Getting Oriented

Getting Oriented

The Fairy-Tale Road begins 20 minutes east of Frankfurt in the city of Hanau, and from there wends its way north 600 km (about 370 mi), mainly through the states of Hesse and Lower Saxony, following the Fulda and Weser rivers and traversing a countryside as beguiling as any other in Europe. It doesn't have the glamour of the Romantic Road or the cosmopolitan flair of Germany's great cities, but it also doesn't have the crowds and commercialism. It's a place that inspired fairy tales that are read the world over.

Hesse. With Wiesbaden as its capital, Hesse ranks eighth in area among Germany's 16 states and fifth in population. Its northern part is a place of forests, castles, and inspiration for the tales transcribed by the Grimm brothers.

Lower Saxony. Germany's second-largest state after Bavaria and fourth-most populous, Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) has a diverse landscape, including the Weser River, which forms a picturesque part of the FairyTale Road, and the Lüneburg Heath. Its capital and largest city is Hannover.