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Family holiday in Essen

Between action and relaxation

When the children are happy, the parents are happy too! The best news first: your children won’t get bored in Essen anytime soon! Water sports, playing on the beach, hiking, mountain biking, discovering culture and learning about it, stepping into the Middle Ages, and exploring the Ruhr region’s most exciting museums—in Essen, you can do it all! It doesn’t matter whether you’re planning a short break or a longer holiday in Essen, looking for an active holiday or pure relaxation. You’re sure to find just the thing among our hand-picked tips, helping you plan the perfect family holiday in Essen.

Day 1 — Water sports in Essen – pure relaxation at Lake Baldeney

Lake Baldeney in the south of the city is perfect for a canoe trip. Simply hire one or two boats—the station in Essen-Kupferdreh opens at 10:00 am. You can hire either Canadian canoes or kayaks; life jackets are also available on site.

Whether you’re on the water or beside it, the area around Lake Baldeney offers a varied and attractive natural and industrial-cultural landscape—ideal for a family outing.

If you’d rather not paddle yourself, we recommend a trip with the Weiße Flotte Baldeney, or, away from the water, a ride on the historic Hespertalbahn. The train departs from Essen-Kupferdreh or Haus Scheppen. A visit to Seaside Beach Baldeney is also highly recommended. At the 250-metre-long beach, complete with palm trees and a swimming area, the children will be entertained while you, as parents, can simply unwind and enjoy a cocktail.

Day 2 — Grugapark Essen – plenty of room to discover, play and run around

Located in the Rüttenscheid district, Grugapark covers around 60 hectares, making it one of Europe’s largest and most beautiful urban parks. It welcomes more than 1 million visitors every year. With its vast lawns, botanical gardens, tropical greenhouse and numerous playgrounds, Grugapark is a true all-rounder and a popular leisure destination for locals and tourists alike. For children, the adventure farm is a particular highlight, alongside the playgrounds and maze. Around 500 animals live throughout the park, including historic farm breeds such as Bunte Bentheimer pigs, Coburger Fuchsschafe and Bunte Deutsche Edelziegen. There are also exotic animals such as flamingos, eagle-owls and fallow deer.

The best way to explore the park is to start with a ride on the Grugabahn. The little train goes all the way around the park, and you can get off whenever you like—for example, to grab a snack at the kiosk or restaurant. And if you still haven’t had enough of trains after the ride, the 460 m² model railway at OKtoRail is sure to delight you.

Day 3 — Cycling in Essen – discover the city's green side

With its excellently developed network of cycle paths, much of it away from road traffic, cycling around 260 km across Essen is no problem at all for families with children. Industrial culture, parks, forests and fields, as well as vibrant city life—all of this is ideal to explore by bike. Many of the cycle paths were built on disused railway lines that carried coal and steel until just a few decades ago. You can also explore the Ruhr region around Essen this way, as the cycle paths don’t stop at the city limits!

Our tip for a day trip: The Nature Route—a 16-kilometre tour connecting the New Emscher Valley with the Ruhr Valley and showing you the city’s greenest side.

You can find more cycling tours here.

You can hire bikes here.

Führung über das UNESCO-Welterbe Zollverein

Day 4 — Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site – for explorers young and old

A visit to Zollverein Coal Mine, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, definitely belongs on your to-do list in Essen. People used to work incredibly hard here; it was loud and hot, and no housewife would have wanted to hang white laundry in the garden near the mines. None of that remains today. But a guided tour of the World Heritage Site, the coking plant and the Ruhr Museum will give you a fascinating insight into the past! A real highlight, because former miners are certainly no dry-as-dust tour guides, and having fun is the priority.

Prefer something more active? Then explore the approximately 100-hectare site with a game of soccer golf—a mix of football and golf—which is free for the whole family.

There are also cafés and restaurants on site where families with children are always welcome.

Fahrgäste im offenen Oberdeck des Cabriobusses vor dem Doppelbock von Zollverein

Day 5 — A sightseeing tour of Essen aboard an open-top double-decker bus

After exploring so many highlights on foot, it’s time to take a seat on day five and enjoy a sightseeing tour. RevierTouristik’s bright red open-top double-decker bus is ready to take you on a roughly two-hour trip to Essen’s most exciting sights. These include Villa Hügel, Germany’s largest registered single-family home with 399 rooms, the garden suburb of Margarethenhöhe and, of course, the Zollverein UNESCO World Heritage Site. The great thing is that, with headphones and a smartphone, the tour becomes a children’s tour. Simply scan the QR code on the back of the seat in front of you on the bus, and entertaining, child-friendly commentary about the attractions on the route will begin. Meanwhile, adults can listen to the classic “Erlebnisrundfahrt Essen” commentary through the speakers. There’s something for everyone.

At the end of your fifth day in the Ruhr region, you deserve a grand finale. You’ll need something hearty to sink your teeth into! In the Ruhr region, the true home of currywurst, there’s only one choice: currywurst and chips! Whether you have it with or without mayo, or even “Schranke” style (red and white), is up to you. Fortunately, there’s a great chip shop on every corner in Essen. Enjoy!

Picknick an der Ruine der Burg Altendorf

Day 6 — Isenburg Castle ruins & Altendorf Castle ruins – the Middle Ages in Essen

Almost every child has dreamed of living in a castle at some point—as a knight or a lady of the castle. In Essen, you can take two trips back in time.

High above Lake Baldeney in the Stadtwald district, the remains of the medieval Isenburg rise up on a rocky outcrop. 750 years ago, it was the largest and most important fortification in the region. A historical discovery trail offers insights into the castle’s history and the lives of its residents.

In the southeast of the city, in the Burgaltendorf district, lies the romantic ruin of Burg Altendorf, built in the second half of the 12th century. During the summer months, you can visit the outer and main bailey, with their well-preserved walls, on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Guided tours are also available. If you still want more after that, stop by Schloss Hugenpoet in Kettwig (a five-star superior castle hotel with the “1831” gourmet restaurant), Schloss Oefte (golf course) and Schloss Landsberg (Thyssen Krupp conference and seminar venue).

Day 7 — Swin golf, football golf and adventure golf at Rutherhof

On the last day, head to the idyllic Ruhr Valley in Essen-Schuir. There you’ll find Rutherhof, where the whole family can try their hand at golf. Don’t worry, this isn’t traditional golf, but three easy-going and action-packed variations. First, there’s Swin golf. It’s played with simplified rules and a little less fuss across the 11-hectare site, which has 18 fairways. In football golf, the aim is to get the ball into the target in as few kicks as possible across 18 holes. The target might be a barrel in the ground, a net or even a large tree trunk. Adventure golf rounds out the fun, with creative obstacles, elevation changes, ramps and loops. What makes it special is that each of the 18 holes represents a landmark or symbol of the Ruhr region. The game thus becomes a little journey through the Ruhr. Since exercise is known to make you hungry, you can treat yourself to a delicious meal at the Rutherhof restaurant at the end of the day.

Grugapark in Essen Video / YouTube / will only load after clicking

Fancy a trip to Essen?