Routes

Planner

Features

Updates

App

Login or Signup

Get the App

Login or Signup

Routes
Hiking trails & Routes
Rhein-Lahn-Kreis
Bad Ems

Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

Routes
Hiking trails & Routes
Rhein-Lahn-Kreis
Bad Ems

Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

Moderate

4.7

(176)

559

hikers

Malberg viewpoint – View of Bad Ems loop from Bad Ems

02:18

7.50km

260m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: March 4, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Nassau

Waypoints

A

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1

2.08 km

Malberg viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

At this beautiful place you can recover from the exertions of the ascent / descent on the Malberg and enjoy the great view. 😎

Translated by Google •

Tip by

2

3.51 km

The history of the Malbergbahn goes back to the founding of the “Malbergbahn Actien-Gesellschaft” in 1886. Only seven months later, on June 5th, 1887, the Malbergbahn and the hotel at the mountain station that was built at the same time went into operation. With a gradient of a maximum of 54.5 percent, it was considered the steepest funicular in Germany and was the epitome of German engineering. The drive principle was very simple: Depending on the number of passengers, the upper wagon was additionally loaded with water in order to pull the lower wagon upwards due to the increased dead weight. The water came from an artificial pond specially created on the mountain, which was fed by pumps from the Lahn.

Up to 400 people a day were transported to the mountain station who visited the mountain area as a local recreation area. The Malbergbahn became a tourist attraction and was a landmark of Bad Ems until it was closed in 1979; most recently over 70,000 passengers were counted. Unfortunately, the city did not have the means to meet the requirements of the TÜV and so it came to the cessation of driving, which had been completely accident-free until then.

In 1981 the Malbergbahn, together with the mountain and valley stations, was listed as an industrial monument.

Due to its remote location, the mountain station has unfortunately been badly destroyed by vandalism, the barriers have been reinforced and renewed, but are not up to the urge to destroy.

Read more: malbergbahn.de

Translated by Google •

Tip by

3

3.53 km

Obere Malbergstation Bad Ems

Highlight • Viewpoint

In the glory days of the spa town of Bad Ems, a cog railway that ran up the Malberg mountain on the Taunus side of the Lahn River ended here. The mountain and valley stations are still there today, and hikers can still make out the tracks even in a few sections through the forest. While a café has been installed at the valley station, the mountain station can only be described as completely neglected. As it appears today to the passing hiker, it is an eyesore for Bad Ems.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

4

3.74 km

At the exposed bend in the path on the Malberg there is still an old bench from the former spa hiking trail.
Today it is used more as a party location by polluters who have the strength to drag the grill, grilled food and drinks up the mountain, but later cannot take the rubbish with them despite having refreshments.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

5

3.95 km

View of the Abandoned Malbergbahn Railway

Highlight • Historical Site

On the ascent from the banks of the Lahn River to Malberg, there is a point where hikers cross the tracks of the former cog railway on a bridge. Even today, one can still appreciate how steep this section is, and cannot help but admire the engineering skills of bygone times that planned and implemented the safe ascent and descent.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

6

5.32 km

View of Bad Ems

Highlight • Viewpoint

Past the Schweizerhaus, which has not been able to live up to its former glory since the Malbergbahn was closed, a serpentine path leads up and down and offers numerous views of Bad Ems.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

7

6.37 km

Bad Ems Casino

Highlight • Monument

Bad Ems is a city worth seeing.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

8

6.43 km

Bad Ems Spa Bridge

Highlight • Bridge

Definitely not a "bridge over troubled water," to quote Simon and Garfunkel, but a flower-decorated crossing of the Lahn with a view of the fountain in the middle of the river and, in part, even the sophisticated facades from the spa town's heyday.

Translated by Google •

Tip by

B

7.50 km

End point

Parking

Loading

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

3.34 km

2.67 km

782 m

556 m

152 m

Surfaces

4.53 km

1.85 km

435 m

359 m

241 m

< 100 m

Sign up to see more specific route details

Sign up for free

Elevation

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (320 m)

Lowest point (80 m)

Sign up to see more specific route details

Sign up for free

Weather

Powered by Foreca

Sunday 7 June

23°C

8°C

43 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 14.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

guide_signup

Want to know more?

Sign up for a free komoot account to join the conversation.

Sign up for free

Our route recommendations are based on thousands of hikes, rides, and runs completed by other people on komoot.

Save

Edit route

Download GPX

Move start point

Print

Share

Embed on a website

Report an Issue

Nearby routes

Moderate

4.9

6,193

Ehrbach Gorge dream loop

02:56h

9.79km

230m

Explore
RoutesRoute plannerFeaturesHikesMTB TrailsRoad cycling routesBikepackingSitemap
Download the app
Follow Us on Socials

© komoot GmbH

Privacy Policy