For young and old, there is something for everybody to ensure that your time in Harz will be a fantastic one. In the Harz you can go for romantic nature walks to competitive Nordic walking, beautiful bike tours to mountain biking - even underground and flying from a ski jump slope. In winter you can enjoy many well posted and organised cross country lanes, but also do some great alpine skiing on beginners, intermediate and advanced slopes. If you missed the sledging season, you can always catch up on some steep Summer Bob Bahn,(summer sledging slopes), which are great fun. Other adventure activities such as, the trees in the Kletterwald (Tree Top Adventure Parks), wild water rafting and mountain climbing, will keep you busy too.
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There are opportunities for climbing on sandstone rocks, granite and limestone. The triangle of towns Halberstadt - Quedlinburg - Blankenburg offer sandstone walls to hard rock extreme towers. For information: www.outdoor-aktiv.de Cliffs and rocks such as Teufelsfelsen (Devils rock) near Ballenstedt have climbs for all levels. Check out link for more details: www.klettern-md.de The West Harz offers great rocks and walls too, Ecker valley 8 km from Goslar offer granite rocks. Innerste valley in Lautenthal, 13 km west of Goslar, opportunities for ice climbing. The Oberharz offers extreme climbing for all, different areas around the Brocken. Check out the link for info: www.klettergebiete.info A climbing wall has been erected in Wippa. 15 meters high and a climbing area of 350 sqm ensure great climbing for beginners and extreme climbers. Check out their website: www.wippra-harz.de Other websites to check out www.alpenverein.de www.westharz.info www.ostharz.info |
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Clear mountain lakes and reservoirs, quiet rivers and cold mountain streams give the ideal surrounding for fishing. You can do coarse and fly fishing here, where you can catch Trout, Pike, Bream, Carp, Perch and many more. Fishing licenses are required in the whole of Germany, some are easy to purchase than others with an average charge of 8 euros a day or 30 euros weekly. Please see the local reservoir authority for more information or the local tourist information. You can also check out the German fishing association on: www.anglerverband.com |
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Play golf in the stunning surrounding of the Harz. You can find simple driving ranges, pitch and putt to 18 hole golf courses. On some you do not need to be a member or have a handicap. At the Stately Home (Rittergut) Rothenbergerhaus in (37115) Duderstadt you can use the driving range, short courses with 4 and 9 holes and the 18 hole course. No handicap and membership required, cost are weekdays 40 Euros and weekends 50 Euros. www.golf-ohne-grenzen.de There are two Swinggolf (pitch and putt) , 9 hole courses, in Harz, one in Bad Harzburg and one in Braunlage. Both offer superb surrounding and great value for money, check out: www.swingolfclub-harz.de |
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Enjoy the nature and the stunning surrounding from the back of a horse. There are many riding clubs, who will supply the horses for you to go on a ride or just join some organised tours. Some will take you through beautiful fields and scenery and some will take you through the mountains and do trekking. Some websites for you to check out: www.wanderreiten-harz.de www.english.ponyhof-wulften.de www.indianer-ranch.de great idea for families, enjoy pony riding, open fires and tepee, a different kind of holiday. |
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It is no surprise that the Harz is a magnet for motorcyclists from around the world. With 100's of kilometres of fairly empty Mountain roads and more twists and turns than you can imagine it is the perfect place to ride those bikes. The Torfhaus is a well known meeting point for bikers with its view towards the Brocken. On a warm sunny day expect to see hundreds of bikers here. There are many hotels and pensions that cater for bikers, most offering places to store the bikes and also can help organise tours and a few even have there own mechanics if you need it. Some places to be recommended are, www.harzbiker.co.uk The well established Pension Roseneck in Bad Lauterberg www.mister-wicked.de A new and excellent hotel in Osterode am Harz www.harz-motorrad-hotel.de This 3 star hotel in St Andreasberg offers excellent tours. |
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Mountain biking is very popular in Germany and the Harz can offer some great tracks. With over 1,800Km of well signposted mountain track routes. You can hire top bikes in some hotels or shops, so no need to take your own. Some hotels offer great mountain bike facilities and repair shops such as the vital Hotel in Bad Sachsa. www.vitalhotel.de Check out these web links for more information: www.volksbank-arena-harz.de www.mountainbike.harz.de www.mtb-harz.de For something a little different you can check out the Bike Flying competition in Braunlage: www.bikefliegen.de Or the Underground biking in an old mine in Sondershausen. There are 5 different tracks and the mine is used for competitions as well as well as open to the public. Cycling at the lowest navigable point of the mine (1050 m below the earth) also led to an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records. This is the ultimate cycling experience you can imagine. Temperatures at around 27C, 20% humidity, barely lit trails in this former salt mine, with tight turns and climbs up to 20%, and all this below 500 to 700 m. Each track is around 5 kilometres long. The Adventure Cycling underground is only open on the weekends / public holidays and it cost 31, 00 Euro including bike and helmet. You can also use your own bike and helmet (30.00 euros / person). Bike rides take place underground at their own risk. www.erlebnisbergwerk.com |
