The Fairy-Tale Road

To tour the Märchenstrasse is to take a trip though the land immortalized by the Brothers Grimm. In the gnarled forests and half-timbered cottages, you can still conjure up wicked witches, along with fairies, wizards, dwarfs, and goblins. The Grimm brothers were the earliest scholars of their country's folklore; they traveled to far-flung corners of Germany in the early 19th century to record the tales they heard. Their compendium, Kinder- und Hausmärchen (Grimm's Fairy Tales), is the world's second-most frequently translated book, after the Bible.

Today, you can follow the Fairy-Tale Road, a 595km (369-mile) route from Hanau, near Frankfurt, where the Brothers Grimm were born, to Bremen, where the "Bremen Town Musicians" lived. The route goes through some of the prettiest medieval villages in the country. To complete this tour, it's best to rent a car in Frankfurt, as the local public transportation is not adequate for what we've outlined.

Day 1: Arrive in Frankfurt

Take a flight that arrives in Frankfurt as early as possible on Day 1. Check into your hotel and enjoy a coffee and a German pastry at a local cafe.

Although Frankfurt was heavily bombed in World War II, there is a lot of the old here -- though mostly rebuilt. Head for the Römerberg, the heart of the old city where Charlemagne once erected his fort. Visit the Römer, with its Imperial Hall, exhibiting a portrait gallery of German emperors. Nearby is the Goethe-Haus, former home of Germany's most famous writer.

Later you can follow in the footsteps of Goethe and wander for at least 2 hours in the Altstadt (Old Town).

For lunch, we'd recommend King Kamehameha Suite, a neoclassical villa that is a bar, cafe, and restaurant during the day.

In the afternoon, see the impressive array of European paintings from various schools in the Städel Museum. If time remains, explore the Liebighaus, one of the great sculpture galleries of Europe.

Day 2: From Hanau to Fulda

In your rented car, leave Frankfurt in the morning and drive to the town of Hanau, 20km (13 miles), east of Frankfurt, on the River Main. It was in Hanau that Jakob (1785-1863) and Wilhelm (1786-1859) Grimm were born.

Appropriately, the Fairy-Tale Road starts at a monument to the story-telling brothers at Neustadter Marktplatz. The memorial, erected in 1898, is about all that will interest you in this traffic-clogged suburb of Frankfurt. Hanau was heavily bombed in World War II.

From Hanau, go along B43 about 20km (13 miles) northeast to Gelnhausen, where the remains of the imperial palace evoke memories of the emperor, Friedrich Barbarossa, and his lover, the beautiful Gela. Barbarossa constructed the castle here on an island in the 12th century.

Continue another 20km (13 miles) to Steinau an der Strasse, where the Grimm brothers spent their carefree youth. Visit the Amtshaus, the Renaissance palace, and see a performance at the fairy-tale puppet theater. Performances are held most Saturdays and Sundays at 3pm, though shows are not always guaranteed. Half-timbered buildings line cobblestone streets, and the surrounding woods might have been the home of Snow White. In the center of the main square is a memorial fountain honoring the brothers.

Continue north another 30km (20 miles) on B40, following the signs to Fulda, noted for its baroque architecture, as exemplified by the bishops' palace on Schlossstrasse, overlooking the city. The prince-bishops were guardians of the tomb of St. Boniface, the apostle of Germany. Fulda's cathedral dates from 1704, and pilgrims still worship at the tomb of St. Boniface, in a crypt beneath the main altar. Consider staying overnight in Fulda.

Day 3: Lauterbach to Kassel

Leave Fulda in the morning and take B254 into the Vogelsberg Mountains, going via Grossenlüder to Lauterbach, 24km (15 miles) northeast of Fulda. (In one of the Grimms' tales, the Little Scalawag loses his sock in Lauterbach.) The town is known for its medieval half-timbered houses and its two castles, Eisenbach and Riedesel. After your visit, follow Route 254 northwest to Alsfeld, a town of half-timbered houses and cobblestone streets. Its 1512 Altes Rathaus (town hall) is a showpiece.

Follow the route along the Schwalm River, which the Germans call Rotkäppchenland, or Little Red Riding Hood country. Signs point to Neustadt, with its circular tower, from which Rapunzel might have let down her golden tresses. Continue north through Schwalmstadt for 29km (18 miles) to Homberg.

