Limburg Riverside Running Route

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Length 5.7 km (3.5 miles), terrain: flat

For more running routes, see Route List.

Limburg is a beautiful old town, with its castle and cathedral crowning the cliffs above the Lahn River, and the old-town lanes winding their way down the hill past beautifully restored half-timbered houses. You'll love exploring it.

Limburg cathedral

And you'll also love running there, I think: the river has long trails along the banks, heading both east and west from the town center. You can basically run as far as you please along the riverside, and you'll quickly find yourself running past farm fields, out in the rolling Taunus Hills countryside. But don't worry about the exact distance described in this route: you can lengthen it or shorten it at will. As this short route is described, it's a nice jog, but just consider it a way to get you on the right track.

This route will first run out eastwards, but the old path is soon blocked by a widened railroad-bed, so the route heads back and continues westwards to add on some real distance.

Entering the Kornmarkt

We'll start at the southern edge of the old town, at the corner of Grabenstraße and Bahnhofsstraße. Turn north on Bahnhofstraße and after a block it widens into a market square, Kornmarkt. At the north end of Kornmarkt, the street ends, so turn left on Salzgasse and just follow this narrow pedestrian lane squeezed between half-timbered shop-buildings. You are now skirting the bottom of the cathedral hill.

Along Salzgasse

Saltzgasse merges into Fahrgasse, turning to the right and starts going slightly downhill. In just 80 meters Fahrgasse also ends, where you turn right again and continue running downhill past the next few old buildings until you come to a parking lot in front of an old monastery, with a small church.

Coming to the monastery: turn left just before the parking lot!

Turn left just before the parking lot onto the narrow path called In der Eisbach, running the last 50 meters down to the Lahn River. You'll see the old (600 years old) bridge crossing the river on your left. We'll turn right here and run eastwards on the riverside pedestrian path called Am Steiger.

The old stone bridge

You'll soon be running beneath the cliffs of the cathedral and castle above, and then pass a working watermill. Just stay along the riverside as the path rises to meet a street and then heads down towards the water again. You'll see an autobahn bridge high above the river in the distance.

Heading east, under the castle

This path used to continue without interruption for kilometers, but now -- in late 2013 -- it was soon blocked by the widened railway before you can get to the autobahn. Hopefully, this will be corrected later.

So we'll turn around here and run back past the windmill, with an impressive view of the castle and cathedral perched high above.

Heading back towards the watermill: these marathoners are running backwards for this picture!

When you get back to the spot where we first came to the river, just keep running west now, through the tunnel under the old stone bridge, and then following the path past the Katzenturm ("Cat tower"), a remnant of the old city walls.

The path continues under a large car bridge, then past a residential neighborhood, but soon comes to open fields along the river.

Heading westwards along the river

When you get to the next bridge, a railroad bridge, turn around and head back past the old bridge and then follow the way back through the old town, the same way you came.

NOTE: You could continue running westwards under the railroad bridge and then follow the path as it turns left (south) and then follow the little dirt path to the right as it continues along the river, or run 80 meters further and then turn right on the dirt road next to the water treatment plant, which will eventually also connect back up with the river.