Bad Ems is primarily known as a historic spa town with its elegant old buildings right on the water. What might get a little overlooked at first glance: you can also truly immerse yourself in nature here. The wooded slopes on the left and right of the Lahn river are crisscrossed with beautiful, sometimes quite challenging trails. We took a closer look at the area and realized that hiking in Bad Ems is genuinely worth the trip.
In this post, we take you along on three tours we tried out ourselves. We head steeply uphill in the footsteps of old travel guides, to great observation towers, and even past an exciting “lost place” in the forest.
1. Baedeker’s Rock Trail (Baedekers Felsenweg)
When I read “Baedekers Felsenweg” on the signpost for this hike, one name immediately springs to mind: Karl Baedeker. Is this path named after the world-famous publisher and inventor of modern travel guides with the distinctive red covers? After a quick search, I know better. Baedeker traveled extensively through the region around Bad Ems. He was so taken with the landscape that, as early as 1846, he praised this wildly romantic rocky trail in his writings as the absolutely best way to discover the surroundings of the imperial spa town of Bad Ems. Well, if he says so, it definitely needs checking out.
Starting the Hike
We chose the classic and somewhat unusual entry point around Grabenstraße. It is slightly confusing at first glance: the signpost leads us to the entrance of the parking garage at the spa park (Kurpark). The reason for this: the parking garage serves as a brilliant “shortcut” to quickly and comfortably overcome the initial steep elevation change between the town in the Lahn valley and the hillside forest.
So don’t be surprised:
- Into the garage: You walk straight from the street into the parking garage as usual.
- Up to the 5th floor: Simply use the stairwell to go up five floors.
- The bridge: On the upper parking deck (level 5), there is a small pedestrian bridge at the back leading directly out of the parking garage and onto the steep slope.
Once you cross this bridge, you are in the middle of nature and the paved part of the ascent is over. From here, the actual, rocky Baedeker high trail up to the Bäderlei begins.
The route offers no long warm-up phase, living up to its name immediately. The terrain alternates between narrow, sometimes gravelly sections and rocky areas, spiraling steeply upwards. Sturdy footwear (ideally hiking boots with good grip) is an absolute must from the very first meter. The limestone can be slippery when wet.
Highlights Along the Way
It didn’t take long for us to reach the first highlight on the route.
Heinzelmannshöhlen (Heinzelmann Caves)
We stand in amazement before a fascinating geomorphological natural phenomenon. The caves are so-called karst tubes, formed a long time ago by chemical limestone leaching in the rock. Since such leaching can only occur when the rock is surrounded by groundwater, these caves must have formed at a time when the Lahn river and thus the groundwater level was significantly higher than the caves’ current elevation.
The round hollows in the soft rock look like entrances to tiny homes, quickly inspiring early legends about little rock dwellers.
According to the most famous tale, gnomes (Heinzelmännchen) lived deep within the mountain in magnificent chambers of silver, gold, and precious stones. On warm summer nights, the little dwarves would emerge from their tunnels to help the people of Bad Ems with their work. The locals appreciated this help and gave the gnomes food and clothing in gratitude. Overjoyed by this thankfulness, the dwarves made the famous healing springs bubble at the foot of the mountain and showed the miners the best places to dig for lead and silver. One day, a curious woman secretly climbed up because she desperately wanted to see the little men. When she saw the dwarves playing in the dense ferns during the day, she burst out laughing at their comical appearance. The gnomes were startled, immediately vanished into the mountain, and were never seen again.
Legend has it, however, that if you are very quiet today, you can still hear them knocking and hammering deep inside the mountain as they diligently keep the healing waters flowing.
Leica Photo Spot
This viewpoint on the plateau of a former war memorial is a real highlight for photography fans. It is dedicated to Oskar Barnack, the inventor of the very first Leica 35mm camera (the so-called “Lilliput”).
From this exact spot, high above the Lahn, Barnack took some of the world’s very first test shots with a 35mm film. One of these historical pictures shows his plant manager August Bauer against the backdrop of Bad Ems.