From Homberg, follow the signs for 39km (24 miles) north to Kassel, where you'll want to spend the night. The Waldeck Region and the Reinhards Forest around Kassel were the birthplace of many legends about witches, sleeping princesses, strange beasts, and magic spells. These tales had a profound influence on the Grimm brothers, who lived in Kassel from 1798 to 1830. The Bruder Grimm Museum, at Schone Aussicht 2, contains letters, portraits, and mementos.

Day 4: Münden to Göttingen

Leaving Kassel, go along B3 for some 15km (10 miles) north to Münden (known more properly as Hann-Münden). The Fulda and Werra rivers meet here. In the town center are some 700 half-timbered houses built in many styles. Also in Münden is the tombstone of the much-maligned Doctor Eisenbart (a Grimm character), who is remembered every year at a folk festival.

From Münden you can detour from the Fairy-Tale Road, taking the E45 Autobahn to Göttingen. This is an ideal place to spend the night.

One of the great university centers of Germany, Göttingen is imbued with a lively student life and retains a certain air of medieval romanticism. You can spend hours wandering its narrow streets and looking at its enchanting half-timbered houses, evocative of a story by the Brothers Grimm.

Start your voyage of discovery in its Marktplatz, or Market Square, with a statue of the little goose-girl, "the most kissed statue in the world." You can visit the Altes Rathaus (old town hall) on the square and later spend an hour wandering through the Stadtisches Museum, with its fascinating look at the history and culture of Lower Saxony. Visit one of the student taverns after dark, perhaps dining at the Ratskeller, the cellar tavern of the town hall.

Day 5: Sababurg to Bodenwerder

Return to the Fairy-Tale Road by going back to Münden and then heading north on Route 80. About 10km (6 miles) north of Münden, in the village of Veckerhagen, go left and follow the signs to Sababurg.

Right outside the village of Sababurg lies Dornröschenschloss Sababurg, Hofgeismar (tel. 05671/8080), a park and castle said to be the setting of the Sleeping Beauty legend. You'll almost start to believe the tale when you see the Italianate turrets of the castle. The park is said to be the oldest zoological garden in the world.

After viewing the castle, take the road back to the Weser Valley village of Oberweser and make a left turn onto B80 heading north. After some 13km (8 miles), you reach the spa of Bad Karlshafen, a resort noted for its baroque buildings.

Continue north on Route 80 (which becomes Rte. 83) to Höxter, the easternmost town in Westphalia. Among its many Renaissance and baroque buildings, the town's most visited attraction is Dechanei (the Deanery). You can take Corveyer Allee from Höxter for about 3km (2 miles) to Corvey, one of the oldest Benedictine abbeys in Germany, planned by Charlemagne and constructed by his son, Ludwig the Pious, in 822.

Follow the Weser River north for some 30km (20 miles) to the town of Bodenwerder (www.bodenwerder.de), the birthplace of Lügen Baron von Münchhausen. Lügen Baron (1720-97) was one of the most colorful characters who ever lived along the Fairy-Tale Road.

The baron grew up near the Rathaus, or town hall, at which the Münchhausen-Erinnerungszimmer (Münchhausen Memorial Room), Münchhausenplatz 1, D-37619 (tel. 05533/40-50) has been installed.

Day 6: Hameln of Pied Piper Fame

After a night in Bodenwerder, head northwest on Route 83 for Hameln.

Immortalized by the Brothers Grimm, and even Goethe and Robert Browning, this is the setting for the famous Pied Piper folk tale. Pied Piper, of course, was the world's most famous rat-catcher, luring the town's children away, never to be heard from again. It's a romantic old town that invites a day's exploration. Rat figures in every conceivable form are for sale in the local shops. Explore its Gothic Münster, or church, and take in such attractions as the Rattenfängerhaus (Rat-Catcher's House) where you can also order lunch. Shop for souvenirs and absorb the atmosphere, overnighting in one of the town's inns.

Day 7: Bremen, the Final Stopover

After a night in Hameln, take Route 83 northwest to the A30 Autobahn and continue west beyond Osnabrück until you connect with the E37 Autobahn heading northwest to the port of Bremen.

In this "ancient town by the gray river," you can spend the day exploring its many attractions. Begin at the Marktplatz, the heart of town and the main square, with its towering statue of Roland, the port's protector.

Wander at leisure, taking in such attractions as the Schötting, a 16th-century guild hall, and the Haus der Bürgerschaft, home of Bremen's Parliament. The town's cathedral is Dom St. Petri. You can also visit its Focke-Museum, one of the best regional museums of Germany. Call on its Rathaus (town hall), take in some shopping, and walk the rampart promenade, Wallanlagen. Overnight in Bremen. The following morning return to Frankfurt for your flight home.