built in 1235-1283, is the oldest pure gothic church in Germany, it was erected above the grave of the Holy Elisabeth. Until the 16th century, the church was one of the most famous occidental places of pilgrimage. Otto Ubbelohde, the painter who illustrated the Grimm’s fairy tales, used many motifs of the Marburger Land (“Marburg´s countryside”), which are easily recognizable once you have visited this charming town.
In the late afternoon, a train will take you in about an hour from Marburg on to Kassel, the heart of the Fairy Tale Route. Travel time is about an hour. Here in Kassel the Brothers Grimm lived for over thirty years, working as librarians at the Electoral Library, known now as the Fridericanum, Europe’s first public museum, which today is the centre of the documenta exhibitions. Within the beautiful UNESCO Berpark Wilhelmshoehe, there is Lion’s Castle, built in the years 1793-1806, it resembles the ruin of a medieval English knight’s castle. Take an excursion to the Hercules monument, Kassel´s landmark, from here you have a magnificent view over the city. In 1830, Jacob Grimm said: “The years I spent in Kassel were the happiest of my life”, a day spent here will show you why!
DAY 4 Hannoversch Munden, Gottingen and Bremen
In the morning take a train to Hannoversch-Munden. Start your tour in the Old Town with its more than 700 half-timbered houses. In front of the scenic Town Hall, you find the “Doctor Eisenbart Play”. Daily at noon, 3 pm and 5 pm the carillon played the Song of Doctor Eisenbart.
In the late afternoon take a train to Goettingen, where the Brothers Grimm lived after they moved away from Kassel. You may deposit your luggage again at the lockers at the station. The city is famous for its University, which was founded in 1734. Among those teaching here as professors where the Brothers Grimm. Goettingen’s Old Town, surrounded by the city wall, is well preserved and restored. The town’s landmark is the Gaenseliesel, a statue of a little girl that tends the geese. The Art Nouveau figure stands on the fountain in front of the old Town Hall, and although she resembles but a poor maiden she is ‘the world’s most kissed girl’ because all students who earned their doctor’s degree kiss her bronze cheek.
In the evening travel on to Bremen where your hotel is located within short walking distance to Bremen Central Station.
Bremen Town Musicans ©BTZ Bremer Touristik-Zentrale (www.bremen-tourismus.de)Manuela Gangl (www.merepics.de) and Hamburg Teakontor Wasserschloss ©NicosFotos; flikr.com
DAY 5 Day Trip to Bremerhaven
Today you go on a day trip (by rail) to Bremerhaven, a town on the bank of the North Sea. Worth seeing is the maritime resort called “The Harbor Worlds” (Hafenwelten Bremerhaven). It is placed right at the River Weser. You can find there: the German Emigration Center, the Zoo at the Sea, the German Maritime Museum, the submarine “Wilhelm Bauer” and the Historical Museum Bremerhaven. Take your time to walk around before you take a train back to Bremen.
Your rail tickets from Bremerhaven back to Bremen are flexible so you have a wide choice of trains you can take. We recommend to maybe travel back in the late afternoon to make sure you have enough time for sightseeing in the beautiful town of Bremen itself. The city’s Town Hall with its Renaissance architecture is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the statue of the “Roland” located on the marketplace along with the famous bronze display of the Bremen Town Musicians.
Then there is the “Muehle am Wall“(mill) which is the last mill left out of originally eight which were once built on the wall of the inner city. The mill was used up until 1950, today it is used as a café. Visit the “Schnorr“, the towns oldest living quarters, and do not miss “Boettcherstrasse”, Bremen’s “secret main road”. Make sure to visit a traditional Hanseatic restaurant in Bremen for dinner!
Day 6 Hamburg and Berlin
On your way from Bremen to Hamburg on Day 6 of your Fairy Tale vacation package, you will change trains in Hamburg. Since your rail tickets are flexible – and Hamburg Central Station is conveniently located in the city center – you may consider dropping off your baggage at the lockers and maybe take a walk to the “Binnenalster” which is located close by. Travel time from Bremen to Hamburg is about an hour and it takes another 1:40 hours from Hamburg by High-Speed ICE to Berlin.
