Germany Guide

Getting around

Though transport around the mountains is well organized, it's best to have your own wheels. Bus journeys often require several changes and can become cumbersome and lengthy, but are nevertheless useful shuttles for hikers – and even cyclists when there's space. The Harz's quaint narrow-gauge system of railways is a fun way of soaking up the atmosphere.

Among railway buffs the Harz is famous for having the largest narrow-gauge railway network in Europe: the Harzer Schmalspurbahn (03943/55 80, www.hsb-wr.de). The 140km of track is plied largely by steam trains, and seeing the antique technology in action is as much part of the pleasure as the extraordinary terrain that's navigated in steep gradients and tight corners. It all adds up to an attractive way to appreciate the scenery and see some out-of-the-way places without doing the legwork yourself. Tickets can be bought for single journeys, or as a pass to the entire network (available at the main stations): €40 for three days and €45 for five days; children travel half-price, while a €60 family card gives two adults and two children access to the entire network for a day. The network divides into three lines:

The Harzquerbahn The 60km route twists all the way across the Harz in seventy bends between Wernigerode in the north and Nordhausen in the south. At its highest point, Drei Annen Hohne, you can transfer onto the Brockenbahn.

The Brockenbahn Climbs steeply from the Schierke up the Brocken to a height of 1125m; scenically at its best in winter when the peaceful heights are blanketed in snow.

The Skeletbahn Beginning in Quedlinburg, this runs to the Eisfelder Tal where you can change onto the Harzquerbahn. The steam trains along this route are real antiques – the oldest from 1887.

Hiking

The rolling hills, low peaks and dark valleys of the Harz offer easy terrain for a huge network of well-signposted trails. Maps are readily available, particularly the inexpensive, user-friendly, waterproof and tear-proof ones published by Publicpress – easily recognizable by a logo of a sun wearing sunglasses – which cover a number of areas of the Harz at different scales, with 1:50,000 ones with hiking routes marked the most useful. With navigation very straightforward and with relatively easy terrain, it's easy to forget that the Harz is a highly changeable mountain environment, so be prepared for storms and sharp temperature changes.

With good trails everywhere there's no single best base for hiking the Harz, though Thale by the Bode Valley, and Schierke on the slopes of the Brocken are particularly good.

Cycling and mountain biking

Cycling the Harz is a pleasure if you're reasonably fit, though many of the roads have tight corners and fast traffic, so it's worth planning routes that take in as many of the even and fairly smooth forestry trails that criss cross the range as possible. Again, these are well marked on maps by Publicpress, who have a range of cycling maps at a more useful smaller scale. Mountain-bikers are well served by the same network, and all the marked trails expertly documented in the book Der Harz für Mountainbiker (€13.60), which focuses on the Lower-Saxony end of the Harz and is available from all bookshops and tourist offices. These routes all tend to be a bit tame, so adventurous riders should try visiting Hahnenklee (www.bike-park-hahnenklee.de), 16km southeast of Goslar, where a range of single-track, north-shore and downhill routes can be accessed using a ski lift.

Winter sports

When snowfall cooperates, skiing and snowboarding are possible throughout the Harz and most of its towns are geared up for winter sports, making it easy and inexpensive to rent equipment. Tobogganing is very popular, with special runs in many places and the cross-country skiing trail network well developed. The main downhill centres are at Braunlage and St Andreasberg in the central Harz and Hahnenklee in the north, but there are half a dozen smaller spots too. Braunlage often has the best conditions and offers a good selection of runs to keep most skiers and boarders happy for a long weekend. Check www.harz-ski.de for the latest conditions throughout the range. Braunlage is also home to the ice hockey team Harzer Wölfe (http://woelfe.hcmedia.de), a reasonably talented and fairly rabidly supported outfit who play in the stadium in the centre of town. Catching a game can be good fun for the atmosphere and chants alone.

Spas

1 Heisser Brocken Karl-Reinecke-Weg 35, Altenau 05328/91 15 70 www.kristalltherme-altenau.de The newest and among the finest sauna complexes, 20km northwest of Braunlage, with excellent views over wooded hills from several outdoor pools (one with a waterfall). Opening time: Daily: April– Sept 9am–10pm; Oct– March 9am–11pmPrice: Three hours cost €10.80, massages are extra

2 Vitamar Masttal 1, Bad Lauterberg 05524/85 06 65 www.vitamar.de Large family-friendly pool and sauna complex in the southwestern corner of the Harz, 46km east of Göttingen and 18km southwest of Braunlage. The pool has all sorts of gimmicks like wave machine, water slide, and various currents and jets. The sauna area is pure relaxation, in several different saunas with the option of taking part in free hourly therapies, some involving rubbing scented ice or honey into your body, others ending with fresh fruit in the garden. Opening time: Mon– Fri 10am–10pm, Sat 10am–9pmPrice: Three hours cost €9, fifteen percent discount after 6pm.

3 Sole-Therme Nordhäuser Str. 2a, Bad Harzburg 05322/753 60 www.bad-harzburg.de/sole_therme.html Rambling pool and sauna with many different heated outdoor pools, saunas and steam room, including one in which you rub salt into your body. At certain times the sauna area is single-sex, but these are coordinated with another sauna nearby to ensure there's always somewhere for everyone to sweat. Opening time: Mon– Sat 8am–9pm, Sun 8am–7pmPrice: A swim costs €7.50 for 2hr 30min; a day-ticket that includes the sauna area €12 or €7.50 after 7.30pm