Ilmenau is a sleeping little town which is enlivened by several nice buildings and small student populations. Goethe is the main attraction for those who come to Germany for the purpose of visiting the pilgrimage site.
Goethe is also the gateway to the famous Goethe Hiking Trail. It is a lovely as well as challenging hike where you have to walk 18.5 km on a day. The trekking trail will lead you to the footsteps of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The trekking trail will take you to forest terrain, steep climbing. Every step is marked with letter "G" in Goethe's own handwriting.
The starting point for the trekking is the Amtshaus and then to south to the village of Stutzerbach or you can take a shorter hike if you do not have enough time. You can start your hike from Kickelhahn from Ilmenau, then passing Manebach or just drive to Waldstrasse to the parking at Herzogroder Wiesen and 25 minutes uphill walk. Pass the Jagdaus Gabelbach and to the Kickelhahn peak.