Our tip: Absolutely plan some time. The view is fantastically beautiful.
The Moss Hut (Mooshütte)
If you follow the rock path further, you reach the Mooshütte (Moss Hut). The fascination for this rocky ridge began already in the romantic period. As early as 1816, a path for riding donkeys was created here, with which spa guests climbed the hill, and the very first moss hut was built.
The open shelter offers a fantastic wide view over the valley. Geographically speaking, the Lahn marks a border here: Whoever looks from the hut looks north (right of the Lahn) towards the Westerwald and south (left) into the Taunus.
Concordia Tower
The Concordia Tower is one of the most popular excursion destinations in Bad Ems. It stands on the so-called “Bäderlei”, a rock formation high above the town, and offers a spectacular view of the region. Not all visitors hike up here, there is also the possibility to drive up by car.
The 15.1-meter-high, listed quarry stone building was erected in 1861 by the local beautification association. Since its creation goes back to a joint initiative of the citizens, it was named after Concordia, the Roman goddess of harmony.
Whoever visits the tower, located at an altitude of 265 meters, is rewarded with a spectacular view. After ascending the tower via 76 steps, you reach the platform at a height of 14 meters. From here, there is a fantastic and completely unobstructed view directly down onto the spa district of the UNESCO World Heritage site and the course of the Lahn.
We took a short break on the beautiful panorama terrace in the directly adjacent restaurant-café “Concordiaturm” before we followed the rock path back to Bad Ems.
My Conclusion
The rock path, as we hiked it, is steep, but not particularly long. The view into the Lahn valley is beautiful. For us a good opportunity to get an impression of the valley.
2. Tour to the Bismarck Tower
Our second short hike in Bad Ems starts right in the historical center of the town, at the Kurhaus, and leads to the Bismarck Tower.
The Kurhaus is a representative baroque building with later classicist and neo-renaissance elements. It is located right on the Lahn. The Kurhaus can be visited at certain times. Our tip: Definitely take a look into the beautiful marble hall or attend an event in the Kurtheater (spa theater) in the evening.
On the map, it is very easy to follow which path we chose as the ascent to the Bismarck Tower.
The Ernst-Vogler-Weg
After a very steep ascent, we reached the Ernst-Vogler-Weg. It was laid out in 1912 as a picturesque walking path and follows the route of an old vineyard path. The hillside, which is wooded today, was used for viticulture from the Middle Ages until the early 20th century, and the old dry stone walls can partly still be seen on the slope.
The highlight of this path is the observation pulpit Ernst-Vogler-Weg. This viewpoint is a real box seat above the town. You have a fantastic, direct view down onto the Lahn and the magnificent row of houses of the former grand hotels in Römerstraße. On the opposite side of the valley, you look at the slope of the Malberg with its elegant villas, the historic Malbergbahn, the Protestant Kaiser Wilhelm Church and the striking domes of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Our tip: Definitely plan a short break for photography.
The Bismarckhöhe
Afterwards, you can cover the last meters of altitude to the Bismarckhöhe. The Bismarckhöhe is a plateau that rises steeply above the right (northern) bank of the Lahn and the center of Bad Ems. From there, you probably have the most famous and beautiful panoramic view of the city of Bad Ems, the historic spa district on the riverbank and the winding Lahn valley.
This is also where the Bismarck Tower stands. The tower was inaugurated in 1901. During this time (end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century), hundreds of such towers were erected throughout the German Empire. In addition to purely honoring Otto von Bismarck, these towers had a very specific symbolic and practical purpose: they were intended to serve as columns of fire (signal and fire towers).
Behind the idea, which was brought to life by the German Student Union at the end of the 19th century, was the following concept: Huge, widely visible fires were to be lit on the tops of the towers on certain national memorial days (such as Bismarck’s birthday on April 1st). The idea was to span a nationwide network of fire columns over all of Germany, so that the flames could greet each other from mountain to mountain through the night. However, this plan failed due to bureaucratic hurdles, inconsistent dates or practical difficulties with the firing. In addition, many of the towers (as in Bad Ems) were constructed in such a way that they could additionally be used as observation towers.
