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Best Castle Hikes in Hesse

There are 38 hikes in Hesse in our database that fit. They average 27.0 km and 595 m (1,952 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 94.9 km.

That is 2 percent of the 1,972 routes we map in Hesse. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 27.0 km against 16.5 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 595 m (1,952 ft) on average versus 367 m (1,204 ft) across the wider area.

Castle and ruin routes give the walking a destination with a story attached, which makes them a good pick for a group with mixed enthusiasm for hills. The mix is broad: 5 are rated easy and 18 are hard or harder, so there is something here whether you have two hours or a full day.

Trails

Expert

Borgmannweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
68.1 km
/ 42.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,499 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Franzosenstraße

Hesse · Germany

Distance
60.1 km
/ 37.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,321 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Fulda-Diemel-Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
65.5 km
/ 40.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,441 m
Typical duration
17 hr
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Taunus - Rhön - Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
94.9 km
/ 59.0 mi
Elevation gain
2,088 m
Typical duration
25 hr
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Rundweg Wasserkünste

Hesse · Germany

Distance
5.3 km
/ 3.3 mi
Elevation gain
117 m
Typical duration
1 hr 17 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Castle and ruins
Expert

Burgen - Pfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
48.8 km
/ 30.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,073 m
Typical duration
12 hr
  • Mountain
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Klosterweg (Jägerpfad)

Hesse · Germany

Distance
15.9 km
/ 9.9 mi
Elevation gain
349 m
Typical duration
3 hr 51 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Kurze Hessen

Hesse · Germany

Distance
6.9 km
/ 4.3 mi
Elevation gain
151 m
Typical duration
1 hr 40 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Märchenlandweg - Etappe 10

Hesse · Germany

Distance
12.1 km
/ 7.5 mi
Elevation gain
266 m
Typical duration
2 hr 55 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Märchenlandweg - Etappe 23

Hesse · Germany

Distance
13.8 km
/ 8.6 mi
Elevation gain
303 m
Typical duration
3 hr 20 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Taunusklub Route 075

Hesse · Germany

Distance
12.6 km
/ 7.8 mi
Elevation gain
277 m
Typical duration
3 hr 2 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Schlosspark-Rundweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
5.0 km
/ 3.1 mi
Elevation gain
109 m
Typical duration
1 hr 12 min
  • Lake
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Sterbfritz - Rundweg 4

Hesse · Germany

Distance
2.1 km
/ 1.3 mi
Elevation gain
46 m
Typical duration
30 min
  • Lake
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Hard

Schelder-Wald-Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
18.3 km
/ 11.4 mi
Elevation gain
402 m
Typical duration
4 hr 30 min
  • Forest
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Residenzenring

Hesse · Germany

Distance
70.8 km
/ 44.0 mi
Elevation gain
1,557 m
Typical duration
18 hr
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Moderate

Burg Greifenstein Weg 10 km

Hesse · Germany

Distance
10.1 km
/ 6.3 mi
Elevation gain
223 m
Typical duration
2 hr 27 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Extratour Gisonenpfad

Hesse · Germany

Distance
13.6 km
/ 8.5 mi
Elevation gain
300 m
Typical duration
3 hr 18 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Herzberg Höhenweg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
8.5 km
/ 5.3 mi
Elevation gain
186 m
Typical duration
2 hr 3 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Lichtenklinger-Weg

Hesse · Germany

Distance
7.2 km
/ 4.5 mi
Elevation gain
159 m
Typical duration
1 hr 44 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Moderate

Premiumweg P27 Burg Ludwigstein

Hesse · Germany

Distance
11.2 km
/ 6.9 mi
Elevation gain
245 m
Typical duration
2 hr 41 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route
Easy

Rheinsteig-Zuweg Dotzheim

Hesse · Germany

Distance
3.1 km
/ 1.9 mi
Elevation gain
68 m
Typical duration
45 min
  • Castle and ruins
  • Waymarked route

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Hessen (region Taunus east)Hesse50.9 km1,120 m13 hrExpertApril to October
Werra-Burgen-Steig Teilstrecke Mitte-NordHesse70.4 km1,550 m18 hrExpertApril to October
BorgmannwegHesse68.1 km1,499 m18 hrExpertApril to October
FranzosenstraßeHesse60.1 km1,321 m15 hrExpertApril to October
Fulda-Diemel-WegHesse65.5 km1,441 m17 hrExpertApril to October
Taunus - Rhön - WegHesse94.9 km2,088 m25 hrExpertApril to October
Rundweg WasserkünsteHesse5.3 km117 m1 hr 17 minEasyApril to October
Burgen - PfadHesse48.8 km1,073 m12 hrExpertApril to October
Rotes Dreieck Oestrich-Winkel nach Hohenstein BurgHesse37.6 km828 m9 hr 46 minExpertApril to October
Klosterweg (Jägerpfad)Hesse15.9 km349 m3 hr 51 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Reinland-Pfalz (region Taunus West), European Long distance path E1 - part Germany, Hessen (region Taunus east), Werra-Burgen-Steig Teilstrecke Mitte-Nord. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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