A weekend trip to Kassel in Hesse, Germany
Kassel is a lovely town in the northern part of the Hesse state in Germany. Its most famous landmark is Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, an 18th-century park with its famous statue of Hercules. It is also known for Grimmwelt, a collection of the works of the Grimm brothers, and many medieval and modern structures. It is about 196 km north of Frankfurt. Its proximity makes it ideal for a weekend trip from Frankfurt and nearby places.
We took a weekend trip to this beautiful city during spring. In this article, I have shared all the information you need to plan a visit to Kassel. In addition to the places we visited, I have shared information about accommodation, travel, and tips based on my experience.
So, let’s start.
Arrival at Kassel
By Air
Kassel Caldon Airport is just 16 km from the city centre.
You can check your flight options here.
The official website for the airport is https://www.kassel-airport.de/.
By Car
If you live in any of the nearby towns, the fastest and most convenient way to reach them is by car.
If you don’t own a car, you can rent one. We have rented from SIXT multiple times and found their cars to be of top-notch quality.
While you are here, you can read my articles:
How to get a driving license in Germany- Step-by-Step guide
My Experience with renting a car in Germany
By Public Transport
The second best option is to use public transport to reach Kassel. The station where you arrive is called Kassel Hauptbahnhof.
You can book your train on Deutsche Bahn’s official website
Travelling within Kassel:
By Car
If you have arrived by car, you need only worry about parking places. All the information about parking in Kassel is here.
By Public Transport
If you plan to use public transport, check out the website of KGV, the company that operates public transport in Kassel. You can check their website for the connection you require and buy the ticket at the tram ticketing machine, from the bus driver, at the information points, or any of the many sales points in Kassel.
If you have limited time in the city, consider taking a two-hour city tour with an audio guide. In this short time, you can visit all the important places and learn about them through the audio guide.
Accomodation in Kassel:
Since we are a family with kids already in their teens, having enough space for each of us is essential. Hotel rooms are not spacious, and everyone is restricted to a small room. So, recently, we started booking apartments. We usually reserve a flat or house, preferably with an equipped kitchen and a minimum of two bedrooms, so that each of us has our own space and there is always an option of cooking something.
As a family, we like having a good breakfast and starting our day, and apartments with kitchens allow us to make simple meals at home. We also enjoy exploring the local supermarkets, finding what’s new, and trying out foods and drinks that are locally available. Apartments are an excellent option for all those who want to add this to their holiday experience.
We booked an apartment for this trip, too, and as usual, the experience was great.
You can check out accommodations in Kassel here.
Weekend Itinerary in Kassel
Our trip started on a Saturday morning. We live in Darmstadt, which is 214 km south of Kassel. We started in the morning and were in Kassel by early afternoon. We visited places on Saturday and Sunday. By Sunday evening, we started our drive back to Darmstadt. By night, we were back.
Day 1:
On a Saturday, we left Darmstadt for Kassel at about 10 a.m. and were in Kassel by 12:30 p.m.
After checking into our apartment and having a quick lunch, we left for Grimmwelt, our first destination for the day.
About Grimmwelt:
Grimmwelt, which translates to Grimm World, is a lovely museum in Kassel with an extensive collection that encompasses the fascinating life and work of the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, through art, media, and interactive exhibits. This place is ideal for anyone, including children and adults, fascinated by fairy tales and who would like to learn more about them and their creators.
Their official website is: https://www.grimmwelt.de/en/
You can buy tickets at the reception and check out the ticket prices, opening times, etc, on their website.
Scroll down on this page to get all the information you need to arrive at Grimmwelt.
If you are interested in fairy tales and would like to make an exclusive trip covering the Fairy Tale route in Germany, called the Märchenstraße, you can also check out this 9-day trip that starts in Frankfurt and ends in Hamburg. Through this trip, you explore the cities and regions that inspired the stories of the Grimm brothers. You discover the places where the Brothers Grimm grew up, studied and found inspiration for some of the most iconic tales in world literature.
Grimmwelt is located atop a hill and is surrounded by lovely green space. After you visit the museum, you can walk around and explore the area. It is absolutely stunning and must not be missed.
We spent about 2-3 hours in Grimmwelt, after which we walked to Karlsaue Park.
