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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Goslar
Give Goslar one full day and one night: old town, Imperial Palace and the Rammelsberg mine. Two nights if you want a Harz hike or a Brocken day.
Goslar is a 1,000-year-old imperial town at the north foot of the Harz, small enough to walk end to end in 20 minutes and dense enough to fill a day with the Kaiserpfalz, the Rammelsberg mine and a UNESCO-listed old town of half-timbered houses. It works as a stop on a Harz loop and as a base for the mountains.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Sep; Dec for the Christmas market
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, some sights on shorter hours)
- Stay
- 1–2 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 | €2.50–4 |
| Lunch, one dish | €9–16 |
| Dinner, main course | €14–25 |
| Beer, 0.5 l in a tavern | €4–6 |
| Museum entry | €4–8 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- HAJ · Hanover Airport
- S-Bahn to Hanover Hbf, then regional train to Goslar; about 2 h door to door
- LEJ · Leipzig/Halle Airport
- Train via Halle or Magdeburg; longer and usually not worth it
- FRA · Frankfurt Airport
- ICE to Hanover or Göttingen, then regional train; about 4 h
Typical fares
- Hanover Hbf → Goslar, regional train
- about €20–25, about 1 h 15 min (check)
- Bus 803, Markt → Rammelsberg
- short-hop fare, about 10 min (check)
- Taxi, Goslar station → Markt
- €10–15
Get around
The old town is walkable; you do not need a car inside it. Buses 801–806 cover the town and Oker, Jürgenohl and Hahnenklee. Regional trains run to Hanover, Brunswick, Göttingen, Halle and Magdeburg, with changes at Hildesheim or Kreiensen for some routes.
See and do
Known for
- UNESCO old town and Rammelsberg mine
- Kaiserpfalz Imperial Palace
- Half-timbered guild houses
- Harz hiking and the Brocken
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Rammelsberg mine | Bus 803 or a 25–30 min walk uphill from the Markt | About 1 h each way on foot |
| Clausthal-Zellerfeld | Bus 861 or 879 from Goslar station | About 45–60 min |
| Bad Harzburg | Regional train or bus from Goslar station | About 20–30 min |
| Brocken | Train to Bad Harzburg or Wernigerode, then the Brockenbahn steam railway | 2.5–3.5 h |
| Göttingen | Regional train, often a change at Kreiensen or Hildesheim | About 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- Old town (Markt and around)
- Walk to every sight; book early for the Christmas market and summer weekends.
- Near Goslar station
- Cheaper and practical for early trains; 10–15 min walk to the Markt.
- Hahnenklee
- Quiet Harz village in the borough, 20–25 min by bus or car; good for hikers with a car.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Guten TagGOO-ten tahk |
| Thank you | DankeDAHN-kuh |
| Please | BitteBIT-tuh |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet dahs |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kahn ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?voh ist dee toy-LET-tuh |
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
- Many shops close on Sunday; plan food and groceries for Saturday.
- The Rammelsberg mine is visited on guided tours only: check tour times and book ahead in summer.
- Some old-town streets are cobbled and uneven; bring shoes you can walk in.
- Card payment is common but not universal in small cafés; carry some cash.
Goslar is a low-risk town; the real issues are cobblestones, cold rain on the Harz and Sunday closures. Standard big-city care at night around the station is enough.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Goslar yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- UNESCO old town and Rammelsberg mine
- Kaiserpfalz Imperial Palace
- Half-timbered guild houses
- Harz hiking and the Brocken
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Goslar official town website: www.goslar.de/
- Goslar station (DB): www.bahnhof.de/en/goslar
- Rammelsberg Museum and Visitors' Mine: www.rammelsberg.de/
- Hanover Airport: www.hannover-airport.de/en/information-for-passengers-visitors
- Wikivoyage: Goslar, revision 5299106 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5299106
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Goslar
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Goslar; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish missions are in Berlin, with consulates in Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt and Düsseldorf (check).
Goslar station is at Hildesheimer Str. 53; the tourist information office is in the old town (check current address and hours).
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/goslar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.