So, how to see Kassel in 6 hours and make the most of it?
We decided to stop in Kassel on our road trip to the Czech Republic in the summer. This town was our second stop after Ghent, and since we wanted to see as much as possible because we only had half a day, we started our tour as soon as possible.
Kassel is located in the northern State of Hesse, two hundred kilometres from Frankfurt. Kassel is considered as a Unesco World Heritage Site because of the beautiful Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe.
This beautiful city was the home of the famous Brothers Grim, where they wrote most of their fairy tales.
Later, it became the main headquarters for many battles and wars and suffered massive destruction during World War II.
In 1950, 90% of the city centre was rebuilt and restored, except for the old buildings.
Places to Stay in Kassel
We stayed at the Ibis Budget and paid 135 euros (the parking was 5 euros, and each dog was 15). In Europe, most hotels charge 15 euros per dog.
How to see Kassel in 6 hours?
Visiting Kassel in the Spring or Summer is more pleasant because there is much to enjoy outdoors.
Unfortunately, keeping up with our plan to see Kassel in 6 hours, we did not have enough time to see the city center because it was a beautiful hot day, so we wanted to see a few parks and spend more time in nature. Our dogs looked much happier as well.
So, there are a few exciting things to do in Kassel in 6 hours.
Try a Typical Schnitzel
So, our first stop in Kassel was a restaurant. The cool thing about this restaurant was that they offered a menu mainly with schnitzels topped with different sauces. The best one was the schnitzel with a white mushroom sauce. It was delicious.
Swim at the Bugasee
Fancy a swim? If the weather is nice, you can dip in the river or enjoy a water activity like canoeing or paddle boarding.
It was really hot that day, and the water looked inviting, but we just had to skip it because we did not bring our swimsuits.
Have a walk at the Karlsue Park
The Karlsaue Park is a beautiful public park where you can enjoy nature and a few artificial lakes and canals.
It has a nice shaded area by trees if you want to sit and rest.
Walking towards the northern part of the park, you will reach The Orangerie.
Check out the Orangerie
Initially built as “an exotic winter garden,” this 18th-century Baroque-style Palace nowadays holds a different purpose as a planetarium, museum, and astronomy cabinet.
You can enjoy the fantastic restaurant on site: the Schloss Orangerie Kassel.
Visit the Wilhelmshöhe Palace
The Wilhelmshöhe Palace construction ended in the 18th century for Landgrave Wilhelm IX, or William IX, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel (The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel, created in 1567, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire).
It was vastly damaged during World War II and rebuilt for over six years as an art museum, which finished in 1974.
Nowadays, it holds one of the most beautiful painting collections in Germany. Art is not only the main attraction of this neoclassical Palace. You can have an “in-house viewing” and enjoy the romantic gardens surrounding the Palace.
Explore the Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe
The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe is a beautiful park that stretches over 2.4 square kilometres from Kassel to Karlsberg Mountain. The mountain has an elevation of 526.2 metres.
It is a public park and dog-friendly.
Dated in the eighteenth century, it features mainly the Hercules Monument, which stands at the park’s summit. The giant pyramid and the statue of Hercules at the top are visible from meters away.
The park is well known for its baroque-style architecture, and the water features that transport you to an utterly ancient time. It takes about two to three hours to walk up to the summit.
On your way up, check out the Temple of Apollo (or Jussow Temple), the Devil’s Bridge (Teufelsbrücke), the Pluto’s Cave (Plutogrotte), the Roman Aqueduct, the Steinhöfer waterfall and the Neptune Cave or (Neptungrotte).
Once you reach the Neptune cave, there is a beautiful restaurant called Kaskadenwirtschaft Grischäferwhere, where you can have a meal or buy drinks. We opted to buy a few drinks, but to be honest, it was pretty pricey.
Our trip finished at the Neptune Cave. We didn’t go up to see the Hercules Monument because it was already closed (it opens from 10h till 17h). We still went down the hill to the car park. Was it worth it to see Kassel in 6 hours? It was quite intense because we have done a lot of walking but it was definitely worth it.
It was already nine o’clock when we reached our hotel.
After a great shower and a good night’s sleep, we were ready for the next day’s destination: Dresden.