Wetzlar makes a good base for the upper Lahn and the rolling country of central Hesse. Marburg with its hillside castle and university Altstadt is 35 minutes north by train; Limburg an der Lahn, with one of the finest Romanesque cathedrals in Germany, is 40 minutes southwest. Giessen is the closest big town (15 minutes), useful for shopping and services rather than sights. Frankfurt is under an hour by direct train, which makes the airport easy to reach.
Closer to home, Schloss Braunfels stands on a basalt crag 8 km southwest of Wetzlar — one of the most picturesque hilltop castles in Hesse, still owned by the Solms-Braunfels family and visitable on guided tours.