About Karlsaue Park
Karlsaue Park is an 18th-century park in the city centre of Kassel. The sprawling gardens feature the Orangerie, a museum, the River Fulda, lakes, canals, and fountains. It is a big, beautiful green space within the city. It is pretty active in summer, with many events organized in the Orangerie garden.
Check out this link to learn more about the park.
A walk to Orangerie in Karlsaue Park from Grimmwelt is about 1 km and takes about 15 km. We walked to the park, soaking in the city as we walked on its streets.
The park is quite big, and if you wish to explore it completely, you will surely need a couple of hours. We spent about 2-3 hours in the park and had a relaxed evening, after which we headed to Konigsplatz for dinner. As mentioned above, the park is located in the city centre; therefore, the shopping area, popular restaurants and cafes, the Rathaus, etc., are quite close to the park and can be reached on foot.
After dinner, we headed to our apartment and called it a day.
Day 2:
On this day, the plan was to visit the most important landmark of Kassel- Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe. We also planned to visit the Lowenberg Castle afterwards. I have described everything in detail below:
About Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe:
Berg, in German, means mountain. As its name reveals, this is a mountain park. Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a large hillside park and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Baroque architecture, fountains, and various water features characterize this park, extending from Kassel to Karlsberg Mountain. The Hercules statue stands at the summit of the mountain. On the way to the summit, lovely fountains and water features make it a lovely sight.
We started our day by visiting Schloss Wilhelmshöhe at the base of the mountain. Schloss Wilhelmshöhe is an 18th-century imperial palace that houses a museum with an extensive collection of antiques and art.
You can buy a ticket to the museum at the entrance. It is quite reasonably priced and includes, besides a visit to the museum, access to Löwenburg and, depending on the season, the Hercules and the greenhouse.
You can find more information on their official website.
After spending about an hour at the museum, we started our hike towards the mountain.
The hike is long, takes time, and requires good stamina. Therefore, if you have mobility issues or small children, consider that before planning a hike. Later in the article, I have shared some tips for your visit.
It took us more than an hour to reach the summit. Since we had bought a ticket at the museum, we had access to the Hercules monument. Note that you cannot buy the access ticket to the Hercules monument after reaching the summit. Therefore, if you plan to visit the monument, buy it at the museum in Schloss Wilhelmshöhe before you start the hike.
After spending time at the summit and enjoying lovely views, we started hiking towards Löwenburg.
A note about your visit to the Hercules Monument
To reach the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, you have two options. You can enter from the lower area (where Schloss Wilhelmshöhe is located) or from the upper area ( which is the beginning of the water feature and where the Hercules Monument is located).
Option 1:
If you don’t have mobility issues, can hike comfortably, and wish to spend about half a day at the park, choose the first option. That’s what we did, and I have written about it above.
To reach Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, take Tram Line 1 from the city centre and alight at station Park Wilhelmshöhe.
If you arrive by car, put this location on your navigation app.
Wear sturdy shoes and carry plenty of water (especially in summer). Also note that there is an option of buying refreshments midway through your hike.
Option 2:
If you have mobility issues and still wish to reach the top of the summit and visit the Hercules monument, choose the second option.
From Kassel city centre, take Tram line 4 to the Druseltal terminus. From Druseltal, take bus 22 or 23 to Hercules Monument.
If you arrive by car, put this location on your navigation app.
About Löwenburg
Löwenburg Castle is an artificial castle ruin. Although it resembles a typical medieval knight castle, it was built only in the 18th century. It lies inside the Bergpark premises and can be reached only on foot. The Löwenburg can only be visited through a guided tour, which lasts about an hour. On the tour, visitors can see a collection of historical furniture, paintings, tapestries, glass, bronzes, and a magnificent collection of weapons.
A visit ticket to Löwenburg castle is included in the day ticket. You can it at Schloss Wilhelmshöhe, or at Löwenburg. For more information, please check the official website for Löwenburg.
Around 5 pm, we were done with the Löwenburg Castle visit and our weekend at Kassel.
Our visit to Kassel was memorable. We especially loved the hike to Hercules Mountain. I would recommend this trip to my readers.
We started our drive back to our city, Darmstadt and were home around 8 pm.
Learn about other holiday destinations here.
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