Discover Thurnau: Castle, crafts and hiking trails

Thurnau brings together historic buildings, crafts and circular hiking trails. When looking for accommodation, you can consider which of these interests you would like to shape your stay: shorter or longer hikes, the town’s cultural history, or both. The routes described vary considerably in length and approximate walking time, helping you better estimate the time needed for your planned activities.

Castle, church and crafts

The origins of Thurnau Castle date back to the 13th century. St. Lawrence Church is connected to the castle by a covered walkway. The passage crosses a road, creating a direct physical link between the two buildings.

Another cultural highlight is the “Craftspeople’s Trail.” Since 2010, it has linked workshops and studios in the market town of Thurnau. Its focus is therefore on the places where craftspeople work in the market town. The Tanzlinden Museum is also located in Limmersdorf, within the market town: it is an open-air documentation of dance linden trees. The castle’s history, crafts and documentation of the dance linden trees each offer a distinct theme.

Compare circular hiking trails by time required

The circular hiking trail through Thurnau is 5.8 kilometres long and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. It starts and ends at the Jägerstraße hiking car park. A longer route, the Thurnau–Kleetzhöfe–Limmersdorf circular trail, covers 8 kilometres and takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. It starts and ends at the Schorrmühle in Thurnau.

Two other circular trails take around four hours to walk: Thurnau–Kasendorf is 12.1 kilometres long and takes about 4 hours 15 minutes; Thurnau–Langenstadt covers 12.6 kilometres and takes approximately 4 hours. Both start and end at the Jägerstraße hiking car park in Thurnau. The similar estimated times for routes of different lengths offer a concrete comparison of the planning information provided, but say nothing about individual walking speeds.

The “Limmersdorfer Forst, eastern Albrandweg” circular trail takes more time: it is 23 kilometres long, takes about 7 hours, and also starts and ends at the Jägerstraße hiking car park. The routes listed range from a shorter circuit through Thurnau to a considerably longer hike. The stated walking times are approximate; factor this difference into your day’s plans.

Kulmbach as a wider travel destination

The wider travel destination of Kulmbach has other distinct offerings. The nature trail on Kulmbacher Rehberg is about 4 kilometres long and has 21 learning stations. The Frankenwaldsteigla “Rehbergweg” is an 11-kilometre circular trail from Plassenburg Castle to Rehberg, through Kulmbach’s old town and back to the starting point. These routes belong to the Kulmbach destination and add a clearly separate regional context to the overview of hiking trails in Thurnau.

Cultural attractions in Kulmbach offer different points of interest, too: the German Tin Figure Museum at Plassenburg Castle contains more than 300,000 individual figures in around 150 dioramas. The Bavarian Brewery Museum devotes more than 3,000 square metres of exhibition space to the history and art of brewing beer; a visit ends with a small tasting from the Glass Museum Brewery.

Choose accommodation to suit your stay

If you are looking for accommodation in Thurnau, you can use the activities listed as a guide when deciding how to plan your stay: if the local trails are your main focus, the routes differ chiefly in their approximate duration and starting points. For cultural interests, the castle, covered walkway, Craftspeople’s Trail and Tanzlinden Museum offer different themes. Kulmbach provides a separate regional perspective.

Discover more destinations: Presseck, Kulmbach, Marktleugast, Stadtsteinach, Mainleus, Untersteinach.

View the wider travel overview: Kulmbach District.