Fact Sheets & Video - Germany

The 600 kilometre road from Bremen to Hanau in Germany takes you through one of the most picturesque regions in the world. With sweeping hills, misty forests, and small charming villages full of medieval architecture, it's easy to understand why the famous Grimm Brothers set so many of their much-loved fairy tales in this area.

The journey begins in Bremen, at the northern end of the Mrchenstrasse. Bremen bills itself as the home of the Grimm Brothers fairytale 'The Musicians of Bremen'. It may not be as popular as some of their other fairytales, but it's widely celebrated within this thriving city. In fact, the bronze statue of the fairytale's four characters is a Bremen icon. Every Sunday from May to September there's a free open-air performance of the Musicians of Bremen in front of City Hall.

The next stop along the Fairytale Road is Hamlyn, home to one of the most famous fairytales in the world - 'The Pied Piper'. As the story goes, the town was plagued by rats. The mayor called in a rat catcher, the Pied Piper, who played the flute and made all the rats follow him into the river and drown.

That's the well known fairytale, but the legend is said to be a little different. A colourful man arrived in town in 1284, played his flute and many teenagers followed his music out of town. The end result was an entire generation lost. To hear more Pied Piper stories - both fact and fiction - you can hire Michael Boyer as a guide. Hour-long town tours cost $200 for up to 30 people; that's a bit under $7 each if you can round up a troop like the Pied Piper once did. Travel an hour further down the road and you're in the little town of Trendelburg. Here you can stay in Rapunzel's castle, which was built in the 12th century. While the tower was used only by Rapunzel in the fairytale, in reality it is open for the public to enjoy. A double room here will cost you around $220 a night.

If you loved staying overnight in Rapunzel's castle, you'll definitely enjoy Sleeping Beauty's castle in Sababurg, set in a densely wooded forest. The castle dates back to 1334 but since 1959, it's been transformed into a luxurious hotel. Guests have the choice of 16 individually themed rooms, some of which are in the original castle towers. You can dine in the beautiful restaurant while enjoying uninterrupted views of the surrounding countryside. And every day, you can watch the tale of Sleeping Beauty unfold (in German) in the hotel's courtyard.

There are many more enchanting places to explore, and fascinating stories to hear along the Fairytale Road. But if you'd like to hear the truth behind the Grimm Brothers fairytales, stop in at the Grimm Brothers Museum in Kassel. It only costs $3 to enter, and you'll even get to see the original copy of their book. You'll soon realise that many of these stories were a far cry from the Disney versions. The original ending of 'Cinderella' saw the ugly stepsisters get their eyes pecked out by birds, while in 'Snow White', the witch was made to dance in shoes of red hot iron until she dropped down dead.

The facts:

Thai Airways International flies to Frankfurt daily starting from $2156 from the east coast and $2034 from Perth.

Thai Airways International

Tel: 1300 651 960

Jetset and Explore Holiday offers seven day tours of Germany starting from $1599 per person twin share including accommodation, transfers, guides and breakfast. They can also organise a Hertz car for you to drive the Fairytale Road starting from $56 a day.

Jetset

Tel: 13 63 83

For information on accommodation along the way, contact the German National Tourist Office.

German National Tourist Office

Tel: 02 8296 0488