From Wikitravel

Darmstadt [1] is a city in Hesse, Germany, located a little south of Frankfurt.

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 2.1 By train 2.2 By air 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 5.1 Festivals and regular events 5.2 Nightlife 5.3 Gay and lesbian 6 Buy 6.1 clothing 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 10 Get out

Understand

The popular recreational drug Ecstasy was first synthesised in Darmstadt in 1912 by a chemist known as Anton Kollisch while he was working for the pharmeceutical company Merck.

The ProRegio Darmstadt tourist office is located at Im Carree 4a, on the second floor.

Get in

By train

Trains connect Darmstadt to surrounding cities, including Frankfurt and Heidelberg. Some ICE trains stop at the Darmstadt train station.

By air

Darmstadt is located about 20 minutes by road from Frankfurt Airport. For those continuing their journey to Darmstadt by public transport, the Darmstadt Airport Shuttle bus service (AirLiner) is far more convenient than the train. It runs every 30 to 60 minutes all though the day and costs €6.85/€5.50 for adults/children. More information can be found on the Darmstadt local transport website.

Get around

The "HEAG" operates a network of trams and buses which are cheap, reliable, punctual, and allow you to get almost everywhere. Schedules can be found here or here

See

• Darmstadt is famous for its Jugendstil buildings (art nouveau). Many of the buildings survived the massive destruction of Darmstadt in September 1944. Visit the Künstlerkolonie Mathildenhöhe, to see the most interesting ones. This is the most beautiful part of Darmstadt. There is also a small park and an art museum there. [2]. Here is another link with information in English.

• Darmstadt's landmark is the Langer Ludwig, a statue on a huge sandstone column located right in the city center. When you visit Darmstadt, you can't avoid it. On the first Saturday of every month (and during special events) it is open for the public, meaning that you can climb the column (through a stair located on the inside) and get a beautiful view over Darmstadt.

• The huge Hundertwasser house called "Waldspirale" ("Forest Spiral") was finished in 2000. It is a wonderful example for Friedensreich Hundertwasser's (the famous Austrian architect and painter) colourful architectural designs. You can see some pictures here.

• The original Castle Frankenstein is located near Darmstadt in Mühltal. Here is another link with information in English.

Do

Festivals and regular events

• Heinerfest, [3]. Held once a year at the end of June/beginning of July (2006:June 29–July 3). The Festival occupies the whole inner city for 4–5 days.

• Schloßgrabenfest, [4]. An annual music festival (usually in May) in the city center. The dates for 2006 are May 25–28. Entry is free.

• Frühstückstreff Darmstadt, [5]. A monthly breakfast club meeting. Entry is free.

Nightlife

• Stella, Rheinstraße 40-42, Tel: 0 61 51-30 82 750, [6]. Nightclub and Lounge, crowd is mainly in its twenties, house music.
• Schlosskeller, [7]. Non-profit bar and disco run by university students in the dungeons of the Darmstadt Castle.

Gay and lesbian

• Schwulen & Lesben Party gay party on Sundays at the Schlosskeller

Buy

clothing

• Boathouse (designer clothes, Hügelstraße 71)

Eat

• City Braustüb'l [8], Wilhelminenstraße 31; local food and beer, steaks; country style interieur and a small, cosy beer garden in summer.

Drink

Darmstadt has several breweries, as well as a large amount of smaller taverns.

• Grohe Brauerei, Nieder-Ramstädter-Str.3, Tel: 06151/425255 Fax: 06151/716644,[9]. A smaller traditional brewery. It has its own tavern, where you can drink the freshly brewed beer, and eat typical local foods. It is located in the Nieder-Ramstädter-Straße 3, and can easily be reached by tram or by foot from the city center. The beer is also available for sale in bottels or barrels. Many locals believe that this is the best beer available in Darmstadt.

• Ratskeller. A tavern located in the city center, at the market place, brew their own beer, which is also very tasty. The tavern is located in the cellar vault of an older building and has a nice, traditional atmosphere.

• Rummel Brauerei. The largest in Darmstadt, brews the "Darmstädter" Bier, which is available in many restaurants and taverns in Darmstadt.

Hesse's national drink, apple cider (Apfelwein, or, in the local dialect, "Äbbelwoi"), is very popular here too. It is available in pure form, or blended with soda water ("sauer gespritzt") or lemonade ("süß gespritzt"). Foreigners not used to the unusual taste (it is much more sour and less sweet than the cider common in other countries) might want to try the version blended with lemonade first.

• The event & party calendar for Darmstadt.

Sleep

• Maritim Hotels -These two hotels are the best in Darmstadt.

• Konferenzhotel Darmstadt/Frankfurt, Rheinstraße 105, Tel: +49 (0) 6151 878-0, Fax: +49 (0) 6151 878-2169, [10].
• Rhein-Main Hotel Darmstadt/Frankfurt, Am Kavalleriesand 6, Tel: +49 (0) 6151 303-0, Fax: +49 (0) 6151 303-111, [11].

Other hotel options include:

• IBIS Hotel, Kasinostrasse 6, Tel: (+49)6151/39700, Fax: (+49)6151/3970123, [12].
• ETAP Hotel, Kasinostrasse 4-6, Tel: (+49) 06151 397 37 20, [13].
• Hotel Contel, Otto-Röhm-Straße 90, Tel: 06151/8820, Fax: 06151/882888, [14].
• Parkhaus Hotel, Grafenstraße 31, Tel: +49 (0) 6151-28100, fax: +49 (0) 6151-293908, [15].
• An der Mathildenhöhe, Spessartring 53, Tel: 06151/4984-0, Fax: 06151/4984-50, [16].
• Hotel Jagdschloß Kranichstein, Kranichsteiner Straße 261, Tel: 06151-97790, [17].

Get out

Worms, Weinheim, Heidelberg, and Mainz can all be reached in a day trip from Darmstadt.

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