The HarzCard is a paid visitor card that grants access to services at museums and leisure facilities. There are over 100 participating venues in the Harz region to choose from. The card is available in both digital and physical formats. Along with the card, you will receive a HarzCard travel guide that lists all participating partner venues and details their respective offerings.
The HarzCard is a paid-for all-inclusive card that gives you access to services at museums and leisure facilities. This often takes the form of free admission or a discount on a specific offer.
The purchase price of the card is a one-off payment. Once purchased, the card grants free entry to almost all HarzCard partners. In total, over 100 establishments are participating in the scheme. It is entirely up to the HarzCard holder how many they visit. There is no upper limit – only a time limit.
The card is available in two versions:
- valid for 48 consecutive hours or
- valid for 4 individually selectable days within a calendar year
Please note that the card expires on 31 December. Use of the HarzCard is always limited to the calendar year in which the card was first used. Once used, it cannot be carried over to the following year.
Only an unused card remains valid in the following year.
Public transport is not included. The ‘Hatix’ scheme is available for this purpose.
In addition to the HarzCard, you will receive a travel guide (in german) that explains the offer in more detail.
This card is valid for a continuous period of 48 hours from the first use – subject to the relevant opening hours.
The only service not available with this card is travel on the Harz Narrow-Gauge Railway.
This card is valid on four days of your choice within a calendar year. A day corresponds to a calendar day – not 24 hours. You may take a break between the days on which the card is used.
Validity expires on 31 December.
The HarzCard can be ordered online or purchased at one of the many sales outlets in the Harz region.
There are two options for online ordering. The first is a slightly cheaper, fully digital option. The card is immediately available as a PDF and in the Wallet app.
Alternatively, you can have a physical copy of the card sent to your home. Additional postage charges apply.
There are numerous outlets where you can purchase the HarzCard. These are often the tourist information centres in the towns, but a number of leisure facilities and other partners also offer this service. You can find out exactly which ones here:
The HarzCard comes with a travel guide. Unfortunately, it is only available in German. In it, all participating partners introduce themselves and their offerings. Click here to download the digital version.
The HarzCard is only ever valid until the end of the year – regardless of which month you purchased it. Ideally, the card can be valid for twelve months if purchased at the beginning of January. If, for example, it is purchased in June, it remains valid for a good six months.
Exception: If the card has not been used at all during the year, the validity period is extended by one year. However, this only applies if the card has not been used for a single day.
No, the four days do not have to be used consecutively; they can be chosen individually. However, the pass must be used up by 31 December, as it will expire on that date. In this case, a day refers to a calendar day – not 24 hours.
Some venues can be visited more than once, whilst others can only be visited once. You will find information on this in the detailed description of the partners under the heading “HarzCard benefit”. If it says “one-time free admission”, you are only granted free entry once. If the word “one-time” is not listed, you can visit an attraction multiple times. However, there is a four-hour waiting period after leaving a venue.
No. The standard Brocken trip is the only service that can only be used with the 4-day HarzCard.
The tactile card makes a great gift. When you purchase it, you’ll receive a blank card. The recipient can choose both the user and the travel date (up to the end of the year).
No. The card is sold or sent as a ‘blank card’. The user can write their name on it themselves.
It is essential that the name written on the card matches the name on their ID card.
The child’s age at the time of using the card is the decisive factor. Accordingly, when purchasing the card, you must check whether a different card will be required if the child has had a birthday in the meantime.
The card is activated at the ticket office when I visit a participating venue for the first time.
No. This is because people with a severe disability card often receive discounts on standard admission prices. Therefore, purchasing a HarzCard is usually not cost-effective for this group. Consequently, no corresponding pricing model is offered.
In the case of the Harz Narrow-Gauge Railway, for example, the following rule applies: People with severe disabilities who hold a valid disability card and a valid token are carried free of charge. Companions of people with severe disabilities are carried free of charge if the person with severe disabilities holds a card bearing the corresponding ‘B’ mark.
Your point of contact is the card operator: Harz AG in Wernigerode, Tel.: 03943 935800 or hc@harz-ag.de.
some of our experiences with the Harzcard
The HarzCard is operated by Harz AG, Wernigerode.
Do you have any further questions about the scheme, or is your organisation interested in joining the HarzCard scheme?
Please feel free to get in touch:
03943 935800
We hope you have a wonderful time in the Harz Mountains.
