Schmitten in the Taunus: Trails, Views and History
Accommodation in Schmitten
Schmitten in the Taunus combines outdoor activities with clear traces of its history. Along the Taunus Wichtel Weg, there are carved figures and stories; St. Karl Borromäus Church is built from Taunus slate, and the castle ruins retain distinctive structural features. There is also an outdoor pool, several routes with different details, and a ski lift that depends on snow conditions. When planning your trip, it is worth first considering which of these holiday themes interests you most.
File:DSC00400 Blick vom Wiegerfelsen auf Schmitten im Taunus.jpg
Photo: X-angel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Routes with stories and clear starting points
The Taunus Wichtel Weg starts and ends in Schmitten. Carved gnomes stand along the route, each accompanied by a story to read. Four information boards provide details about the hiking route. The trail leads through forests, along the Weil River, and across green meadow paths in the Taunus Nature Park. The figures and stories give the route a narrative character; the changing landscape adds to these stops. If you enjoy combining excursions with little discoveries, you can use the figures and texts as a common thread along the way.
The TaunusRunde Höhenluft offers a different choice of tour. It is just over 33 kilometres long and circles Schmitten in the Taunus, passing through all the districts of the Feldberg municipality; its starting point is at Schmitten outdoor pool. The varied route may include steep climbs, which may require a good level of fitness or an e-bike. Its length and climbs are therefore practical points to consider when planning. By contrast, the Himmelsleiter circular trail starts at St. Borromäus Catholic Church, at 434 metres above sea level. Terrain and seasonal conditions may affect whether it can be used. These routes therefore have different points of orientation: the distance and possible climbs on Höhenluft, and the starting point and elevation at the start of Himmelsleiter.
Church, viewpoint and castle ruins
The neo-Gothic St. Karl Borromäus Church was built from Taunus slate between 1892 and 1895. The stone was quarried directly from the rock at the building site, closely linking the construction period and material to the location. The Wiegerfelsen viewpoint lies next to the church in Schmitten and can be reached by climbing a few steps. These neighbouring points can be included together when finding your way around the area.
Reifenberg Castle towers above Schmitten-Oberreifenberg and is considered the highest medieval castle in the Taunus Mountains. The surviving structures of the Oberreifenberg castle ruins include a keep, a church cellar, a slender residential tower and a four-metre-thick shield wall with round towers. The contrast between the slender residential tower and the massive shield wall makes the different architectural forms especially vivid.
Outdoor pool and ski lift: different conditions
Schmitten outdoor pool has a 50-metre stainless-steel pool and two toddlers’ pools with slides. If you are planning to swim, check current operating information before your trip. Oberreifenberg ski lift is a drag lift for skiers and snowboarders, located at an altitude of around 680 to 730 metres. Its operation depends on snow conditions; weekend opening hours are subject to favourable snow conditions. The pool and lift therefore offer different ways to spend your holiday days and require different details to be checked when planning a visit.
More experiences in the wider Hochtaunus destination
The Hessenpark Open-Air Museum is located in Neu-Anspach, in the Hochtaunuskreis district, within the wider Hochtaunus destination. Its family trail shows children and adults together how people used to live, make their homes and work. Bus route 63 connects Wehrheim and Neu-Anspach/Anspach railway station with the Neu-Anspach/Anspach Hessenpark stop. Check the connection for your visit.
Also in the Hochtaunus, Burg Kronberg Museum has presented a permanent exhibition on the history of the castle in the north wing of the Middle Castle since 2008. The museum and the castle’s interior rooms can only be visited as part of a guided tour. This visit combines the exhibition with a clear access requirement that you should take into account when planning.
Choose a holiday apartment to match your travel interests
When looking for a holiday apartment in Schmitten, you can first decide whether stories along the trail, longer routes, historic buildings, swimming or—when snow conditions are suitable—skiing and snowboarding should shape your holiday days. For the outdoor pool and ski lift, checking the relevant visitor information is also part of planning.
Discover more destinations
Discover more destinations: Oberreifenberg, Arnoldshain, Kronberg, Weilrod, Wehrheim, Königstein in the Taunus, Glashütten, Grävenwiesbach.
Return to the main travel guide: Hochtaunus.
