Thurnau combines a castle history dating back to the 13th century with traditional crafts and circular hiking trails. When planning your visit, you can choose how to balance culture and hiking: alongside the named historic buildings, there are tours with different time requirements and starting points.
Castle, Church and Crafts
The origins of Thurnau Castle date back to the 13th century. A covered bridge connects St. Lawrence’s Church with the castle, crossing a road along the way. Anyone interested in the history of the buildings will find a concrete connection between the two here.
The Craftspeople’s Trail offers a different focus: since 2010, it has connected workshops and studios in the market town of Thurnau. The town’s architectural history and traditional crafts are thus available as distinct themes to explore.
The Dance Lime Tree Museum is also part of the market town of Thurnau, but is located in Limmersdorf. This open-air exhibition is dedicated to lime trees used for dancing and documents the traditions and customs surrounding them. It complements the themes of the castle and crafts with local customs.
Circular Hiking Trails by Time Available
The circular hiking trail through Thurnau is 5.8 kilometers long and takes about 1 hour 30 minutes. It starts and ends at the Jägerstraße hiking car park. Another shorter option is the 8-kilometer Thurnau–Kleetzhöfe–Limmersdorf circular trail, which takes about 2 hours 30 minutes; the start and finish are at the Schorrmühle in Thurnau.
Two tours start and end at the Jägerstraße hiking car park and are around twelve kilometers long: the Thurnau–Kasendorf circular trail measures 12.1 kilometers and takes about 4 hours 15 minutes. The Thurnau–Langenstadt circular trail is slightly longer at 12.6 kilometers, with an indicated duration of about 4 hours. These times are approximate; despite being the longer route, the Langenstadt loop is therefore listed with a slightly shorter duration than the Kasendorf loop.
For a considerably longer outing, the “Limmersdorfer Forst, Eastern Albrandweg” circular trail is another option: it is 23 kilometers long, takes about 7 hours, and also starts and ends at the Jägerstraße hiking car park in Thurnau. The different durations and starting points make it easier to choose a tour to suit the time available.
More Options in the Wider Kulmbach Destination
If you also include Kulmbach in your travel plans, you’ll find more cultural and hiking options there. Burg Zwernitz in Wonsees was first mentioned in official records in 1156 as the ancestral seat of the Walpoten family. Visitors can climb its tower for sweeping views over the Franconian Switzerland Nature Park. The Sanspareil Rock Garden lies right next to the castle; the Rock Theatre in the grove, the Oriental Building and the Kitchen Building have all been preserved to this day.
There are also different types of hikes in the Kulmbach destination: the nature trail on Kulmbach’s Rehberg is about 4 kilometers long and has 21 learning stations. The Frankenwaldsteigla “Rehbergweg,” by contrast, is an 11-kilometer circular route from Plassenburg Castle to Rehberg, through Kulmbach’s old town and back to the starting point.
In 2026, an official public transport connection runs from Kulmbach via Thurnau, Sanspareil and Wonsees, continuing to Hollfeld and Ebermannstadt. Check the timetable before travelling, as schedules may change.
Another cultural option in Kulmbach is the Bavarian Brewery Museum. Its exhibition area covers more than 3,000 square meters and is dedicated to the history and art of brewing beer. A visit ends with a small sample from the Glass Museum Brewery.
Discover more destinations: Wirsberg, Neudrossenfeld, Neuenmarkt, Kasendorf, Kulmbach, Wonsees, Marktschorgast, Trebgast.
Back to the main travel overview: Kulmbach.
