For many travelers, Hesse is just Frankfurt Airport, but the state is worth more than a layover. Frankfurt mixes a skyscraper skyline with a rebuilt old town, a riverside museum district and traditional apple wine taverns. To the west, the vineyards of the Rheingau hold Eberbach Abbey and the Niederwald Monument above Rüdesheim. North of the city, the Taunus hills hide the reconstructed Roman fort of Saalburg. In the far north, Kassel's Hercules statue crowns Europe's largest hillside park, and in the east the Rhön rises to the Wasserkuppe, the state's highest point. Darmstadt's Mathildenhöhe, the Messel Pit fossil site and the Roman Limes are all UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
This page covers our top 10 sights in Hesse, a one-day plan for Frankfurt and a weekend that adds the Rheingau, plus tips on getting there and when to go. Below, you'll find every attraction in Hesse from the tripto.de catalog. Hours and prices are on each attraction's page; check them with the operator before you go.
Our picks for a first visit — each with a short reason why.
Old towns & squares
Frankfurt
The Römerberg in Frankfurt is the city's historic town hall square and the most photographed spot in Germany's banking capital. Framed by the stepped gables of the Römer, Frankfurt's city hall since 1405, and a row of colorful half-timbere…
1. Frankfurt's historic town hall square, with the Römer, city hall since 1405, and a row of half-timbered houses. The Emperors' Hall inside is usually free to visit.
Museums
Frankfurt
The Städel Museum in Frankfurt is one of Germany's most important art museums and the star of the city's Museum Embankment along the Main River. Its collection spans some 700 years of European art, from medieval altarpieces and Botticelli…
2. Seven centuries of European art, from Botticelli and Vermeer to Monet and Kirchner. Closed Mondays; kids under 12 get in free. The rooftop terrace looks out on the skyline.
Viewpoints
Frankfurt
The Main Tower in Frankfurt am Main is the only skyscraper in the city with an observation deck open to the public, which makes it the easiest way to see Germany's financial capital from above. From about 200 meters (656 feet) up, you look…
3. Take the elevator to an open-air deck about 200 meters up for a 360-degree view of the skyline, the river and, on clear days, the Taunus hills.
Gardens & parks
Kassel
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel is Europe's largest hillside park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. A giant copper Hercules statue crowns the hilltop, and below it a chain of cascades, waterfalls and a fountain more than 50 mete…
4. Europe's largest hillside park and a UNESCO site since 2013, crowned by the Hercules statue. The park is free; the Hercules is open April to October, free for under-18s.
Monuments
Rüdesheim am Rhein
The Niederwald Monument above Rüdesheim am Rhein is one of Germany's best-known national monuments, crowned by a giant bronze Germania gazing out over the vineyards of the Rheingau. Built to celebrate the founding of the German Empire afte…
5. The 12-meter Germania statue above Rüdesheim's vineyards, free to visit. The cable car runs through November 1, 2026, then again during the Christmas market.
Churches & monasteries
Eltville am Rhein
Eberbach Abbey (Kloster Eberbach), near Eltville am Rhein in Hesse's Rheingau wine region, is one of the best-preserved medieval monasteries in Europe. Cistercian monks founded it in 1136, built a severe Romanesque church and vast Gothic h…
6. A Cistercian abbey founded in 1136 with a Romanesque church, monks' dormitory and wine cellars. It was a filming location for The Name of the Rose.
Landmarks
Darmstadt
Mathildenhöhe in Darmstadt, about 30 km south of Frankfurt, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe's key landmarks of Art Nouveau (called Jugendstil in German) and early modernism. From 1899, Grand Duke Ernst Ludwig of Hesse bro…
7. An Art Nouveau artists' colony with the Wedding Tower and a Russian chapel, a UNESCO site since 2021. The grounds are free and open anytime.
Historic sites & memorials
Bad Homburg vor der Höhe
The Saalburg Roman Fort near Bad Homburg, just north of Frankfurt, is the only Roman fort on the Limes frontier that has been almost completely rebuilt. Walls, gates, and buildings of a 2nd-century army camp stand again on the forested Tau…
8. The only almost fully rebuilt Roman fort on the Limes, in the Taunus near Bad Homburg. Walk through the gates, walls and barracks; admission for kids is cheap.
Museums
Frankfurt
The Senckenberg Natural History Museum (Senckenberg Naturmuseum) in Frankfurt am Main is one of the largest natural history museums in Europe and a favorite with families. A replica Tyrannosaurus rex greets you outside; inside are dinosaur…
9. One of Europe's largest natural history museums, with dinosaur skeletons, an Edmontosaurus 'mummy' and fossils from the Messel Pit. Plan two to three hours.
Mountains & peaks
Gersfeld (Rhön)
The Wasserkuppe in the Rhön Mountains is the highest peak in Hesse at 950 meters and is known worldwide as the "cradle of gliding." Its broad, open summit plateau near Gersfeld, about 20 km east of Fulda, draws hikers, glider and paraglide…
10. Hesse's highest mountain at 950 meters and the birthplace of gliding, with a radar dome lookout, a glider museum and a summer toboggan run.
