Castle Park (Schlosspark)
Park below the Landgrave’s Castle created in 1981 on former military grounds, centred on a rose garden of over 7,000 roses and home to a large open-air stage.
Schlosspark, 35037 Marburg
Opening hours not published
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Things to do in Marburg
A walk from the old botanical garden up to the Landgrave’s Castle, guided tours, the year’s events from the Marburg Spring to the Christmas Town, the city festival “3 Tage Marburg” and the gardens.
A walk through the Oberstadt
Marburg is best discovered on foot: the Oberstadt, the medieval upper town with its cobbled lanes, climbs the hillside up to the Landgrave’s Castle. A playful way in is the Grimm-Dich-Pfad, a two-kilometre fairy-tale trail of 15 stations with figures from the Brothers Grimm’s tales. It starts in the Old Botanical Garden on Pilgrimstein and leads through the Oberstadt to the house where Jacob Grimm lived; QR codes at the stations bring up the tales.
Grimm-Dich-Pfad about 2 km, 15 stations
Start Alter Botanischer Garten, Pilgrimstein
marburg-tourismus.de/gdp
Stops for a day on foot
- Old Botanical Garden — start of the Grimm-Dich-Pfad: a garden laid out from 1810 in the city centre, with a 38-metre tulip tree.
- Grimm Fairy-Tale Trail (Grimm-Dich-Pfad) — 15 fairy-tale stations up through the lanes of the Oberstadt.
- Market Square and Town Hall — the market square and the town hall, at the heart of the Oberstadt.
- Landgrave’s Castle (Landgrafenschloss) — the castle above the town, where Luther and Zwingli met for the Marburg Colloquy in 1529.
- Castle Park (Schlosspark) — below the castle, a rose garden of more than 7,000 roses and a large open-air stage.
- Old University (Alte Universität) — back down at the Lahntor, the Old University near the river.
- Spiegelslust Tower (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Turm) — to finish, the panorama from the 36-metre tower on the Lahnberge, across the valley from the old town (climb during the café’s opening hours; closed on Tuesdays).
Lifts up to the Oberstadt
Two free public lifts at the Pilgrimstein save part of the climb: one from the Rudolphsplatz up to the Rittergasse, the other from the Oberstadt car park up to the Wettergasse. Lifts & getting around →
The Rudolphsplatz lift does not run at night (closed 01:30–06:30 according to a 2022 source), and the local press has reported repeated breakdowns (2022, 2024): good shoes are a safe bet.
Places with published coordinates are shown; click a photo for details.
Guided tours & activities
Get a local tourist guide: with our partners you can book city tours and activities in Marburg, with guides who speak English, German and other languages — or ask the tourist information in the Oberstadt.
The tourist information offices of Marburg Stadt und Land Tourismus GmbH are on Wettergasse in the Oberstadt and on Bahnhofstraße near the station (marburg-tourismus.de).
Events in Marburg
Upcoming events, soonest first. Past events disappear automatically; follow the RSS feed to get new dates as soon as they are announced.
- 10 Oct2026Elisabeth Market10 October 2026 – 11 October 2026 · Oberstadt, Steinweg, Firmaneiplatz, Weidenhausen and around the Elisabethkirche. The October market, with a shopping Sunday. marburg-liebe.de
- 27 Nov2026Marburg by Night light festival27 November 2026 · Oberstadt, Landgrafenschloss, Elisabethkirche and the Lahn bridges. The light festival, 21st edition. More
- 28 Nov2026Christmas Markets (Christmas Town Marburg)28 November 2026 – 23 December 2026 · Elisabethkirche and Marktplatz. Christmas market at the Elisabethkirche and Advent market in the Oberstadt. More
Every year
- SpringMarburger FrühlingSpring festival in the Oberstadt and on the Steinweg.
- 30 AprMaieinsingenEvery year in the night of 30 April to 1 May, people gather on the Marktplatz to sing in the May.
- JuneNacht der KunstThe yearly “Night of Art” in exhibition venues across the city (2026: 23rd edition).
- July3 Tage MarburgThe city festival, on the second weekend of July.
- SummerMarburger WeinfestWine festival at the Lutherischer Kirchhof.
- Oct.ElisabethmarktMarket in the Oberstadt, on the Steinweg and in Weidenhausen, with a shopping Sunday.
- Nov.Marburg by NightLight festival held since 2006 on the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent.
- AdventWeihnachtsstadt MarburgChristmas market at the Elisabethkirche and Advent market on the Marktplatz.
Event calendar of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district
Dates as announced by the organisers or listed by festival calendars; always check before travelling. Sources: marburg.de (Marburger Frühling) · Festivals in Deutschland (Maieinsingen) · uni-marburg.de (Nacht der Kunst 2026) · marburg.de (3 Tage Marburg) · weinlaedele.de · marburg-liebe.de (Elisabethmarkt) · marburgbynight.de · marburg.de (Weihnachtsstadt). Checked 9 October 2026.
3 Tage Marburg — the city festival
For three days every July, “3 Tage Marburg” takes over the city centre, the Oberstadt and the banks of the Lahn. Its highlight on the river is the dragon-boat race.
When 2026: 10–12 July
Where city centre, Oberstadt, Lahn riverbanks
The festival is held every year on the second weekend of July. The 2026 dates come from a festival calendar; the city lists the organiser on marburg.de.
Weihnachtsstadt — Christmas in Marburg
During Advent Marburg becomes the “Christmas Town”: a Christmas market spreads around the Elisabethkirche, and an Advent market fills the Marktplatz in front of the town hall in the Oberstadt.
When 2026: 28 November – 23 December
Where Elisabethkirche and Marktplatz
Marburg by Night
The evening before, the light festival Marburg by Night stages the Oberstadt, the Landgrafenschloss, the Elisabethkirche and the Lahn bridges in light. It has taken place since 2006 on the Friday before the first Sunday of Advent; 2026 is its 21st edition.
When Friday 27 November 2026
marburgbynight.de
Parks & gardens
Roses below the castle, a historic botanical garden in the city centre and the university’s large garden on the Lahnberge.
Old Botanical Garden
Historic 3.6-hectare garden laid out from 1810 in the city centre, blending a scientific garden with an English landscape park; its 38 m tulip tree is one of Germany’s tallest.
Pilgrimstein, 35037 Marburg
Opening hours not published
Botanical Garden (Lahnberge)
University botanical garden of 20 hectares on the Lahnberge, opened in 1977, with arboretum, alpine garden, fern gorge and Bronze Age burial mounds; the glasshouses are closed for renovation in 2026.
Karl-von-Frisch-Straße, 35032 Marburg
April–October daily 09:00–18:00, November–March daily 09:00–16:00; glasshouses closed for renovation in 2026
More ideas
Sights, museums, excursions and the best tables in town.
Sources: marburg-tourismus.de (Grimm-Dich-Pfad) · Schindler (lifts) · Wikivoyage · Oberhessische Presse · Wikipedia (Marburg Castle) · spiegelslustturm.de · ich-geh-wandern.de (Schlosspark) · Wikipedia (Alter Botanischer Garten) · Wikipedia (Neuer Botanischer Garten) · uni-marburg.de (Botanischer Garten). Checked 9 October 2026.