Even though I work in Darmstadt, it's taken some time to pull together the elements of one great day there. But after sampling lots of lunch spots, exploring the town and a bit of the outskirts, here it is - everything you need for a great day.
Getting around Darmstadt by car or transit is easy - we took a Deutsche Bahn train and arrived at Darmstadt central station about 30 minutes later. The station's a bit out of town, so you'll have to tram or bus into the central square, Luisenplatz. If you exit the train station on the main side, you'll see where the trams pick and up and can hop on any one.
Luisenplatz is shopping central, and also the beginning of the Techniker University (TU) campus. Turn south on the first road you see, and head to the Darmstadt Dom. It's a much smaller church than in Mainz, but was designed after the Pantheon, and has a beautiful blue ceiling with nice, simple decor. Head back to the Luisenplatz and walk west down Rhinestrasse and as you window-shop, look out for the Schloss (Darmstadt castle) ahead. It's fairly small, and now part of TU - so if you look up, you might catch students in the library or a classroom. Pretty neat, to go to class in a castle. A fun fact: the last Tsarina of Russia, Alexandra, was born here! If you can find the Bockhaus hotel and restaurant, be sure to stop in for a beer. It's one of the oldest restaurants in Germany - nearly 500 years and still running!
If you're hungry, the weather is good, and it's a weekday, find Elizabeth. It's a small soup and sandwich shop down one of the shopping alleyways with mostly outdoor seating and giant windows where you can watch the cooks chop, peel, and prepare your fresh soup. It's cheap, filling, and delicious, and they usually have many tempting options to pick from. If it's a weekend, head into the food court at Galeria Kaufhof, to the Italian restaurant. The dish to get is spaghetti pecorino (with lots of garlic and capers). Basically pasta loaded with cheese and a side of salt - so you can't go wrong - and the friendly service makes it feel less like a food court, more like a homey Italian restaurant. If you want to poke around the store a bit, you can find nearly everything at GK - it's kind of like Macy's - and they often have good deals.
When you've had your fill of food and browsing, head back to the Luisenplatz bus station and wait for the F heading to Mathildenhoehe. This former artists' colony is now a living museum - gorgeous architecture, scenery of Darmstadt's greenery, and an interesting history. The museum costs 5 euros but walking the grounds is free. There's also a cafe (and free toilets) in the first big building in front of the bocce ball court, upstairs. We wandered from house to house, and found some interesting back- and front-yards with hidden treasure (like a trampoline!) to explore.
When you've built up an appetite, head back on the F bus towards Hbf but stop at the Schloss. Find your way to Premier Cru. This restaurant, headed by an Austrian chef, is an affordable splurge for the end of your day. The highly recommended schnitzel is made with veal, not pork, in Austrian tradition, and the food is excellent. Though they have a great lunch deal (12,80 euros for 3 courses), it's a special spot to wrap up the day with a hearty dinner. With that, it's time to head back home... we grabbed the tram back to Hbf and called it a day.
Getting around Darmstadt by car or transit is easy - we took a Deutsche Bahn train and arrived at Darmstadt central station about 30 minutes later. The station's a bit out of town, so you'll have to tram or bus into the central square, Luisenplatz. If you exit the train station on the main side, you'll see where the trams pick and up and can hop on any one.
Luisenplatz is shopping central, and also the beginning of the Techniker University (TU) campus. Turn south on the first road you see, and head to the Darmstadt Dom. It's a much smaller church than in Mainz, but was designed after the Pantheon, and has a beautiful blue ceiling with nice, simple decor. Head back to the Luisenplatz and walk west down Rhinestrasse and as you window-shop, look out for the Schloss (Darmstadt castle) ahead. It's fairly small, and now part of TU - so if you look up, you might catch students in the library or a classroom. Pretty neat, to go to class in a castle. A fun fact: the last Tsarina of Russia, Alexandra, was born here! If you can find the Bockhaus hotel and restaurant, be sure to stop in for a beer. It's one of the oldest restaurants in Germany - nearly 500 years and still running!If you're hungry, the weather is good, and it's a weekday, find Elizabeth. It's a small soup and sandwich shop down one of the shopping alleyways with mostly outdoor seating and giant windows where you can watch the cooks chop, peel, and prepare your fresh soup. It's cheap, filling, and delicious, and they usually have many tempting options to pick from. If it's a weekend, head into the food court at Galeria Kaufhof, to the Italian restaurant. The dish to get is spaghetti pecorino (with lots of garlic and capers). Basically pasta loaded with cheese and a side of salt - so you can't go wrong - and the friendly service makes it feel less like a food court, more like a homey Italian restaurant. If you want to poke around the store a bit, you can find nearly everything at GK - it's kind of like Macy's - and they often have good deals.
When you've had your fill of food and browsing, head back to the Luisenplatz bus station and wait for the F heading to Mathildenhoehe. This former artists' colony is now a living museum - gorgeous architecture, scenery of Darmstadt's greenery, and an interesting history. The museum costs 5 euros but walking the grounds is free. There's also a cafe (and free toilets) in the first big building in front of the bocce ball court, upstairs. We wandered from house to house, and found some interesting back- and front-yards with hidden treasure (like a trampoline!) to explore.
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