Take the U-Bahn to Dom/Römer. Peek into the Emperors' Hall, then follow the old coronation route through the rebuilt lanes of the New Old Town.
Places: Römerberg (Frankfurt Town Hall Square) New Frankfurt Old Town
Climb 328 steps up the 95-meter cathedral tower; there's no elevator. The cathedral museum is closed October 12–25, 2026, while a new exhibition goes up.
Places: Frankfurt Cathedral
Cross the 1869 footbridge to Sachsenhausen. The middle of the bridge has one of the best views of the skyline.
Places: Eiserner Steg (Iron Footbridge)
Spend the afternoon on the museum embankment. The Städel is closed on Mondays.
Places: Städel Museum
Go up for sunset. In winter, the deck is open until 7 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Places: Main Tower
Römerberg, the New Old Town and the cathedral are just steps apart.
Places: Römerberg (Frankfurt Town Hall Square) New Frankfurt Old Town Frankfurt Cathedral
Walk across the Iron Footbridge to the Städel.
Traveling with children? Swap the Städel for the Senckenberg Natural History Museum and its dinosaur hall.
Take the train to Eltville and bus 172 to the abbey. Show your bus or train ticket for a discount on admission. Some areas are under scaffolding during restoration.
Places: Eberbach Abbey
Ride the cable car over the vineyards to the Germania statue. In 2026 the chairlift in Assmannshausen is out of service, so the usual loop with a boat ride back isn't possible.
Places: Niederwald Monument
By air: Frankfurt Airport has a regional station for S-Bahn and local trains and a separate long-distance station for ICE and IC trains. S-Bahn lines S8 and S9 reach Frankfurt Central Station in about 10 to 12 minutes.
By train: Frankfurt Central Station is one of Germany's main rail hubs. Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe is on the ICE line to the north, and Limburg is on the Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed line. Rüdesheim is on the right-bank Rhine line with connections to Wiesbaden and Frankfurt. The Deutschland-Ticket covers all regional trains.
By car: The main highways are the A3 (Cologne–Frankfurt–Würzburg), the A5 (Giessen–Frankfurt–Darmstadt) and the A7 through northern Hesse. In Frankfurt's old town, use a parking garage or take public transit.
May to early October is the best time for day trips. Kassel's water features run May 1 to October 3 on Wednesdays, Sundays and Hessian public holidays; the next season starts in May 2027. The Hercules is open April through October, and the Rüdesheim cable car runs March 21 to November 1 in 2026.
In December, the Christmas market on Frankfurt's Römerberg and the Rüdesheim Christmas market (November 19 to December 23, 2026) are the highlights, and the Rüdesheim cable car reopens for the market. On rainy days, the Städel and the Senckenberg museum are good bets.
For a first visit, the highlights are Frankfurt's old town with Römerberg and the cathedral, the Städel Museum, Kassel's Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe with the Hercules, the Niederwald Monument above Rüdesheim and Eberbach Abbey in the Rheingau.
Yes, if your layover is long enough to leave the airport. The S-Bahn takes about 10 to 12 minutes to Central Station, and from there the Römerberg, the cathedral and the Main Tower are close together. Check your return timing with the airport before you leave.
One full day covers Frankfurt, and a weekend lets you add the Rheingau or Darmstadt. To include Kassel, the Rhön and Limburg in the Lahn valley, plan four to five days.
The Senckenberg Natural History Museum with its dinosaurs, Frankfurt Zoo, the Roman fort at Saalburg and the Wasserkuppe with its summer toboggan run and glider museum. Kids under 12 get into the Städel for free.
From May 1 to October 3 on Wednesdays, Sundays and Hessian public holidays. The show starts at 2:30 p.m. at the cascades below the Hercules and ends at 3:45 p.m. with the Great Fountain. The 2026 season is over; the next one starts in May 2027.
Frankfurt's Römerberg, New Old Town and Iron Footbridge, Kassel's Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, the Niederwald Monument and the grounds of the Mathildenhöhe are all free. The Emperors' Hall in the Römer is usually free as well.
