A Day Trip To Michelstadt & Erbach
Recently, during the Christmas vacation, we made a day trip to the lovely towns of Michelstadt and Erbach in Hesse, Germany. In this article, I have shared all the information you need to plan your trip to these towns, including travel, stay and places to visit.
So, let´s start.
About Michelstadt & Erbach:
Michelstadt is a small, charming town in the Odenwald (a mountain range between Hesse, Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg). It lies in southern Hesse between Darmstadt and Heidelberg. This picturesque town boasts old city walls, half-timbered houses, and a mix of ancient and medieval structures. It is well known for its lovely Christmas market and welcomes many visitors during this time.
Erbach is a beautiful town along the Mümling river. Located quite close to Michelstadt (about 4km), this town´s most prominent landmark is its palace, Schloss Erbach. Additionally, it features a small but charming old town area with its cobbled streets and medieval structures.
Reaching Michelstadt and Erbach
By Car
The towns are well connected by road; the best way to explore them is by car. You can book a rental car. We have used rental cars from SIXT several times and found their service and cars to be top-notch. Parking is also quite easy to find, so reaching the towns and exploring the various destinations can be most conveniently done by car.
By Train
However, if you prefer public transport, you can reach by Deutsche Bahn. The train stations in Michelstadt and Erbach are called Michelstadt Bahnhof and Erbach (Odw.) Bahnhof respectively.
Here are the Deutsche Bahn booking links:
Local Public Transport
You can use the local bus to commute between locations. Find more information here.
Accomodation in Michelstadt and Erbach
Both towns are ideal for a day trip. However, if you plan to visit them as part of a more extended holiday, you can plan to spend a night in either of the towns.
Our Day Trip
We started from Darmstadt around 10:00 a.m. and arrived in Michelstadt around 11:00 a.m. Michelstadt is 45 km from Darmstadt and can be reached in under one hour.
Michelstadt is quite close to many other big cities, such as Frankfurt (70km), Mainz (83km), Wiesbaden (89km), Heidelberg (56km) and Würzburg (98km), so if you live in any of these cities, you can easily make a day trip to Michelstadt.
After parking in the city centre, we set out on foot to explore the old town and the Christmas market.
1. Michelstadt Old Town and Christmas Market
Michelstadt’s old town is lovely. It features many medieval structures and half-timbered houses. Some of the prominent structures you must not miss are:
Old city walls: You can walk along the old city walls and explore the structure.
Rathaus (the historic Town Hall): This building, constructed in the 15th century, served various purposes, including a Catholic church, hospital, school hall, polling station, and wedding hall. The town administration was housed in the town hall until 1920, and town council meetings took place here until 1973. The Rathaus is located at the heart of the old town and cannot be missed.
Diebsturm
This tower, built in 950 AD, served as a prison. It was used for this purpose till the middle of the 14th century. It features a dungeon, which can be seen and visited as part of a tour organised by the town authorities.
Stadtkirche
This 15th-century church is a prominent landmark in Michelstadt. You can find numerous gravestones and epitaphs of the count’s family here. Until recently, the Count’s family members were buried in the crypt.
Christmas Market for Michelstadt is always set up in the old city area. So, you can’t miss it if you visit this town during that time.
You can learn more about the Christmas market here.
We spent about 2 hours in the old town area, after which we picked up our car from the parking and headed to Koziol Glücks Fabrik.
2. Koziol Glücks Fabrik & Museum
Koziol Glücks Fabrik is a plastic factory established in 1927. This family-owned business manufactures a range of plastic products that find everyday applications. The campus features a flagship store where you can buy various plastic products made in the adjoining factory. You can also get a glimpse into the process and the machinery used to create multiple products. The place also features a cafe and a museum (suitable for children under 12).
The factory is located about 1.8 km from Michelstadt city centre, in Erbach, and it took us 5 minutes by car to reach there.
Since we visited only the store, it didn’t take us much time. We spent about 30 minutes in this place. If you plan to visit the museum, please allow for more time. You can learn more about the company and the products it sells here.
3. Erbach Old Town, Palace and Christmas Market:
Erbach is a small town in the Odenwald area, quite close to Michelstadt (about 4 km south of Michelstadt). This lovely, picturesque place looks like a painting with a river, half-timbered houses and its most prominent landmark, Schloss Erbach. From Koziol Glücks Fabrik, it took us 5 minutes to reach Schloss Erbach.
Schloss Erbach is the most prominent landmark in Erbach. The structure is massive and impressive. It features collections of antique marble sculptures and vases, knights’ armour, weapons, antlers, outstanding Dutch paintings, a colourful late Gothic altar, coins and the German Ivory Museum, all brought in by Count Franz I (1754-1823). You can admire the palace from the outside and visit it from the inside. You can find more information about your visit here.
Erbach’s Christmas Market is in the old town area next to Schloss Erbach. It is a small but beautiful market that offers locally made artisanal products, local delicacies, and more.
The Old Town area of Erbach can be explored on foot. Walk along the river or on the old town’s cobbled streets to explore lovely medieval structures, half-timbered houses, etc.
We spent about an hour in Erbach, after which we headed for the last destination of the day, Einhardsbasilika.
4. Einhardsbasilika
Einhardsbasilika is a 9th-century basilica located in Steinbach, Michelstadt. It took us 10 minutes by car to reach the Einhardsbasilica from Erbach (around 4 km).
This basilica is named after Einhard, the advisor to Charlemagne and his son, Louis the Pious. He received the piece of land as a token of appreciation for his services. Here, he built the basilica to create a burial place for himself and his wife and establish a pilgrimage church. This sandstone structure, in its pristine backdrop, looks lovely. It can be visited from the inside. Inside, you can see gravestones and remains of Carolingian paintings.
Before you plan your visit, you can check their website.
We spent about 45 minutes to an hour in Einhardsbasilika, after which we headed to Darmstadt. It was a 47 km drive, which took less than an hour.
The day trip to Michelstadt and Erbach was a lovely one. We could add a mix of experiences, making it enjoyable for everyone.
If you have more time in Michelstadt, or possibly a day more, you can add Burg Breuberg to your itinerary. This castle is just 22km north of Michelstadt and can be reached in under 30 minutes by car. Since we live close to Michelstadt, we made a separate trip to Burg Breuberg.
Burg Breuberg
Burg Breuberg is one of the best-preserved castles in southern Germany, located in the Odenwald region. This castle, built for defence purposes above the Mümling Valley, was never destroyed and was inhabited almost continuously between the 12th and 17th centuries. Today, when you visit the castle, you can see impressions of all the different times in the design and architecture.
Some prominent features are a moat, an 85 mt deep well, a Knights Hall and a flight of steps that you can climb to get fantastic views of the valley below.
The castle premises can be accessed free of cost throughout the year. The premises also have a museum, a cafe and a youth hostel. If you wish to check out the museum and take a guided tour, check the castle’s official website for details.
The castle is enormous, and you can easily spend an hour exploring it. You can even plan a picnic on the premises, as there is plenty of open space. In addition, if you add the museum visit to your plan, you can easily spend half a day in Burg Breuberg.
You can either park your car at Gustavsruhe and trek 1 km through the forest to reach Burg Breuberg or park right outside the castle and then walk a few steps to reach the castle.
If you want other day trip ideas from Darmstadt or Frankfurt, please read my articles: Explore 17 Exciting Day Trip Options from Darmstadt, Germany and Top 18 Day Trips from Frankfurt You Must Experience.
To read about many other holiday destinations that we have visited, click here.
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