German Fairy Tale Road Accommodation Recommendations

Hi,

Over the years on various trips, I have visited all of these cities and towns you list. Only the place I stayed in Marburg an der Lahn applies to you as the others were in the DJH hostel or was there as day trips, once or repeatedly (Hanau, Hameln, Bremen, Kassel).

In Marburg I stayed at what is now the Marburger Hof on Elisabethstrasse, just ca. two minutes from the famous historical and cultural landmark in all of Germany, the St. Elisabeth Church (Elisabethkirche.) That was in 2007, I first saw Marburg in Aug. 1977 Marburg is located in North Hessen, a bit circuitous getting there from Frankfurt Hbf, but still very doable as a day trip if you're in Frankfurt

From the Marburg train station ca. 25-35 walk downwards to the Marburg Hof.

I know Hanau the least.

Kassel is famous for its large chateau/Schloss, Schloss Wilhelmshoehe and the well-known quote pertaining to it in German, "Ab, nach Kassel" International visitors and German ones head for Kassel for its singular art show, Dokumenta, the next one in 2027.

I would recommend the Schloss, the Zentrum had that hideous 1960s post-war rebuilding style so prevalent in western German cities. When the Americans got there in 1945, the city was contested.

I do recommend exploring Hameln, didn't see this place until 2007 as a day trip from Soest/Westf. and realised immediately I should have there during my trips in the 1970s. ie, in the cold war days. Numerous half-timbered houses in the Zentrum, certainly not a place teeming with international tourists. I was there on a Sunday afternoon in the summer. Locals made up the visitors.

I’ve been to many of these towns and cities along the Fairytale Road over various stays in Germany in 1990, 2002, and 2022. You’ve chosen some key places to stop. I don’t have any hotel recommendations as we were staying nearby and could make day trips to several. The only places we made overnight trips to were Hameln overnight in order to catch the street play of the Pied Piper the following morning, and Sababurg to stay in Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. As a librarian, I found all of these towns, cities, museums and public art very rewarding. My favorite museums were in Hanau and Kassel. My favorite art was in Marburg, explore all the nooks and crannies spread over the hilly town. My favorite summer street shows were Hameln and Bodenwesser. Göttingen’s goose girl is rather small and delicate but we happened to catch a newly degreed MD jumping up on the fountain and giving her bouquet to the goose girl in 2022. My husband probably enjoyed Göttingen the most as we walked to the huge cemetery to visit the graves of all of the university’s Nobel scientists there. Bremen was a long drive from our base but the city is beautiful and nice to visit if you have time. You can’t go wrong if you stop and visit sites along the way and book hotels in the city centers, with parking since you’ll have a car. In 2022 our hub was Kassel for 3 weeks and we visited several towns we’d missed on previous trips using trains from Kassel, the least charming city but it does have the “new” Grimm museum. Enjoy your discoveries.

In Breman, you might want to look at the ship Alexander von Humbolt. Our family stayed there for a night in the summer 2022 and enjoyed the unique expierence. If you have any mobility issues, this is not the place for you though - it is a true sailing ship and you'll be climbing ladders between decks.