Tips for a sustainable vacation
UP in the HARZ
Dear guests UP in the HARZ,
we are very pleased, because by choosing our tourism region as a nearby travel destination in the middle of Germany, you have already made a major contribution to sustainable and conscious travel.
During your stay with us, there are numerous opportunities to make your own holiday consciously sustainable with regard to people, nature and resources.
On this page we would like to give you helpful tips and inspiration for an environmentally friendly holiday in the Harz Mountains.
Thank you for your cooperation - so that we can continue to enjoy a diverse and healthy environment and nature in the future!
>>> Arrival & mobility on site
The most common way to get to the Harz Mountains is by car. But did you know that there are two train stations in the immediate vicinity of our tourism region that can be easily reached by train from all directions?
Railway stations in Wernigerode and Blankenburg
From there you can use the extensive bus network of the Harz district as well as selected lines in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Göttingen and Goslar. Once you have paid the visitor's tax to your host, you can even use it free of charge during your stay. Information and timetables can be found here:
A highlight, not only for small fans of steam locomotives: the arrival with the traditional Harzer Schmalspurbahn. With this you can reach various train stations in Stadt Oberharz am Brocken, including the holiday resorts of Elend, Stiege and Benneckenstein.
>>> Arrival & mobility on site
The most common way to get to the Harz Mountains is by car. But did you know that there are two train stations in the immediate vicinity of our tourism region that can be easily reached by train from all directions?
Railway stations in Wernigerode and Blankenburg
From there you can use the extensive bus network of the Harz district as well as selected lines in the Mansfeld-Südharz district, Göttingen and Goslar. Once you have paid the visitor's tax to your host, you can even use it free of charge during your stay. Information and timetables can be found here:
>>> Stay environmentally conscious
Regardless of whether it is a hotel or individual accommodation in a holiday home, there are numerous ways to reduce the environmental impact when it comes to staying overnight:
In the hotel:
- Do not have to change your laundry every day or maybe even bring your own laundry with you.
- If possible, leave the air conditioning off.
- Save water and electricity when using the devices in the hotel.
In the holiday home
- Save water and electricity when using the devices.
- Keep the windows closed when heating is on.
- Separate the waste.
>>> Enjoy consciously
The conscious handling of food and the mindful enjoyment of eating is becoming more and more important.
Our tips for self-sufficient travellers >>>
- Buy products that come directly from your holiday region.
- Pay attention on origin and quality when buying food, escpecially when it comes to animal products
- If you eat a vegetarian or vegan diet you would like to use your vacation to simply try something new, you will find contact points here to buy your food on a vegetarian or vegan basis, many of them directly from the region:
- Biothek Wernigerode
- Biomarkt Naturata Wernigerode
- Biomarkt Am Gänsebrunnen Derenburg
- Weekly markets at the market place in Wernigerode on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and in Blankenburg on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m.
- Regional producers and farm shops:
- Brockenbauer Thielecke in Tanne
- Sophienhof Ziegenalm in Harztor
- Harzer Baumkuchen Wernigerode
If you want to ditch the cooking pot, you will find a variety of restaurants both Up in the Harz and in the surrounding towns that work with regional products and / or offer vegetarian and vegan dishes:
Up in the Harz
(with vegetarian options in the menu)
- Goldener Adler Elbingerode
- Kartoffelkate Elbingerode
- Asia-Imbiss Elbingerode
- Restaurant Lotus in Hasselfelde
- Gaststätte Tannengrund in Rübeland
- Bodetaler Basecamp Lodge in Neuwerk (with vegan options)
- Grüne Tanne in Mandelholz
- Eishexe in Tanne (with vegan options)
Wernigerode
- Garden of India Wernigerode with a wide choice of vegetarian and vegan dishes
- Casa Vita with vegetarian and vegan options
- Biothek Wernigerode with a daily changing lunch menu (usually vegetarian)
- Breite Acht Wernigerode Bowlbar – vegan and vegetarian dishes plus sustainable packaging
- Pizza delivery service Freddy Fresh in Wernigerode with also vegan pizza
- Komplizen Café with vegan breakfast options
- Marktblick Wernigerode with a wide choice of vegetarian and vegan dishes
- Das Luma'z with original vegan options for breakfast or coffee
Did you know?
There are numerous companies and producers in the Harz Mountains that have been awarded the special quality of their products with the regional brand > Typisch Harz.
HERE you can find out what quality the label stands for and how you can recognize labelled products.
>>> Experience sustainably
The ecological footprint on holiday becomes smaller the more a holiday region is explored on foot on hikesor, in an environmentally friendly way, by bicycle.
The Upper Harz is the ideal travel destination for this.
A variety of attractive excursion destinations provide variety in between. In order to make your visit as sustainable as possible, we give you a few practical tips below:
- Travel by public transport
- Use the waste containers provided for disposing of rubbish
- When visiting natural excursion destinations (e.g. the dripstone caves of Rübeland) or excursion destinations in nature itself, adhere to the instructions and regulations for the protection of animals and / or nature and the environment. These are usually communicated directly on site via signs and / or can be found in the house and visitor regulations
- Avoid peak times and crowds of visitors!
>>> More ways to vacation sustainably
Here we have a number of other suggestions for you that you can take to heart on your travels and also in everyday life:
- The less luggage you carry in your vehicle, the lower the fuel consumption and thus the impact on the environment.
- Avoid plastic as much as possible and primarily use reusable products.
- Separate your garbage and use all recycling options.
- Don't wasteelectricity or water.
- If possible, do not print out your travel confirmations, tickets, etc.
- Avoid seasonal times and ideally travel in the off-season. Nice side effect: the prices are often significantly cheaper.
- If you have planned a short trip, consider spending a few more days at the chosen vacation spot instead. That way you can let the impressions work on you in peace and quiet and at the same time the environmental pollution that the journey brings with it is relativized a little.
>>> Support the Harz region
There are numerous ways to support projects to protect the environment and nature in the Harz Mountains.
One thing in particular is moving the Harz Mountains at the moment: the transition of the Harz forests. Numerous forest areas have disappeared due to man-made climate change and the resulting bark beetle infestation. In order to counteract this, there are now some possibilities and initiatives that actively carry on the afforestation of the Harz forests. You can support financially as well as take action yourself in the following projects:
www.viele-schaffen-mehr.de/projekte/unitedkidsfoundations-wald