Germany´s capital city is a great and dynamic metropolis. The unification of East and West Berlin 25 years ago changed the city in many ways. Berlin fascinates visitors its culture and history are unique. Your vacation package includes the 48 hour Berlin Welcome Card. With this card, you will have discounts to 200 museums, city tours, and attractions and it includes a pass for unlimited free use of the Berlin public transportation system. With your tour package, you will receive Berlin Walking tour suggestions as well as information about the public buses “M100” and “M200”: the buses are public double-decker buses which cover many sights of Berlin and are a perfect way to explore the city by hopping on and off those buses. They run very frequently all day from 5 am until midnight and if you take both routes you will have a circle taking you from the former Center of East Berlin (“Berlin Alexanderplatz”) to the Center of West Berlin (“Bahnhof Zoo”, “Ku´damm” shopping area). Bus M200 takes you south of the “Tiergarten” to West Berlin´s Bahnhof Zoo where you may want to visit the “Gedachtniskirche” (Memorial Church) as well as the KaDeWe, continental Europe´s largest compartment store, which is located close to the Ku´damm. Bus M100 takes you back through the Tiergarten and partly north of it, passing the “Siegessaule” (Victory Column), Bellevue Palace (built in 1786 for the younger brother of Friedrich II, Ferdinand of Prussia, today: seat of the Germany´s President), the Reichstag (German Parliament), the Brandenburg Gate and the Museum Island back to Berlin Alexanderplatz.
Reichstag, German Chancellery, Bellevue Palace © Thomas H. Giesick
Day 7 Berlin
On your second day in Berlin along your Europe Rail tour, your Berlin Welcome Card will still be valid. However, your tour package also includes walking suggestions which cover many of the sights around Brandenburg Gate which can best be visited by foot. From the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament) the walking tour passes by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, to Berlin´s new city center, the “Potsdamer Platz”, to “Checkpoint Charlie”, to East Berlin´s Culture- and Shopping Street “Friedrichstrasse” (site of the “golden twenties”), to the “Gendarmenmarkt”, where the German and French cathedrals are located, via the promenade street “Unter den Linden” to the Museum Island.
The remains of the wall can be visited at Berlin´s East Side Gallery where parts of the wall have been turned into a piece of art. If you are interested in Third Reich history a “must visit” is the documentation center “Topography of Terror“. It is located at the site from where the Nazis planned and managed most of their crimes. For those of you interested to visit a Concentration Camp Memorial site: a half day trip to the Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen in Oranienburg can be arranged (see Day 7 of our History Rail Tour “Fascination and Terror –Rise and Fall of the Third Reich”).
Berlin Brother Grimm graveyard, Bus 200, Gendarmenmarkt © Thomas H. Giesick
The Brothers Grimm both are buried in Berlin and the graveyard is located in the district of Schoeneberg, called “Old St. Matthew’s Churchyard”. The graves themselves are rather simple but the cemetery is scenic and worth visiting. Also the German Officer Claus von Stauffenberg is buried here. Stauffenberg was a leading member of the German resistance and he tried to kill Adolf Hitler in 1944.
DAY 8 Hamelin
In a little less than three hours the train will take you to Hamelin. Your hotel is located in walking distance from Hamelin rail station. Who is responsible for the towns fame? Of course the “Rattenfänger von Hameln””, the “Pied Piper of Hamelin“! For centuries now, the “Pied Piper” has been the town’s landmark, quite often especially during the summer there are open air plays showing the somewhat sad story of the loss of Hamelin´s children.
Visit Hamelin’s beautifully restored Old Town, which is also quite unique as the historic Old Town is still to be seen almost uninterrupted by modern buildings on the main roads. There are a great number of historic stone- and timber-framed-buildings to be seen, many of them build in Renaissance style, such as the “Rattenfängerhaus” (Piet Piper house), the “Dempterhaus” and the “Hochzeitshaus” (wedding-house). The Glaserlebniswelt (Glass Adventure World) of the Glassworks Hameln was created in the historic Pulverturm (Powder Tower). In the lobby, you get information on the 6,000-year-old history of glass as work material. Here you are at the heart of the Glass Adventure World – the glassworks and glass engraving shop where you can watch the glassblowers at work every day.
Day 9 Frankfurt
Since your rail tickets are flexible – and you have various choices for train connections bringing you back to Frankfurt – you may spend most of the day in Hamelin before traveling back to Frankfurt. Of course – if you have seen something in Frankfurt you would like to take a closer look you may also take a train in the morning. Total travel time from Hamelin to Frankfurt is a little more than three hours. Accommodation in Frankfurt will once again be in walking distance from Frankfurt Central Station.
Day 10 Frankfurt Int. Airport
Today you take the train for a very short train ride from Frankfurt Central Station right into the terminal of Frankfurt International Airport. You have a wide variety of trains going during the day and you may take a train at your convenience. The train ride takes about 11 Minutes.
