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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Braunlage
Go for 2 nights if you ski, hike or ride the Wurmberg cable car; skip it as a sightseeing town — there is no old-town core to walk.
Braunlage is a small resort town at 600 m in the Harz, built around one thing: the Wurmberg, the second-highest mountain in the range. The 2.8 km cable car rises about 400 m to a summit with ski slopes, toboggan runs and walking trails. The town itself is a strip of hotels, sports shops and spa park along the B4/B27 — no castle, no half-timbered centre. Two nights covers a full mountain day plus a spa-park afternoon; one night is enough if you only want the cable car.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for hiking and mountain biking; Dec–Mar for snow, when snow cover holds
- Avoid
- Nov and early Dec (wet, grey, lifts quiet); mid-July–Aug weekends are the busiest
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee and cake in a café | €4–8 |
| Plate of schnitzel or a regional main in a hotel restaurant | €14–22 |
| Beer, 0.5 l draught | €4–6 |
| Wurmberg cable car, return | €28–34 (check) |
| Ski or snowboard day rental | €25–40 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HAJ · Hannover Airport
- About 2 h 30 min by train and bus with 2 changes; hourly connections
- BWE · Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport
- Small regional airport; bus to Braunlage about 2 h 30 min with 2 changes
Typical fares
- Bus Braunlage → Goslar
- about €8–12, about 1 h
- Wurmberg cable car, return
- about €30 (check)
- Taxi in town
- short hops €8–15
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is walkable in 15 minutes end to end. A local bus runs from the main bus station next to the ice stadium. Taxis and a car-rental desk operate in town. For the Wurmberg, walk or drive to the valley station; in winter a ski bus links the hotels to the slopes — ask at the tourist office for current times.
See and do
Known for
- Wurmberg cable car (Wurmbergseilbahn)
- Skiing, tobogganing and cross-country trails
- Harz National Park hiking
- Kurpark spa gardens
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Goslar | Bus from Braunlage bus station, about 1 h; by car on the B4/B6 about 45 min | 1–1.5 h |
| Clausthal-Zellerfeld | Bus or car north on the B242, about 30–40 min | About 1 h |
| Bad Harzburg | Bus from Braunlage, about 1 h; by car about 40 min | 1–1.25 h |
| Göttingen | Bus to a Harz railhead, then train; about 2–2.5 h total | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Herzog-Wilhelm-Straße / Harzburger Straße)
- Shops, restaurants and the bus station on foot; 5–10 min walk to the cable car base station.
- Northern edge (Karl-Röhrig-Straße and around)
- Quieter, larger spa hotels with parking; 10–15 min walk into the centre.
- Wurmberg foot (Am Pfaffenstieg / Dr.-Barner-Straße)
- Forest-side hotels closest to the cable car and slopes; a short drive or 20-min walk from the shops.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Guten TagGOO-ten tahk |
| Thank you | DankeDAN-kuh |
| Please | BitteBIT-tuh |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the cable car? | Wo ist die Seilbahn?voh ist dee ZYLE-bahn |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Winter parking fills early on good-snow weekends: arrive before mid-morning or park on the town edge.
- Overnight guests pay a Kurbeitrag spa card per person per day; it is added to your hotel bill and gives free or reduced entry to pools and some activities.
- Mountain weather changes fast at 900 m: carry a shell even on a clear morning.
- Many small hotels and guesthouses take cash or EC card only — ask before booking.
Very safe for a resort town; the real risks are mountain weather, icy paths in winter and unmarked ski runs. Tell someone your route before a solo hike and carry a charged phone.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Braunlage yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Wurmberg cable car (Wurmbergseilbahn)
- Skiing, tobogganing and cross-country trails
- Harz National Park hiking
- Kurpark spa gardens
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Braunlage official tourism site: www.braunlage.de/
- Wikivoyage: Braunlage, revision 5336226 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5336226
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Braunlage
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Braunlage; the US consulate-general is in Hamburg and most embassies are in Berlin. For consular help, contact your embassy in Berlin.
Kurbeitrag is charged per person per night by your accommodation; keep the card — it covers or discounts the pools and some events.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/braunlage). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.