Hanau sits where the Kinzig flows into the Main, east of Frankfurt, and it is the starting point of the German Fairy Tale Route because it is the birthplace of the Brothers Grimm. Jacob was born here in 1785 and Wilhelm a year later, and a large bronze monument of the two seated figures stands in front of the town hall on the market square. Hanau has about eighty-nine thousand people and was heavily damaged in the Second World War, so it is not a pretty old town, but it has a pleasant riverside and a long tradition of goldsmithing and jewellery.
The fairy tale route runs about six hundred kilometres to Bremen, following the places in the lives and stories of the Grimms, and the stretch to Kassel takes in some of the finest country in Hesse. A short way along is Steinau an der Straße, where the brothers spent part of their childhood in a half-timbered house, and the old town has a castle with a puppet theatre. Gelnhausen, further on, has the ruins of the great imperial palace of Barbarossa, built in the twelfth century on an island in the Kinzig, and a charming half-timbered centre.
Beyond that, the road climbs into the Vogelsberg, an ancient volcano field of rounded hills, woods and meadows that is among the largest basalt areas in Europe. The roads here are gentle, with long sweeping bends and little traffic, and the villages are neat and quiet. Fulda, with its baroque cathedral and abbey, is a handsome city, and the road continues north toward Kassel, where the Brothers Grimm worked for decades and where a museum holds their manuscripts and household copies of the tales. The Bergpark Wilhelmshöhe, with a giant statue of Hercules above a cascade of waterfalls, is a world heritage site and an astonishing sight.
Getting out of Hanau is simple enough, though the roads around Frankfurt are busy and the autobahn is the fastest option. Once in the countryside, the riding is relaxed, with decent tarmac and well-signed routes.
Fuel and food are easy, and cafes are everywhere. Look out for Handkäse mit Musik, a local cheese dish with onions and vinegar, if you are feeling brave, and a glass of apple wine in the Frankfurt style. The best time for the route is late spring or early autumn, when the forests are green or gold and the roads are quiet.