Would you like to download an overview of the 10 Day German Fairy Tale & Berlin Rail Circle Tour (10R04) as a pdf to print it out or to forward it to a friend? Please download it right here:This is already included in the price of your tour
| Day 1 - Frankfurt Int. Airport to Frankfurt Central Station/ Frankfurt | Ticket for unlimited free use of the public transportation system (buses, trams, subways) within Frankfurt as well as for the train from Frankfurt Int. Airport to Frankfurt Central Station (travel time about 12 minutes) | Hotel Concord (or similar if not available), located within 2 walking minutes from Frankfurt Central Station | Frankfurt Card, Discounts to many sights, museums and restaurants, The book “The German Fairy Tale Landscape – The storied world of the Brothers Grimm” |
| Day 2 - Day trip to Hanau - Gelnhausen - Steinau an der Strasse/ Frankfurt | Train ticket from Frankfurt Central Station to Hanau (travel time about15 minutes) on to Gelnhausen (travel time about 15 minutes) and Steinau an der Strasse (travel time about 15 minutes), Rail ticket back to Frankfurt Central Station (travel time about an hour) | Hotel Concord (or similar if not available), located within 2 walking minutes from Frankfurt Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Frankfurt |
| Day 3 - Frankfurt to Marburg and on to Kassel/ Kassel | Train ticket from Frankfurt Central Station to Marburg (travel time about an hour) and on to Kassel (travel time about an hour) | Intercity Hotel Kassel (or similar if not available), located within 10 walking minutes from Kassel Wilhelmshohe Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Frankfurt |
| Day 4 - Kassel to Hannoversch Munden, Gottingen and Bremen/ Bremen | Train ticket from Kassel to Hannoversch Munden (travel time about 20 minutes) on to Gottingen (travel time about 40 minutes) and on to Bremen (travel time about 1.50 hrs) | Best Western Hotel zur Post (or similar if not available), located within 10 walking minutes from Bremen Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Kassel |
| Day 5 - Day trip to Bremerhaven/ North Sea/ Bremen | Train ticket from Bremen to Bremerhaven and back (travel time about 35 minutes one way | Best Western Hotel zur Post (or similar if not available), located within 10 walking minutes from Bremen Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Bremen |
| Day 6 - Bremen to Hamburg and on to Berlin/ Berlin | Train ticket from Bremen to Hamburg (travel time about an hour) and on to Berlin (travel time about 1.40 hrs), Ticket for unlimited free use of the public transportation system (buses, trams, subways) within Berlin | Amano Grand Central (or similar if not available), located within 10 walking minutes from Berlin Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Bremen, 48-hour Berlin Welcome Card (free use of public transportation system; discounts on many cultural and touristic highlights) |
| Day 7 - Berlin | Ticket for unlimited free use of the public transportation system (buses, trams, subways) within Berlin | Amano Grand Central (or similar if not available), located within 10 walking minutes from Berlin Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Berlin, 48-hour Berlin Welcome Card (free use of public transportation system; discounts on many cultural and touristic highlights) |
| Day 8 - Berlin to Hamelin/ Hamelin | Train ticket from Berlin to Hamelin (travel time about 2.50 hrs) | Mercure Hotel Hameln (or similar if not available), located within 10 walking minutes from Hamelin Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Berlin |
| Day 9 - Hamelin to Frankfurt Central Station/ Frankfurt | Train ticket from Hamelin to Frankfurt Central Station (travel time about 3.10 hrs) | Hotel Concord (or similar if not available), located within 2 walking minutes from Frankfurt Central Station | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Hamelin |
| Day 10 - Frankfurt Central Station to Frankfurt Int. Airport/ Frankfurt Int.Airport | Train ticket from Frankfurt Central Station to Frankfurt Int. Airport (travel time about 12 minutes) | no hotel needed | Buffet breakfast at your hotel in Frankfurt |
The tour package we provide includes a day by day itinerary as well as all tickets, vouchers, and information necessary to enjoy a great independent tour. It also contains general information about the cities you visit which you can download from our website once your tour is confirmed.
This is not included in the price of your tour
- Airfare from/to your origin to/from Frankfurt Int. Airport
- all meals other than breakfast (which is included)
- gratuities (tips)
- parking fees
You have booked the tour already and would like to download the to-europe tour package for this tour now? Please download them right here:
GERMAN FAIRY-TALE ROUTE (CUSTOMIZED TOUR) Dear Thomas, Just wanted to write and say what a wonderful holiday we had. The highlight was the stay in Trendelburg Castle, a truly wonderful setting. The views from the restaurant were breath taking. Kassel was also very impressive with the Hercules monument, would be interested to see that when all the work if finished. A friend of mine is now sounding interested in doing a similar sort of trip to ours so I will be passing on your details to him. Thank you for all your help. I think in a few years time we may do Kassel to Frankfurt and finish off the trail so will be keeping hold of your details. Kind regards – Liz W., Great Britain
We are fortunate to have travelers from all over the world on our pre-packaged tours and we would love to have your feedback! If you have been traveling along this tour with us please leave us a review below – we greatly appreciate your time! (your Email address will not be displayed)
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The team at To Europe , Thomas , Michaela and Diana did a fantastic job organizing our customized tour and the recommendations for walking tours was great! The tour itself was wonderful. We were in Kassel on a Wednesday and were able to see the majestic water feature in its full glory.Berlin was well worth the additional day. The hotels were all well located and a good standard .We took the first class option .. especially with luggage.Highly recommend this tour .
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