Pascal Dihe

Hike: The Klause Castle

The Klause Kastel is a 19th-century sepulcher for John of Bohemia, a famous 14th-century knight who, according to legend, commanded an army while blind. The sepulcher is, however, built into a cliffside complex of ancient caves carved out in the 10th-15th centuries as monastic hideouts. This hike takes you along some of the most spectacular vistas of the Saar Valley to an exciting relic of medieval history.

Justin Bunch | CityscapeTravel

Hike: Monks of the Wetterau

For an easy hike across some of the nicer farmland north of Frankfurt, there is the Monastery of Ilbenstadt. The monastery complex is mostly preserved and features a remarkable late Staufen Romanesque church and a Rococo gatehouse, hinting at the centuries of prosperity enjoyed by the monks here. Behind the monastery is a nicely preserved agricultural complex from the 19th century.