Bad Homburg v.d.Höhe: Palace, Park and Old Town

Palace history and museum visits

Bad Homburg Palace once served as the residence of the Landgraves of Hesse-Homburg and as a summer residence for the Prussian king and German Emperor Wilhelm II. The palace complex’s attractions include the imperial apartments of the last German imperial couple. Enjoy the view from the White Tower; check the latest access information before your visit. The palace’s history and its views offer two different perspectives, without reducing the complex to just one aspect.

The Gotisches Haus Museum offers another glimpse into the town’s history. The hunting lodge in the Großer Tannenwald was built in 1823 on the orders of Landgravine Elizabeth for her husband, Landgrave Friedrich VI Joseph. Today, it houses the Gotisches Haus Museum in Bad Homburg. Its collections on the history of the town and the Landgraviate of Hesse-Homburg are complemented by exhibits on cultural and art history. The building, its original purpose and its present-day museum collections thus offer different ways to explore the past.

The Sinclair House Museum takes a different approach: its changing exhibitions explore plants, animals, fungi and ecosystems. If you are interested in nature, you will find a contrast here to the historical collections and the town’s courtly connections. The Russian Church also links cultural history with an active religious tradition. Consecrated as the Church of All Saints, it remains the religious centre for Russian Orthodox believers in Bad Homburg and the surrounding area. The church is in the spa gardens.

Old town, spa gardens and springs

Narrow, winding lanes and romantic courtyards characterise Bad Homburg’s old town. Above them stands the Ritter-von-Marx Bridge, built at the beginning of the 20th century. The focus is therefore not only on individual historic buildings, but also on the lanes and courtyards that give the old town centre its character.

In the palace park is the “Goethes Ruh” park rotunda, named in honour of J. W. von Goethe. A path leads from there to the large palace pond. This is a particular highlight of the park for anyone who wants to include green spaces in their travel plans alongside the town centre’s attractions. The springs in the Brunnenbezirk are open to everyone; check the latest access details before your visit.

Experiences with different requirements

You can choose what to do in the spa gardens to suit your interests. The mini-golf course is open to everyone, with opening hours listed from April to early October. Check the latest seasonal information before your visit. The Thai Festival is held in the spa gardens once a year. It is organised by the Royal Thai Embassy, the Royal Thai Consulate-General, the Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai Airways International and Kur- und Kongreß-GmbH Bad Homburg.

A guided tour of the spa gardens, including a visit to the Russian Church, may also be worth considering when planning your trip. Check the latest booking calendar. Golf has specific requirements: Bad Homburg’s Old Course is one of the few public golf courses. Players must be members of a German or foreign golf club and have a handicap recorded on their club card. Golfers who are not club members need a handicap of 54 and must have passed a rules test. Check practical details with the operator before playing.

For longer excursions, the 22-kilometre Hölderlin Trail connects Bad Homburg city centre with Frankfurt am Main and continues beyond the town. It is clearly different from the paths in the palace park. If you are planning a walk, keep the route and its length in mind.

Bad Homburg and the wider Hochtaunus destination

If you look beyond Bad Homburg to the wider Hochtaunus destination, you can include other distinctive highlights. The Hessenpark Open-Air Museum is in Neu-Anspach in the Hochtaunuskreis district. Its family trail shows children and adults together how people used to live and work. At the Saalburg Roman Fort, guided tours cover the interior of the fort, the outer civilian settlement and the Limes. The “extra muros” tour goes through the settlement and the outer area, including the fort baths, inn, ramparts and Limes. In the wider Hochtaunus destination, Hessenpark and Saalburg Roman Fort offer different historical highlights.

When choosing a holiday apartment, it helps to compare the highlights you are looking for: Bad Homburg offers the palace, old town, museums and spa gardens described here; taking a broader look at the Hochtaunus adds distinctive destinations such as Hessenpark and Saalburg. Think about which places you want to shape your trip before narrowing your search. This way, your choice of accommodation reflects the mix of town history, parks and regional excursions you have planned.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Königstein im Taunus, Usingen, Oberursel, Schmitten, Steinbach, Grävenwiesbach, Friedrichsdorf, Wehrheim.

Back to the wider travel overview: Hochtaunus.