The Thuringian Forest begins at the southern edge of Eisenach and offers some of the best walking in central Germany. The marked trail network covers 243 kilometres, ranging from short circular routes through the hills to multi-day hikes along the Rennsteig ridge.
The forest is densely wooded, mostly spruce and beech, with frequent viewpoints over the valleys below. The Drachenschlucht gorge, reached from the Wartburg carpark, is a particularly dramatic walk — a narrow slot canyon where the path passes between mossy rock walls no more than a metre apart. In summer the forest is busy with German walkers; in autumn it is spectacularly quiet and colourful.