Monuments
Rüdesheim am Rhein
The Niederwald Monument above Rüdesheim am Rhein is one of Germany's best-known national monuments, crowned by a giant bronze Germania gazing out over the vineyards of the Rheingau. Built to celebrate the founding of the German Empire afte…
Old towns & squares
Frankfurt am Main
The Römerberg in Frankfurt is the city's historic town hall square and the most photographed spot in Germany's banking capital. Framed by the stepped gables of the Römer, Frankfurt's city hall since 1405, and a row of colorful half-timbere…
Museums
Frankfurt am Main
The Städel Museum in Frankfurt is one of Germany's most important art museums and the star of the city's Museum Embankment along the Main River. Its collection spans some 700 years of European art, from medieval altarpieces and Botticelli…
Gardens & parks
Kassel
Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe in Kassel is Europe's largest hillside park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2013. A giant copper Hercules statue crowns the hilltop, and below it a chain of cascades, waterfalls and a fountain more than 50 mete…
Landmarks
Frankfurt am Main
The Eiserner Steg ("Iron Footbridge") in Frankfurt am Main is the city's best-known pedestrian bridge and one of its landmarks. The riveted steel span links the Old Town around Römerberg square with the Sachsenhausen district and the Museu…
Churches & monasteries
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt Cathedral – officially the Imperial Cathedral of St. Bartholomew (Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus) – is the largest church in Frankfurt am Main and one of the most important sites of German history. For centuries the prince-electors c…
Viewpoints
Frankfurt am Main
The Main Tower in Frankfurt am Main is the only skyscraper in the city with an observation deck open to the public, which makes it the easiest way to see Germany's financial capital from above. From about 200 meters (656 feet) up, you look…
Museums
Frankfurt am Main
The Goethe House (Goethe-Haus) in Frankfurt am Main is the family home where Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's most celebrated writer, was born and grew up. Furnished with period pieces, paintings and household objects, the elegant tow…
Gardens & parks
Frankfurt am Main
The Palmengarten in Frankfurt am Main is one of Germany's best-known botanical gardens and a green escape just outside the city center. Spread over about 19 hectares (47 acres), it shows around 9,000 plant species outdoors and in historic…
Museums
Frankfurt am Main
The Senckenberg Natural History Museum (Senckenberg Naturmuseum) in Frankfurt am Main is one of the largest natural history museums in Europe and a favorite with families. A replica Tyrannosaurus rex greets you outside; inside are dinosaur…
Old towns & squares
Frankfurt am Main
The New Frankfurt Old Town (Neue Frankfurter Altstadt), between the cathedral and Römerberg square, is the youngest and one of the most photographed parts of Frankfurt am Main. Built between 2012 and 2018 on the site of a 1970s concrete of…
Zoos
Frankfurt am Main
The Frankfurt Zoo (Zoo Frankfurt) in the city's Ostend district is the second-oldest zoo in Germany and one of the most popular family outings in Frankfurt am Main. Right at the eastern end of the Zeil shopping street, you can see gorillas…
Landmarks
Frankfurt am Main
The Alte Oper (Old Opera) on Opernplatz is one of Frankfurt's most photographed buildings and one of Germany's leading concert halls. Its neo-Renaissance facade stands out among the skyscrapers of the banking district. You can see it in tw…
Lakes
Edertal
Lake Edersee in northern Hesse is one of Germany's largest reservoirs, winding for almost 18 miles (28.5 km) through the wooded hills of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park. Its massive stone dam at Hemfurth became world famous in May 194…
Churches & monasteries
Marburg
St. Elisabeth's Church (Elisabethkirche) in Marburg is considered Germany's oldest purely Gothic hall church, and its two 80-meter towers rise above the old town on the Lahn River. Built from 1235 over the grave of Saint Elisabeth of Thuri…
Nature
Lautertal (Odenwald)
On the slopes of the Felsberg above Lautertal-Reichenbach lies a river of stone: thousands of dark-grey, rounded boulders spill through the beech forest like a frozen stream. The Felsenmeer (“sea of rocks”) in the Odenwald is just over 2 k…
Museums
Neu-Anspach
Hessenpark in Neu-Anspach is the open-air museum of the German state of Hesse and one of the top family day trips from Frankfurt. Spread across about 65 hectares (160 acres) in the Taunus hills, it brings together more than a hundred histo…
Museums
Kassel
The Fridericianum in Kassel is one of the first public museums in continental Europe and the historic home of documenta, the world-famous exhibition of contemporary art. Behind its columned Neoclassical facade on Friedrichsplatz, the build…
Churches & monasteries
Fritzlar
Around 723 the missionary Boniface felled a mighty oak near Geismar that was sacred to the Germanic god Donar, and used its wood to build a chapel dedicated to St Peter. The town of Fritzlar grew out of this foundation, and on that spot no…
Churches & monasteries
Fulda
Fulda Cathedral (Fuldaer Dom) is a baroque cathedral in the center of Fulda in Hesse, and the burial place of Saint Boniface, the "Apostle of the Germans". With its two tall west towers, white stucco interior and the crypt where pilgrims h…
Historic sites & memorials
Rasdorf
Point Alpha on the former border between Hesse and Thuringia is one of the best places in Germany to grasp what the Cold War looked like on the ground. A US Army observation post and the East German border fortifications face each other ac…
Museums
Kassel
Most people know the Brothers Grimm as collectors of fairy tales. In Kassel you also meet them as linguists who launched a vast project, the German Dictionary. Grimmwelt Kassel tells both stories in a playful way: the exhibition is divided…
Historic sites & memorials
Messel
The Messel Pit (Grube Messel) near Darmstadt is Germany's oldest UNESCO natural World Heritage Site and one of the richest fossil sites on Earth. A former oil-shale mine, it preserves animals and plants from the Eocene, including early hor…
Museums
Glauburg
He carries a sword, a shield and a neck ring, and on his head sits a strange cap that looks like two large leaves. The Celtic Prince of the Glauberg is an almost complete stone figure from the 5th century BC and is considered the most impo…