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Nordic Walking is the new magic formula for the health conscious. This gentle full-body training with two poles enhances fitness and promotes the well-being. There are some magnificent walks in Harz through beautiful scenery, breathtaking views and pure nature. Throughout the Harz and The National Park you can enjoy the well sign posted and organised walks. The Harz offers a cross country network of over 500km long and an estimated 8000km walking network, so great days out are guaranteed. Some links: www.harztourismus.com Nordic Walking Arena offers four well signposted walks: www.sportpark-bad-harzburg.de Nordic Walking around Bad Harzburg: www.braunlage.de Nordic Walking around Braunlage. |
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Your fitness is definitely tested in the Tree Top Adventure Parks across Harz. An absolute fun activity for kids and adults, these high level adventurous journeys through the trees involve negotiating skills and you need to conquer a series of obstacles. Participants are fitted with a harness and helmet and attached to a safety line. All three adventure parks offer different style of challenges. The Thale and St Andreasberg Park are based in the trees with ropes and ladders and long steep slide rides and the Park in Bad Harzburg is built on wooden Poles. Check out these links for the adventure parks and more information: www.thale.kletterwald-erleben.de www.skyrope.de www.harz-hochseilgarten.de |
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There are many walks in this Region, all are well signposted. The Harz offers an estimated 8000km walking network. The National Park has invested in beautiful paths across the mountains with amazing view points. The walk up to the Brocken, the highest Mountain in the middle of Germany, is very popular and breathtaking. You can go on an organised tour with Brocken Aufstieg: www.brockenaufstieg.de A great walk to discover the whole Harz is the famous Hexenstieg (Witches way) it starts at Osterode and finishes in Thale. This walk is 97 km and takes you through the most amazing scenery, valleys and nature, this trail is very well sign posted. Another great walk is the Das grune Band (the green line), which is the former inner border line between East and West Germany. Plants and wildlife was kept undisturbed and untouched, you can find now beautiful and stunning path through it. More well sign posted walks are: Selketal-Stieg (67km), Kaiserweg, Bad Harzburger Teufelsstieg, Bad Harzburger Devilspath (13km)conquer 950 meters in heights difference, Liebesbankweg Hahnenklee, Love trial (7km) through beautiful country side and on the way are 25 individual carved and designed benches inviting you to relax and enjoy nature. Here are just a few links that will help: www.harzerwandernadel.de www.harzinfo.de www.nationalpark-harz.de |
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If you are in to diving than the Okertalsperre (Oker reservoir), has to be checked out. It is easily accessible to divers and is known as the black water, as even in bright sunshine it is completely dark at 20meters, strong lights are required. The reservoir was created by flooding small towns and settlements. The 213 residents were moved to the nearby Great Wiesenberg, where it emerged as today's spa and new tourist destination. The remains of the old village can be seen by divers.Check out, www.home.tu-clausthal.de If you prefer being on top of the water check out harz agentur, who do organise canoeing tours as well as Indian canoeing days out. Great fun for kids and adults. www.harzagentur.de The Oker reservoir is worth checking out not just for the diving but the 2km stretch of river leading away has wild waters which are often used for competitions. The German website, www.kanu.de |
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The Harz is a great place to discover winter sports. There are many opportunities to experience the winter. You can do, alpine skiing, snow boarding, cross country skiing, toboggan, snow tubing, ice skating, watch ice hockey matches and much more. Harz is great for families and people who want to learn skiing. You can hire skies or bring your own. Some of the resorts are, St Andreasberg - 5 lifts and 3 snow canons beginners to advanced, 4 well marked cross country lanes between 3km to 6km Sonnenberg - 3 lifts and 7 runs, beginners to advanced, cross country between 5 and 12 km Braunlage - 6 runs with 12 km piste, beginners to advanced, cross country network connecting Schierke and Torfhaus Torfhaus - 2 ski lifts, great toboggan run with sledge lift Hahnenklee - 3 ski lifts on runs 200m to 1500m long, beginners to advanced Bad Sachsa - 3 lifts, beginners to advanced, great toboggan run Schulenberg - 4 piste with 2 lifts, snowboard school Altenau - beginners, 2 lifts Best website to check out is www.harz-ski.de with detailed information on run and lifts or the individual links on each town. The cross country network has over 500km lanes and is well sign posted and maintained. |