My hubby and I are travelling to Germany and the Netherlands in September. We're looking to spend a couple of days in the Harz Mountains. There's a very good possibility that we will be travelling by train (railpass), so we will be limited in our mobility.

We want to go hiking and to a thermal bath, and simply relax for a couple of days.

Which town would you recommend as a base? We thought of Bad Harzburg, which is at the entry to the national park, but we're open to other suggestions. It's important that there be a bus to go into the park so we can access the hiking trails and a thermal bath fairly close by, again accessible by bus or train. We'd also appreciate recommendations for B&Bs (Pensionen).

Thanks in advance for any help!

Check out the Harzer Bahn, a narrow-gauge often steam-powered train that runs throughout the park - the main tourist attraction is to take the train to Brocken, the summit of the area, from either Nordhausen or Wernigerode.

Oh and there are plenty of hiking options from the stations.

Thanks for the reply, we'll look into the train, but right now we're looking more for recommendations for a base in Harz. It has to be easy to get to from Berlin and Hannover by train (we'll be leaving from the first and heading to the second).

Bad Harzburg is a pleasant but you may consider Wernigerode, a lovely town of halfptimbered facades that is perhaps more centrally located to more Harz area places of interest. And the toy-like train starts from here.

pavfec - you may want to consider Wernigerode for your base. The narrow gauge steam railway into the National Park (and up to Mt. Brocken) starts there. It is a very beautiful small town with a nice castle, lots of timber-framed houses and hosting the state garden show this year.

There are plenty of B&B's in town, but my favourite is the charming 3star hotel Am Anger. Central but quiet location, friendly hosts, and good food. Room incl. breakfast and dinner is about 100-110 Euro per night.

Hiking is easily doable from the town, but I'd prefer to go up to the mountains by the steam railway first and hike back (e.g. from Drei Annen Hohne back via Steinerne Renne to Wernigerode, or from Mt. Brocken down to Wernigerode).

Definitely visit nearby Quedlinburg, an UNESCO world heritage site due to its well preserved old town, churches and medieval treasure.

Spa could be a problem in Wernigerode, though. Maybe one of the bigger hotels has a public spa.

LOL - same idea, PalQ, eh??

Only limited experience but we visited Goslar a number of times when we were stationed in northern Germany. It has a large pedestrian zone, half-timbered houses, some nice parks for strolls, etc. I notice that Michelin gives it a couple stars. It is both tourist-oriented and lived in.

According to the DB site it is about 12 min by train from Bad Harzburg.

Regards, Gary

Ingo- search for a today's post asking you for questions about day trips by train from Dresden - you may have missed it as it sunk into Fodors Black Hole.

I lived in Bad Harzburg for a couple of years and everything you are being told about the Harz as a hiking and spa destination is correct.

You will be there at the time of year when everything is at its most atractive.

I rather fancy that the best rail connection to Berlin will be from Goslar, so I would probably stay there or in Harzburg, which as you see is only a few minutes away by train.

Enjoy!

Thank you everyone for your helpful answers (and sorry for my belated thanks!). I have saved all your suggestions and will consider them when it's time to book a room.

Ingo has it exactly right. We just returned a few days ago from Germany - from the Harz and Thuringia. In the Harz, we stayed two nights each in Quedlinburg, Wernigerode and Goslar. In answer to your question I would recommend Wernigerode. We stayed at the Hotel Am Anger and loved it. We took the train to the mountain top, Brocken, and hiked back to Drei Annen, a pleasant hike of about six miles. The train station is a five minute walk from the hotel.

I am a little disappointed to find that I am not the only American who knows about the Harz.

I haven't been there yet, but I have done some planning for an eventual trip. There is bus service within the park, but it is difficult to find fares or schedules online.

BTW, the Brocken is the scene of Walpurgis Nacht in Faust, and the mountain was the inspiration for Moussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain.

If you haven't yet been to a "traditional" German Bad, let me warn you. While the larger pools are for families, the sauna area, where all the hot tubs and saunas are, are generally co-ed and what they call "textile frei". Although the Germans accept that very matter-of-factly, for Americans it can take a little getting used to, if you are not forever offended.