German Fairy Tale Land
Leaving behind Heidelberd in the south of Germany which we visited during the morning and continuing our weekend road trip heading back direction towards Dusseldorf, we stop at a must see destination on the proximity of Frankfurt: Eppstein and Diez. This would be the second time for us here and also, unfortunately, another time where the time was quite rushed, not even an hour at each. I must remember for the next time to calculate a proper stay and in the entire region since everywhere you go it’s just full of such beautiful villages.
For me, small towns and villages like these are what comes to my mind when imagining Germany. Small timbered colourful houses and a castle on the hill, more typical of a Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. Well, they do exist almost everywhere in the region of Hesse, and all of them with a castle in a hill! Other such beautiful tows nearby are Idstein and Limburg for example.
The best (and I would say only) way to visit them is by planning these as a second part of a trip. This is, spending a day or two to explore Frankfurt as a good example, then using one more day to get to these small towns. Of course, without a car that would be challenging as you will need to invest a lot of time to commute between them. For us and as the first time we came here, being on the route between North West Germany and the South West, it was a big temptation passing by and not stopping for a little walk. It does not really take too much time and will surprise you for its beauty.
There is no further information needed for this brief introduction. These are in any case quite a small travel guides since the places don’t really require of further comment nor tips. However, for more information about Eppstein, check this Wikipedia article, and this one for Diez Wikipedia. Germany’s currency is the Euro (EUR). Please note that any price reference is true as from when this guide was created, therefore check prices in advance as with the time they change.
What to see and do in Eppstein
- Being so small there is no need to mention any specific buildings here. Walking the few streets and you will see for yourself how beautiful everything is. Of course, the most important constructions is the castle from where you will get great views over the village.
What to see and do in Diez
- Smaller than Eppstein, same applies here. Walking along the streets is the best sightseeing you could do. The castle once again, still the most important building and a must see, specially from the bridge where the small river is as you will get the perfect view of the village and castle.
Transports
The best way to enjoy those small villages is by having a car. Depending on public transportation can be a nightmare, although Eppstein is well connected on the main commuter train line. Needless to say there are no public buses. Walking from one end to the other won’t take any longer than 20 minutes.
Accommodation
We did not stay overnight at any of those villages as we were heading already back to our base city Dusseldorf, while the previous night we stayed overnight at Heidelberg. The only choice you will have around here are small guest houses since there are almost no hotels. A good and reasonable point to start your search is by checking some of our preferred affiliate hotel search engine such as Hotels.com, Booking.com, Expedia, Otel.com, Agoda, Opodo or Ebookers.
Photo Galleries
Album of Eppstein
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Album of Diez
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