The 12-meter-high tower itself is often locked today and is only opened for certain occasions.
Our tip: Anyone who visits the terrace of the neighboring restaurant has an excellent view of Bad Ems and the Lahn valley from there.
The Kurwaldbahn
Those who do not want to walk back down to the valley on foot can use the Kurwaldbahn. This funicular railway departs directly next to the Bismarck Tower. The Kurwaldbahn is one of the steepest funicular railways in the world (and is one of the steepest in all of Germany). On its route, it overcomes a maximum incline of an incredible 78% (this corresponds to an angle of around 38 degrees). The route is quite short at about 220 meters, but due to the enormous incline it overcomes a height difference of a good 132 meters. The rapid ride from top to bottom (or vice versa) takes just around 70 to 90 seconds.
A special feature of the railway is that it works completely fully automatically. There is no driver in the cabins. As is usual with classic funicular railways, the two cabins hang on a single continuous pulling cable. While one cabin travels down into the valley, its weight simultaneously pulls the other cabin up the mountain. They meet exactly in the middle of the route at a passing loop.
3. Tour to the Malberg Tower
This hike begins on the southern side of the Lahn up onto the Malberg. Our tour starts at the old valley station of the Malbergbahn.
The Malbergbahn
The Malbergbahn was opened in 1887. Unlike the modern Kurwaldbahn, it functioned as a water ballast railway. This means: The car at the mountain station was filled with water until it was heavy enough to roll into the valley due to its own weight, thereby pulling the other, lighter car upwards via the cable. At the bottom, the water was then drained again. The railway has been out of operation since 1979. However, the old tracks, the imposing route through the forest and the historic train stations are still present. Today, they look like a “lost place” in the middle of the spa town.
From the valley station, two hiking trails lead up to the Malkopf. We chose a very well-paved path that meandered upwards slowly ascending in wide serpentines.
Henrietta Column and Henrietta Path
Our first port of call on the way to the Malberg Tower was the Henriettensäule (Henrietta Column). The approximately 10-meter-high stone column was erected according to the plans of the building councilor Faber on a then still unwooded part of the mountain slope in 1826. It received its name in honor of the Nassau Princess Henrietta, the sister of Duke Wilhelm of Nassau.
The Henriettenweg (Henrietta Path) begins directly at the column. Because it runs wonderfully shady along the slope of the Malberg, it was extremely popular with the spa guests, especially on hot summer days. From here, there were charming views down onto the historic spa district.
Following the hiking trail, we also cross the route of the former Malbergbahn. The rails are still lying there, but nature has already reclaimed a lot over the years.
The Swiss House and the Malberg Tower
After about 40 minutes we reached the historic mountain station, right at the Schweizerhaus (Swiss House). This was once an attraction for the spa guests, but since the shutdown of the Malbergbahn it can no longer match its former glory. Since the building remained unused for decades, weather and vandalism have taken a heavy toll on the once popular excursion destination. Today, it is in urgent need of renovation.
Very close by stands the Malberg Tower, the actual destination of our hike. It is a rather compact, stone 8.5-meter-high observation tower. Access is easily possible via an external stone staircase. Once at the top, we were rewarded with a magnificent distant view. I particularly liked the view of Bad Ems. From here, the town looks almost even more interesting than from the viewpoints of our other hikes.
After we had enjoyed the view, we made our way back.
Our Conclusion
Hiking in Bad Ems is absolutely worth it, even if the first ascents out of the valley sometimes really work the calves. But for this you are almost always rewarded with a great view of the roofs of the town and the Lahn. We particularly liked the combination of quiet forest paths and the small historical leftovers along the wayside.
The visit to Bad Ems took place in collaboration with the Lahntal Tourismus Verband e. V. and Touristik Bad Ems-Nassau e.V. statt.
Published 20 September 2026
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