Me and a friend will go to Harz for 2 days this Saturday/Sunday,

Hanover has a nice train station with good mettbrötchen, but other than that, it's pretty much a non-place. (im a southerner though...)

Thus, I don't know too much about the Harz, but the Oker valley is absolutely worth seeing! I'd guess that the bizarre rock formations there are probably fascinating even for a non climber.

Other than that, there should be a few nice, small, old towns. And the Brocken might be nice, both, landscape wise, as well as historically.

>>1147268
Don't know about hiking routes, but I think the Barbarossadenkmal is worth visiting

try http://regio.outdooractive.com/oar-harz/de/touren/ for some tours

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>north-western part of the Harz.
Fug, I live here.

Climbing the BROCKEN, the highest mountain of Northern Germany and the Harz, is kind of a no-brainer. It's the only prominent peak of the Harz really. There are numerous ways leading up to the peak, with the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goethe_Way being the most popular.

I don't know where your exact base is but if you're in Goslar district you can catch a bus to Torfhaus, hike the Goethe trail to the Brocken peak and then walk down the Hirtenstieg on the Northern side of the mountain back to Torfhaus which makes for nice day hike of 22 kilometers.
Make sure to bring warm clothes though.
The Brocken is known for its harsh climate which is similar to that of Iceland. The peak is touristy as fuck all-year round though and it's the foggiest place in all of Germany so you're not even guaranteed to get a good view of the Harz but it's still pretty cool.

Another nice route would be from the town of Altenau down to Goslar, and then back to wherever your place is by bus. That route follows the Oker dam on the East side and then there's a multitude of trails leading to Goslar to the West of the river itself, with some cool rocks nearby. Goslar is a very pretty mountain town, designated UNESCO world heritage site and worth spending a couple of hours in. Between 20-25 kilometers depending on the exact route.

Another option would be walking from Clausthal-Zellerfeld, the largest town of the Harz to Altenau and back across the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Harz_Water_Regale. Start in the morning, get started, go grab something to eat when you're in Altenau and walk back. Check out the Kräuterpark in Altenau or the Wooden Church in Clausthal while you're at it. It's the largest of its kind in Central Europe.

If you're into sauna definitely try and slot in a stay at the spa in Altenau. Very relaxing after a good hike. 3 hours is about 10€ which is a fair price imo.

Pic related; frozen Oker river in April.