44903NOR
Excursion
Eisenach free visit
Wartburg Castle guided inside visit
Erfurt visit of Cathedral
Weimar walking tour with TM including the Stadtschloss (Cranach collection)
· You must call ahead to the Wartburg and make a reservation for your group. There is usually only one English guided tour per day.
· If you leave the Wartburg late or your group is hungry, you may want to do the lunch stop back in Eisenach rather than in Erfurt.
· You need cash or ACIS card for entrances to…
Wartburg Castle
StadtschlossWeimar
Weimar – Eisenach 86 km 1hr 15 mins
Eisenach – Wartburg 2 km 15 mins
Wartburg – Erfurt 53 km 1 hr
Erfurt – Weimar 22 km 30 mins
08.00 Take the A4 towards Erfurt and Eisenach and exit at Eisenach
Ost. Follow the signs towards Meiningen and Wartburg (B19).
When you are close to the town centre follow signs to Bach’s
House.
09.15 Set down in the bus park and make a rendezvous for departure.
The visit of Bach’s house is not usually included in the itinerary, but your group might want to visit it individually. They will need
about 45 minutes for the visit. Otherwise give them free time to
explore the town on their own.
10.15 Leave Eisenach and follow the signs to Schloss Wartburg. Buses
are allowed to drive up to the fortress (Car passengers take
shuttle buses).
10.45 Take the group to the entrance and buy tickets. The tour lasts one hour.
12.15 Leave Wartburg Castle. Take the Bundestrasse 7 or the
Autobahn A4 via Gotha to Erfurt.
13.15 Arrive in Erfurt. Set down at the Domplatz below the Cathedral. There are sausage stands and restaurants in the square and
more in the old town (take the Marktstrasse towards the
Krämerbrücke).
14.15 Meet the group again and take them up the Domstufen
(Cathedral steps) to the Cathedral and Church of St Severin.
15.00 Leave Erfurt by the Bundestrasse 7 in the direction of Weimar.
15.30 Arrive in Weimar. Your walking tour should include the
Theaterplatz (Deutsches Nationaltheater and Widow’s Palace),
the Markt (Lucas Cranach House and Town Hall), the Stadtkirche
and Goethe’s house. Finish your tour with a visit of the
Stadtschloss, which houses an impressive gallery of paintings.
THINGS TO DO IN WEIMAR
MUSEUMS
Most museums are closed on Monday, except Schiller’s House and Liszt Museum – closed on Tuesday.
Goethe’s House Goethe lived her for the last 20 years of his life
Schiller’s House After Goethe’s House, Weimar’s second site of pilgrimage. William Tell was written here.
Liszt Museum Franz Liszt lived here from 1869 – 1886. Open April – October.
Duchess Anna Amalia Library
The small but magnificent Rococo library made international headlines in 2004 when it caught fire. It’s very difficult to visit with groups, and only 70 tickets a day are released to individuals. If anyone is interested, they can try the ticket booth from 9am daily. They might be lucky out of season.
WALKS
The Ilm Park and Goethe’s Pavilion Cross the bridge behind the castle and walk upstream along the Ilm towards Goethe’s pavilion (Gartenhaus). This retreat was given to Goethe by Augustus the Strong. Facing the pavilion is Augustus’s own retreat, the Borkenhäuschen.
The Alte Friedhof (Cemetery) With an impressive funerary monument to Goethe and Schiller (erected in 1827)