Active holidays in the Harz mountains
– not only for family holidays
In addition to cultural sights, numerous hiking experiences and relaxation, a stay in the Harz region also allows numerous outdoor or indoor activities.
The Bode valley with theme park to discover the legends of the Harz region
Thale is the entrance to the Bodetal, the Grand Canyon in the Harz area. Numerous hiking trails start here and lead along the wild-romantic river Bode to some stamping points of the “Harzer Wandernadel” (Harz hiking needle). With the chairlift you can comfortably get to the Roßtrappe and with your own or borrowed mountain bike you can jet down over one of the action-rich forest routes from the Bikepark Bodetal. A cable car leads to the Hexentanzplatz, some of whose cabins have a glass floor. This already promises pure thrills during the ride. Arriving at the top, guests enjoy a beautiful view of the Bodetal and the Harz foreland. Here is the crazy witch house, the saga pavilion and the Harz mountain theatre. Wolves, wildlife and numerous bird species can be visited in the Tierpark (zoo) Hexentanzplatz.
Especially for the small guests there are varied games and adventure offers right next to the valley station: amusement track, water carousel and boat scooter on the water promise a lot of fun for the whole family. Right next to the theme park, the climbing forest Thale offers suitable routes for different levels of difficulty directly over the river Bode.
Animal parks, zoological gardens and zoos in the Harz region
In addition to the animal park on the Hexentanzplatz in Thale, there are other animal parks, zoological gardens and zoos in Halberstadt, Westerhausen, Aschersleben and Bad Harzburg. Next to the landscape park Spiegelsberge lies the Tiergarten (zoological garden) in Halberstadt. There are 60 different species of animals, playgrounds and slides as well as a lynx path.
The zoo Aschersleben is more exotic: tigers, leopards, ocelots, zebras, snakes and numerous other animal species can be visited here.
Snacks and drinks are offered in the Jungle Café and at the neighbouring planetarium visitors look up to the stars.
About an hour's drive away, the lynx zoo on the Rabenklippen (raven cliffs) in Bad Harzburg offers a special meeting with this native animal species of the Harz region. The cable car takes you up to Burgberg, from where you can reach the national park zoo within a 60-minute walk. Public lynx feeding is very popular.
Educational services in the Harz National Park
In addition to the lynx zoo in Bad Harzburg, there are other national park houses and visitor centers. In the Brockenhaus you travel through the history and nature of the highest mountain in the north of Germany. The Nature Experience Centre HohneHof with the nearby “Löwenzahn-Pfad” (dandelion path) in Drei Annen Hohne attracts adults and children with a sensory and fragrance garden, an adventure playground and numerous pedagogical offers with the Harz rangers. In addition, the “Harzer Rotes Höhenvieh”, a regional cattle breed, lives here.
The Torfhaus National Park Visitor Centre offers a special view of the highest mountain in the area, the Brocken. Visitors will learn more about the history of the Torfhaus moor, the Brocken hiking tours of the German poets Heinrich Heine and Johann Wolfgang Goethe and the natural landscape of the Harz.
Further locations and visitor centres are in Ilsenburg, Schierke, St. Andreasberg and Scharfenstein.