6 Best Sights in Bad Homburg, Frankfurt

Bad Homburg's greatest attraction has long been the Kurpark, a 116 acre park in the heart of the Old Town, with more than 30 mineral springs and fountains, golf, tennis courts, restaurants, and playgrounds. Romans first used the springs, which were rediscovered and made famous in the 19th century. In addition to the popular (and highly salty) Elisabethenbrunnen spring, look for a Thai temple and a Russian chapel, mementos left by royal guests—King Chulalongkorn of Siam and Czar Nicholas II.

This open-air museum, about an hour's walk through the woods along a well-marked path from the Römerkastell-Saalburg, is an open-air museum at Hessenpark, near Neu-Anspach. The museum presents a clear picture of the world in which 18th- and 19th-century Hessians lived, using 135 acres of rebuilt villages with houses, schools, and farms typical of the time. There's also an open-air theater with performances about Hessian life. The park, 15 km (9 miles) outside Bad Homburg in the direction of Usingen, is reached easily by public transportation from Frankfurt.

A short bus ride from Bad Homburg takes you to the highest mountain in the Taunus, the 2,850-foot, eminently hikable Grosser Feldberg.

The remains of a Roman fortress built in AD 120, the Römerkastell-Saalburg could accommodate a cohort (500 men) and was part of the fortifications along the Limes Wall, which ran from the Danube to the Rhine and was meant to protect the Roman Empire from barbarian invasion. It was restored in the early 1900s under the direction of the Kaiser. The site, which includes a museum of Roman artifacts, is 6½ km (4 miles) north of Bad Homburg on Route 456 in the direction of Usingen; there's a direct bus from Bad Homburg. There's also a small café.

The most historically noteworthy sight in Bad Homburg is the 17th-century Schloss, where the Kaiser stayed when he was in town. The state apartments are exquisitely furnished, and the Spiegelkabinett (Hall of Mirrors) is especially worthy of a visit. In the surrounding park look for two cedars from Lebanon, both now about 200 years old. The museum holds artifacts from much earlier, including from archeological digs on the site.

This casino boasts with some justice that it is the "Mother of Monte Carlo." The first Spielbank (casino) in Bad Homburg, and one of the first in the world, was established in 1841, but closed in 1866 because Prussian law forbade gambling. Proprietor François Blanc then established the famous Monte Carlo casino on the French Riviera, and the Bad Homburg casino wasn't reopened until 1949. Classic table games such as roulette and blackjack have been joined by poker variations Texas Hold 'Em and Three Card Poker, plus slot machines and other electronic games including electronic roulette. Buses leave from the south side of Frankfurt's Hauptbahnhof and from the Convention Center every 60–90 minutes between 2 pm and 1 am. Buses back to Frankfurt run every one to two hours from 2:30 pm to 4 am. The trip takes one hour each way. The €10 fare is refunded after the casino's full entry fee has been deducted. Note that a passport or other government-issued identification is required for admission (and you must be 21 or over). There is also dining and weekend events with live music and dancing to DJs. Le Blanc, the casino restaurant, opens at 6 pm; there is also a café for coffee and sweets from 2:30 pm.