The Lichtentaler Allee is the elegant riverside promenade that runs for three kilometres along the Oosbach river from the centre of town out to the Lichtenthal Abbey. It was laid out in the 18th and 19th centuries as the social spine of the spa season — a place to walk, be seen, and gossip — and remains one of the most graceful urban walks in Germany.
Both banks of the small river are lined with mature exotic trees, manicured lawns, beds of seasonal flowers, and a string of small museums (the Frieder Burda, the Staatliche Kunsthalle, the Stadtmuseum). Allow at least an hour to walk one way; cafes and the rose garden along the way invite stops. Cyclists and joggers welcome but the dominant pace is a stroll.