Bad Harzburg Attractions: The Complete City Guide

Bad Harzburg is more than just a starting point for hiking tours. The spa town in the northern Harz mountains has an eventful history, several real landmarks and enough to offer to fill several days — even in bad weather. Here comes the complete city guide.

Landmark No. 1: The Great Burgberg

At 483 metres high, the Great Burgberg is Bad Harzburg's local mountain — visible from virtually every corner of town. You can reach the top in three ways:

• Burgberg cable car (in operation since 1929, three-minute ride)
• On foot along several marked trails (45–60 minutes)
• By mountain bike (challenging, popular tour)

Once at the top: the Cross of the German East (stamping station 122 of the Harzer Wandernadel hiking badge), a playground and the viewing platform with views to the Brocken.

Cable car opening hours

• Summer: 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Winter: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Maintenance closures: a few days each March and November

Landmark No. 2: The Baumwipfelpfad Harz

Right on Antoniusplatz, at the foot of the Burgberg cable car, the Baumwipfelpfad treetop walk begins. A 1-kilometre path at 26 metres above the ground running through the canopy. Fully accessible (max. width 63 cm — strollers fit through, dogs are not allowed).

Practical info

• Opening hours April–October: 9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• Opening hours November–March: 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Open daily — normal hours on public holidays too
• Combined ticket with the Burgberg cable car available

The path features interactive learning stations — perfect for families with children.

Landmark No. 3: The Sole-Therme

Bad Harzburg is a spa town — and for good reason. The healing natural brine bubbles up from a 840-metre-deep spring. Four pools are available:

• Indoor pool 31°C
• Whirlpool 32°C
• Two outdoor pools with current channel and massage jets

Plus a sauna world with:

• Aufguss arena
• Rusti sauna
• Sole-Gabbro grotto
• Sanarium with colour-light therapy
• Steam sauna
• Nature sounds sauna
• Aroma sauna
• Kota sauna
• Snow sauna at -10°C for cool-down

Opening hours & prices

• Mon–Sat: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
• Sun: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• 2.5-hour entry: €11 adults
• Day pass: €22.50
• Sauna day pass: €27

Town centre and pedestrian zone

It is about two kilometres from the hotel to the centre. The shopping street is called Herzog-Wilhelm-Straße and is the main pedestrian zone. Here is what awaits you:

• Kurpark with bandstand and Wandelhalle promenade
• Shops for hiking gear, fashion and souvenirs
• Cafés and patisseries — the Harz speciality Baumkuchen is available at several spots
• Weekly market on Tuesdays and Fridays

Bad Harzburg wildlife park

Free admission. Spacious enclosures are home to four species of game:

• Fallow deer
• Red deer
• Mouflons (wild sheep)
• Sika deer (Japanese deer species)

Plus a goat enclosure that especially delights small children. Open year-round, feeding is permitted in line with the signs on display.

Maltermeisterturm

Right at the Burgberg ascent stands the Maltermeisterturm — a historic lookout tower from the mining era. Inside there's a café, on top a viewing platform. Anyone heading up the Burgberg on foot passes by automatically.

Harzer Wandernadel: collecting stamps

Bad Harzburg is one of the most important hubs of the Harzer Wandernadel hiking badge. 222 stamping stations are spread across the entire region, and several are particularly easy to reach in Bad Harzburg:

• Stamp 121 "Aussichtsreich" on the Great Burgberg, right next to the cable car's mountain station
• Stamp 122 "Cross of the German East" on the Burgberg
• More stamping stations towards Rabenklippe and Eckertal

The hiking passport and badges are available at the Bad Harzburg Tourist Information.

Getting to Bad Harzburg

From Sonnenresort Ettershaus, you can reach the town centre in:

• 5 minutes by car
• 25 minutes on foot through the forest
• By bus via the local bus routes

We are located at Nordhäuser Straße 1, 38667 Bad Harzburg — on the western edge of town, right by the forest.

Arriving from further afield

• By car: A7 motorway towards Kassel, exit Seesen, B82 to Bad Harzburg (90 km from Hannover, approx. 1 hour)
• From Berlin: A2 motorway towards Hannover, exit Bad Harzburg, B6 to the centre (250 km, approx. 2.5 hours)
• By train: Bad Harzburg has its own station with ICE connections. Direct service from Hannover (1.5 hrs), via Hannover from Hamburg (2.5 hrs) or via Braunschweig from Berlin (3 hrs). From the station to the hotel: approx. 2 km, taxi or hotel pickup on request.

When is the best time?

• Spring and autumn for hiking — pleasant temperatures, fewer crowds
• Summer for the thermal baths and outdoor activities
• Winter for skiing, sledging and wellness — the Wurmberg and Sankt Andreasberg ski resorts can be reached in 20–30 minutes

Read on

• Hiking from Bad Harzburg
• Day trips with kids
• The Harz Guide — hiking, Brocken, nature
• The Bad Harzburg Guide — city guide with Burgberg, spa & more

Experience Bad Harzburg

Right by the forest, in the heart of the spa town, with pool, sauna and treehouses. Get in touch or book directly.