Things to Do in Darmstadt

Hi, I will be in Darmstdt for a week in March. I will be working but my husband and daughter will be traveling with me and will need things to do during the day. Any advice on things to see and/or do in Darmstadt and surrounding areas? Mainz or Frankfurt? We are not veteran train riders, so any advice on how to get around will be appreciated. I think we will stay at the Maritim? thanks very much!

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The Maritim is next to the train station, so you have all flexibility.

Darmstadt itself has been heavily destroyed in World War II but some interesting buildings have survived or been rebuilt.

The No. 1 sight is Mathildenhöhe with its art nouveau (Jugendstil) architecture and the Russian chapel. Check if there are any exhibitions on.

Then there is the palace (now university), the Landesmuseum (cultural history and art), a couple of churches, the Hundertwasser house.

Day trip options, in addition to Frankfurt and Mainz which are both worthwhile for a day:

- Heidelberg (no need to explain, I hope)

- Worms with its Romanesque cathedral

- a hidden gem no one knows: the old town of Weinheim and the castle ruin above

- Bergstraße with its vineyards and mild climate, in March the cherry and plum trees there will already be in bloom. Lovely for a walk/hike on a sunny spring day, starting for example from Bensheim or Zwingenberg

- Schwetzingen palace, baroque park and landscape garden South of Mannheim

- Aschaffenburg

All these are within less than one hour travel time and can be done by train.

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Bergstrasse

www.diebergstrasse.de/index.php?id=3%26L=2

Weinheim

www.weinheim-marketing.de/index.php…

Darmstadt is inside the RMV local public transport network. RMV tickets cover all local public transport (regional trains, S-Bahn, trams, buses).

rmv.de/coremedia/…data.pdf

You can get RMV tickets also to some places just outside the RMV (blue background on the above map). E.g. Worms, Weinheim, Aschaffenburg

Nice towns are e.g. Weinheim, Michelstadt, Erbach, Aschaffenburg. All can be reached by direct trains from Darmstadt.

There are a few famous places just outside Darmstadt, albeit in first place for enthusiasts.

Grube Messel (UNESCO world heritage)

http://www.grube-messel.de/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messel_pit

Because of its plethora of fossils, it has significant geological and scientific importance.

Small problem: visitor centre is closed till end of March

Burg Frankenstein

http://www.burg-frankenstein.de

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Frankenstein

Nice views from there. Also a restaurant up there. Otherwise a castle like thousands others in Germany. If it would not be for the name.

Lorsch Abbey and the famous Königshalle (King’s Hall) (UNESCO world heritage)

lorsch.de/lorsch-english/…te-kloster.shtml

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