Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [214]
A cable car (return €4.50; 9.30am-6pm Easter-Sep, 10am-4.30pm Oct-Easter) runs to Hexentanzplatz, or you can take a chairlift (return €3.50; 9.30am-6pm Easter-Sep, 10am-4.30pm Oct-Easter) to Rosstrappe. Go early or late in the day to avoid crowds. Signs direct you from the Hauptbahnhof.
The wooden museum Walpurgishalle (Hexentanzplatz; adult/child €1.50/1; 10am-6pm May-Oct) has exhibitions and paintings on matters heathen (German only), including the Opferstein, a stone once used in Germanic sacrificial rituals. Nearby is a 10-hectare Tierpark ( 2880; www.tierpark-thale.de; adult/concession/child €4/3/2.50; 10am-7pm Jun-Aug, 9am-6pm May, Sep & Oct, 9am-5pm Feb-Apr, 10am-4pm Nov-Jan) with lynxes, wild cats and other furry friends. The Hexentanzplatz itself is now basically a coach park full of souvenir shops.
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Activities
The hiking brochures Wanderführer (€1) and Führer durch das Bodetal (€1.50) are excellent if your German is up to it. Highly recommended is the Bode Valley ‘Hexenstieg’ walk between Thale and Treseburg (blue triangle, 10km). If you take the bus from Thale to Treseburg, you can walk downstream and enjoy the most spectacular scenery at the end. WVB bus 264 does the trip from April to early November, and QBus 18 runs via Hexentanzplatz from April to October. Another 10km trail (red dot) goes from Hexentanzplatz to Treseburg; combine with the valley walk to make a round trip.
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Festivals & Events
The open-air Harzer Bergtheater ( 2324; www.harzer-bergtheater.de, in German; Hexentanzplatz) has a summer program of music and plays, plus a performance on Walpurgisnacht. Tickets are sold at the venue and the tourist office.
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Sleeping & Eating
Book extremely early for Walpurgisnacht. The number of cheap private rooms is limited, but the tourist office can help, especially in finding holiday flats.
DJH hostel ( 2881; jh-thale@djh-sachsen-anhalt.de; Bodetal-Waldkater; under/over 27yr €16.50/19.50; ) This DJH hostel is central to the train and bus stations and nestled in lush surroundings where the trail begins for the Bode Valley.
Hotel Haus Sonneneck ( 496 10; www.haus-sonneneck-thale.de, in German; Heimburgstrasse 1a; s €35-49, d €55-80; ) Situated between Friedenspark and the forest, this hotel also has light, wood-panelled interiors, complemented by some antique furnishings and a spacious feel. It is central, quiet and close to the walks and lifts.
Ferienpark Bodetal Thale ( 776 60; www.ferienpark-bodetal.de, in German; Hubertusstrasse 9-11; s €60-90, d €75-90; ) Directly across Friedenspark, this modern hotel and holiday apartment complex has very smart rooms with balconies, a children’s playground, a restaurant and various health and fitness extras.
Piccola Romantica ( 630 99; Musestieg 28; pizza €4.40-9.50, pasta €4.20-6.50, schnitzel €7.60-8.50) Though it’s a 20-minute walk northeast from the station along Bahnhofstrasse and Sputnikweg, this Italian restaurant is a good deal for sit-down or – if the walk’s too much after the hiking – delivery meals.
Both Hexentanzplatz and Rosstrappe have restaurants. The Berghotel Hexentanzplatz ( 4730; Hexentanzplatz; mains €9-13) has outdoor terrace seating in summer and is the best option for a sit-down meal. It also has rooms for €50/80.
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Getting There & Around
Frequent trains travel to Halberstadt (€5.10, 45 minutes), Quedlinburg (€2.10, 12 minutes), Wernigerode (€10.30, one hour) and Magdeburg (€15.20, 1½ hours). Karl-Marx-Strasse leads to the main junction for roads to Quedlinburg and Wernigerode.
The bus station